Images from the UEFA Champions League league matches played on Tuesday.
Vinicius grabs hat-trick in Real's comeback win
Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League on Tuesday.
In a rematch of last-season's final, Dortmund lit up the game with a two-goal blitz around the half-hour mark from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens to silence the Bernabeu crowd.
However, the champions were livelier after the break and broke Dortmund's resistance with Antonio Ruediger's header on the hour before Vinicius equalised with a close-range strike.
Lucas Vazquez put Real ahead in the 83rd with an unstoppable strike after a counter-attack and Vinicius, with two pieces of individual Brazilian brilliance, wrapped up the win to leave his side level with Dortmund on six points from three games.
"(The secret to the comeback) was believing in ourselves. We know that at home, with our fans, anything can happen," Vinicius, who is in contention to win the Ballon d'Or award for the best player in the world on Monday, told Movistar Plus.
"When we got to the dressing room, we were all very quiet, we only listened to the coach (Carlo Ancelotti) ... and only one thing was said: 'If we score the first goal, we're going to come back again'. And we did.
"Thanks to the fans and to the team, who left everything on the pitch. But we have to improve and play like that from the start, otherwise the coach won't be able to take it anymore."
Still figuring out the ideal lineup and formation for a Real midfield missing the creative talent of Toni Kroos, who retired at the end of last season, Ancelotti reverted to his usual 4-3-3 after trying out a system with three centre-backs in an unconvincing 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in LaLiga at the weekend.
However, after a promising first half hour in which Real looked solid at the back and in control of the match, Dortmund took advantage of a lack of concentration by the home defence to score twice in the space of four minutes.
Real looked as stunned as the home fans, anxiously missing several chances, and were often exposed by counter-attacks, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making brilliant saves to deny efforts from Gittens and Julian Brandt before the break.
The hosts came back better organised after the interval, showing the urgency they clearly lacked in the opening period, and got some help from two head-scratching substitutions from Dortmund manager Nuri Sahin early in the second half.
He replaced scorers Malen and Gittens with defender Waldemar Anton and holding midfielder Pascal Gross, leaving his side toothless up front, and from that point it was all downhill for the German side who succumbed to the pressure Real piled on.
Ruediger's header and a Vinicius tap-in two minutes later had lifted the crowd and it was a matter of time until Vazquez gave Real the lead, with Vinicius capping the comeback with unstoppable strikes in the 86th and 93rd minutes.
It was the Brazilian's third hat-trick for Real in all competitions and his first in the Champions League.
Scrappy Arsenal edge Shakhtar Donetsk
Arsenal needed an own goal to seal a scrappy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday as they made it two wins out of three in the Champions League to soften the blow of their first domestic league defeat of the season at the weekend.
The hosts missed a penalty in the second half and squandered a number of decent chances, but the reality was they never found top gear and had to withstand some late pressure from their Ukrainian opponents.
Arsenal, who were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, made a fast start with Brazilians Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both having good opportunities before a fortunate opener in the 29th minute.
A low shot from Martinelli rebounded off the post and off the back of Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk for what turned out to be the only goal of the game.
Arsenal would have doubled their advantage before halftime were it not for Shakhtar captain Mykola Matviyenko who hooked the ball off the line to prevent a diving Kai Havertz nodding in.
Leandro Trossard also missed a second-half penalty awarded by VAR following a handball in the box.
"We had four big, big chances (in the first half). We should have converted them and put the game to bed," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told reporters after the game.
The second half was difficult he added. "We looked tired and lacked sharpness with and without the ball."
Shakhtar, who are yet to win in the Champions League this season, put more pressure on Arsenal after the interval and went close to equalising when substitute Pedrinho had a long-range effort superbly saved by Arsenal keeper David Raya in stoppage time.
"I think we deserved an equaliser" Shakhtar coach Marino Pusic told reporters. "We were chasing for an equaliser till the end of the game... we did our best".
Victory lifts Arsenal provisionally into the top four of the new 36-team league phase before Wednesday's fixtures with their next match away at Inter Milan. Shakhtar will seek to bounce back in their next match at home to Swiss side Young Boys.
Arsenal will be relieved to have sealed the win but without key playmakers Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard who were missing through injury, were well off their fluent best.
