
A brace from Kylian Mbappé lifted an undermanned Real Madrid past Marseille to kick off Los Blancos’ 2025–26 Champions League campaign with a 2–1 victory.
After mounting their worst Champions League finish in five years last season, Real Madrid arrived at the Santiago Bernabéu eager to begin anew under Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard turned heads just an hour before kick off when he benched Vinícius Júnior for the clash, putting his faith in Rodrygo on the left wing instead.