The second matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League featured a plethora of surprising, dominant, and shocking results.
For one, both Norwegian sides involved in the Champions League secured results in their respective contests. Viking stunned Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich to secure a valuable point in their second Champions League contest, while Bodø/Glimt stunned Bayern's Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund in what was a 1-0 decision for Viking's direct rivals in the Eliteserien title race. Elsewhere, Club Brugge went into the San Siro and pulled off a 4-3 win over Inter Milan, who have been involved in two of the last four editions of the Champions League Final.
USMNT players also saw themselves involved in some noteworthy results during this second matchday.
Johnny Cardoso involved as Atlético Madrid secure the win over Manchester United
Having been an unused substitute in Atlético Madrid's first Champions League match against Liverpool, Johnny Cardoso somewhat capitalized on his opportunity to start the club's second match of the tournament against Manchester United.
Cardoso seemed to have scored the second of two Atlético Madrid goals, but it was later taken off the board due to a handball. Even then, the LaLiga side would go on to defeat a Manchester United side that was reduced to 10 players after Leny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute.
Goal!
— CFC CHRIS (@BIGCHRISTIANX1) October 13, 2026
Atletico Madrid [2]-0 Man Utd
Johnny Cardoso 44' (Pablo Barrios) https://t.co/FGEb1oyBtb pic.twitter.com/UsE4f7EGIw
Despite the disallowed goal, Cardoso started the match and was involved for the full 90 minutes. The start was the fourth consecutive one for Cardoso and continued a 100% start rate since the end of the last international break.
Alex Freeman enters in second half, Villarreal make up for Matchday 1 defeat
After losing a competitive contest with Borussia Dortmund to open Champions League play, Villarreal bounced back in compelling fashion on Tuesday, defeating Napoli by a 3-1 scoreline. USMNT right-back Alex Freeman was brought into the contest just past the hour mark and played almost half an hour.
Dest yellow-carded as PSV lose to RB Leipzig
Despite holding RB Leipzig scoreless for well over an hour, PSV could not secure a result in their second Champions League contest of the campaign. Sergino Dest was involved in the contest, though Ricardo Pepi was absent due to his continued recovery from an injury that cost him the opportunity to appear for the USMNT during the last international window. While Dest won three tackles during the contest, he was also given a yellow card and assessed a foul.
Samuel Adeniran helps LASK remain competitive despite loss to Liverpool
LASK's Champions League campaign has not been off to the most ideal start. Their 6-3 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday certainly gives them work to do when it comes to getting back into the race for the next round.
One positive takeaway was American Samuel Adeniran, who played 71 minutes against Liverpool. During the first half, he created a plethora of chances and won one of LASK's three corners. However, left wing-back George Bello missed the match due to injury. He came off after 61 minutes during Sunday's match and is expected to miss one or two weeks.
What's next?
Unlike the gap between the first two weeks of Champions League action, there will be just a week between the second and third matchdays.
Next Tuesday, Dest and PSV will travel to play Porto in what will be one of three matches involving USMNT players to take place during the 3:00 p.m. kickoff window. The second of such matches will see Freeman and Villarreal take on Liverpool, while the third will see Cardoso Atlético Madrid visit VfB Stuttgart.
On Wednesday, LASK will travel to Portugal for a 3:00 p.m. contest against Sporting Lisbon. It's unclear if Bello will be back for that match.
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