Arteta, whose side have also suffered from three domestic league red cards this season, substituted defender Ben White at halftime after he had picked up a yellow card.
Riccardo Calafiori was also taken off with 20 minutes to go after the Italian landed awkwardly following a challenge.
"He (Calafiori) felt something. I don’t know the extent of that so in that sense not great news," Arteta said.
Villa continue perfect start in Champions League
Aston Villa overcame Bologna 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran on Tuesday as the home side extended a perfect start to their first Champions League campaign in 41 years to three victories.
Villa's win put them provisionally top of the table in Europe's elite club competition with nine points and are yet to concede. Bologna have one point after a draw and two losses.
"What we are building here is amazing," McGinn said. "Three games in, three wins and most important for us is no goals conceded. We don't want to stop here. It puts us in a great position. Some players came back and now we look really strong."
Unai Emery's side had a flurry of chances before McGinn scored in the 55th minute, sending a free kick sailing over a sea of heads into the far corner. After a VAR check for a possible handball, the goal from Villa's captain stood.
Duran, whose late-game heroics led them past Bayern Munich three weeks ago, doubled the lead in the 64th when Morgan Rogers lifted a cross towards the box and the lunging striker held off defender Jhon Lucumi to flick the ball into the bottom corner.
Ollie Watkins replaced Duran immediately after the goal, and the Colombian looked livid when he stomped to the bench.
"(Duran) scored the goal and it was fantastic and he was wanting more because he was thinking he could score more goals," Emery said. "He did very good work and the last minutes is for Watkins and keep going."
Bologna, with one win so far this season in all competitions - a Serie A victory at Monza last month - threatened only for brief moments in the first half.
They had an early chance through Thijs Dallinga, who latched onto a through ball from Dan Ndoye, but Villa keeper Emi Martinez dived to push his attempt away from danger.
Villa, who are fourth in the Premier League, mostly dominated the rest of the game, narrowly missing several first-half chances.
McGinn almost scored with a long-range effort but Bologna keeper Lukasz Skorupski kept it out, while Morgan Rogers' shot from distance just before the break sailed wide.
Jacob Ramsey almost scored a third goal for Villa at the death, but was denied in a one-on-one.
"We are playing seriously, we are playing focused, responsible and the team is progressing and mature in everything," Emery said.
Villa next visit Club Brugge in the new 36-team league phase, with the top eight automatically making the last 16.
Lacklustre PSG concede home draw against PSV
Paris St Germain have scored just one goal of their own in three Champions League games after failing to find a suitable replacement for Kylian Mbappe, leaving the Ligue 1 champions with four points and facing a daunting schedule.
Last season, Mbappe scored 44 goals for PSG in all competitions before joining Real Madrid as a free agent, leaving a huge hole behind him in Paris.
In Tuesday's starting lineup against PSV Eindhoven, PSG did not have one player who had scored more than 15 goals in a season during their career and had to rely on fullback Achraf Hakimi to salvage a point in a 1-1 draw.
It was Luis Enrique's side's second goal in three champions League games after an own goal earned them a last-gasp 1-0 win over Girona in the first round of matches in the 36-team league.
"Efficiency was our main problem because we had a lot of chances," captain Marquinhos said.
"We had so many opportunities in the beginning but did not convert while they were more clinical, opened the scoring and it changed the scenario of the match."
Ousmane Dembele hit the woodwork, Bradley Barcola threatened at times and Lee Kang-in had a big opportunity, but none of them have half of Mbappe's killing instinct in front of goal.
Marco Asensio and Randal Kolo Muani, when they came on, did not have any more influence.
"We are among the teams who create the most chances, the team are playing the way I want them to," said Luis Enrique.
"If you look at the statistics, we've been scoring a lot of goals," added Marquinhos, referring to their 25 in the opening eight Ligue 1 games this season.
In the Champions League, they have been far less impressive however and they will play three of their next four games against Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
"Our style of play has changed," Marquinhos argued, without elaborating. "We need to be more calm in front of goal. These are things we need to work at in training and in our heads."
Girona win at last in Europe
Girona goalscorer Juanpe said it was a dream come true as the Spanish side finally managed to get three points on the board in their maiden Champions League campaign with a 2-0 home win against Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.
After losing their first two games in the competition, Miguel Gutierrez gave them the lead in the first half before Juanpe's superbly struck free kick took a slight deflection off the wall before sailing into the net to secure his side's first win in Europe.
The club's account on social media platform X wasted no time in celebrating their historic achievement, posting "THE FIRST BIG EUROPEAN NIGHT IN MONTILIVI!" in Catalan moments after the final whistle.
Girona lost their first game 1-0 to Paris St Germain and were then edged 3-2 in a thriller at home by Dutch side Feyenoord, but they finally got to taste victory at their home stadium on Tuesday.
"It's a dream come true - we watched this competition on TV, and this is the pure elite. I'm very happy - when I scored, I looked at the scoreboard to make sure it was true, my entire football career was going through my mind," an elated Juanpe said.
"It's an important triumph and one of the most important moments of my career, scoring in the Champions League with Girona."
Head coach Michel beamed with pride after his side's effort in front of their fans.
“We must be happy and proud of these players, the performance of many of them is incredible, it was impressive. I am very happy for Juanpe; he has been here for many years and now he has scored in the Champions League."
Sitting in 20th position in the table on three points, Girona's next game in the competition is against Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on Nov. 5.
Reijnders double guides AC Milan to victory
AC Milan secured their first points in the Champions League this season with a 3-1 home win over Belgian champions Club Brugge on Tuesday as Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders scored twice in the second half.
The seven-time European champions had been one of eight sides winless after two games, having lost 1-0 at Bayer Leverkusen earlier this month and 3-1 at home to Liverpool in the competition opener.
Christian Pulisic put Milan ahead in the 34th minute, scoring directly from a corner kick, before Brugge were reduced to 10 men in the 40th when midfielder Raphael Onyedika was sent off for a foul on Reijnders following a lengthy VAR check.
Kyriani Sabbe levelled for last season's Conference League semi-finalists Brugge after the break with a low strike into the far corner.
Reijnders restored the lead for the hosts in the 61st minute with a simple first-time finish from near the penalty spot, before sealing the win with a similar effort 10 minutes later.
It was a shaky start for Milan against a Brugge side who started off aggressively and had two goal attempts inside three minutes, and goalkeeper Mike Maignan was put to work early to block Christos Tzolis's strike from inside the box.
Tzolis continued causing problems for the hosts and he had another brilliant chance five minutes later, with Maignan once more denying the shot before Joel Ordonez hit the bar from a distance after a corner.
But Milan grew into the game and Brugge keeper Simon Mignolet pulled off a great save to deny Pulisic in Milan's first attempt on target before the half-hour mark.
He was, however, helpless minutes later when the US midfielder sent a stunning curled corner kick right past the goal line.
Pulisic remains Milan's top scorer this season, with five goals in Serie A and two in the Champions League.
A depleted Brugge hit back after the break and equalised through halftime substitute Sabbe, who was set up across the box by fellow substitute Hugo Vetlesen.
But the hosts profited from their numerical advantage and Reijnders put them back up after the hour mark, netting a neat back pass from Noah Okafor before Samuel Chukwueze teed him up for another goal with an equally great pass.
The Dutch midfielder scored his first goals of the season across all competitions before 16-year-old Francesco Camarda thought he had added a fourth with a header but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Milan, who last year were eliminated in the group stage, next travel to champions Real Madrid on Nov. 5.
Brugge, who won 1-0 at Austria's Sturm Graz after losing 3-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund in their two opening fixtures, host Aston Villa on November 6.
Stuttgart down Juventus
VfB Stuttgart claimed an impressive 1-0 win at Juventus in the Champions League on Tuesday thanks to El Bilal Toure's stoppage-time strike as the hosts suffered their first loss this season.
The German side, without a win in the competition so far, had been more aggressive and got their reward in the 92nd minute when substitute Toure finally beat Juve's back-up goalkeeper Mattia Perin, who was by far the Italians' best player.
Stuttgart had wasted a golden chance to take the lead four minutes from time when Perin saved Enzo Millot's penalty after a VAR check for a Danilo foul on Anthony Rouault, with the Brazilian defender picking up a second yellow card.
The visitors also saw Deniz Undav's effort disallowed early in the second half for handball by the Germany striker but ultimately managed to end a four-match winless run in all competitions. Juve stay on six points and Stuttgart have four.
