Carlo Ancelotti saluted the impact of substitute Marco Asensio following his goal in Real Madrid's 2-0 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

The reigning champions made it six points from six in Group F after netting twice in the final 10 minutes to battle past their spirited opponents at Santiago Bernabeu.

After Federico Valverde opened the scoring, Asensio sealed the victory by sweeping a wonderful first-time effort into the top corner from Toni Kroos' lay-off for his eighth Champions League goal as a substitute - now the most of any player in the history of the competition.

The winger, who replaced Eduardo Camavinga in the 64th minute, was repeatedly linked with a move away from Madrid during the transfer window, and entered the contest having played just 17 minutes for Los Blancos across all competitions this season.

His frustration at the lack of playing time boiled over when he was overlooked by Ancelotti during Sunday's 4-1 win over Mallorca; throwing his bib to the ground while kicking a water bottle. But the Italian was pleased by Asensio's response.

"[I am] happy, he has had minutes and has delivered. I think he needed this goal," said Ancelotti, who became only the second coach to record 100 Champions League wins after Alex Ferguson (102). 

"At first, he hesitated whether to leave or stay, but he has stayed, and we were all happy. [It was a] good game, although we suffered a bit in the first half.

"The most important thing was to prevent them from having space behind the defenders, and that's why we wanted a slow pace. At half-time, we decided to put more energy into the game."

Madrid have now recorded clean sheets in each of their last three matches in the competition; doing so for the first time since the 2015-16 season.

And goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois highlighted the significance of making a strong start in Group F, with a double-header against Shakhtar Donetsk to come.

"It was important to start our defence with two straight wins," he said. "Now, if we can win our two against Shakhtar, we'll be nearly through to the next round.

"Maybe when we played better, we still didn't make huge danger [today], but the key was that we took our chances. 

"We applied much better pressure in the second half. We marked our men, played the ball simply when we had it. Our general play needs to improve - too many times, we failed to make our passes."

Christophe Galtier was relieved to see his Paris Saint-Germain side bounce back from an "average" first half to beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.

The Ligue 1 champions fell behind to Tiaronn Chery's strike midway through the first half, but they went in at the break level thanks to Lionel Messi's close-range finish.

The Argentinian's goal saw him move clear of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the player to have scored against the highest number of opponents in the Champions League (39).

It also meant he became the first player in history to score in 18 different Champions League seasons.

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar added to Messi's goal in the second half as PSG won their opening two matches in a Champions League campaign for the first time since 2019-20 under Thomas Tuchel, when they went on to reach the final.

While Galtier was unimpressed with his side's below-par display in the first half, he praised his players for the way they reacted to his instructions after the break.

"We had two or three big situations in the first period and they had some too; they pushed hard in what was a big atmosphere," he told RMC Sport 1.

"We were not well organised and we were quickly cut in two. It made for a very difficult first period. We had to rectify things and after the break we were much more compact.

"The opponents are always of very good quality in the Champions League. We had to react after the first period which was average, especially on a tactical level.

"We were cut open, our team block was low and Maccabi pushed high. From the moment the front three went down to get back in the block, we were better.

"It was not a question of lack of effort, but a question of poor analysis of the pressure between our midfielders and our attacking trio."

Mbappe's strike means he has now scored 30 goals in 46 Champions League games for PSG, taking him level with Edinson Cavani as the club's highest scorer in the competition.

Like his coach, the 23-year-old was not impressed with PSG's first half and says they need to improve quickly. 

"We fell asleep a bit and we conceded this first goal," he told Canal+. "Then we reacted well. We started to install our game and make differences. We were able to score the second and seal the win at the end with the third. 

"We have to improve. We will have to work. We work during the week but now we have to get results quickly because the important things will happen quickly, like the World Cup."

Christophe Galtier was relieved to see his Paris Saint-Germain side bounce back from an "average" first half to beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in Champions League Group H on Wednesday.

The Ligue 1 champions fell behind to Tjaronn Chery's strike midway through the first half, but they went in at the break level thanks to Lionel Messi's close-range finish.

The Argentinian's goal saw him move clear of long-time rival Cristiano Ronaldo as the player to have scored against the highest number of opponents in the Champions League (39).

It also meant he became the first player in history to score in 18 different Champions League seasons.

Kylian Mbappe and Neymar added to Messi's goal in the second half as PSG won their opening two matches in a Champions League campaign for the first time since 2019-20 under Thomas Tuchel, when they went on to reach the final.

While Galtier was unimpressed with his side's below-par display in the first half, he praised his players for the way they reacted to his instructions after the break.

"We had two or three big situations in the first period and they had some too; they pushed hard in what was a big atmosphere," he told RMC Sport 1.

"We were not well organised and we were quickly cut in two. It made for a very difficult first period. We had to rectify things and after the break we were much more compact.

"The opponents are always of very good quality in the Champions League. We had to react after the first period which was average, especially on a tactical level.

"We were cut open, our team block was low and Maccabi pushed high. From the moment the front three went down to get back in the block, we were better.

"It was not a question of lack of effort, but a question of poor analysis of the pressure between our midfielders and our attacking trio."

Mbappe's strike means he has now scored 30 goals in 46 Champions League games for PSG, taking him level with Edinson Cavani as the club's highest scorer in the competition.

Like his coach, the 23-year-old was not impressed with PSG's first half and says they need to improve quickly. 

"We fell asleep a bit and we conceded this first goal," he told Canal+. "Then we reacted well. We started to install our game and make differences. We were able to score the second and seal the win at the end with the third. 

"We have to improve. We will have to work. We work during the week but now we have to get results quickly because the important things will happen quickly, like the World Cup."

Massimiliano Allegri insisted he has no fears for his Juventus job as he urged the Bianconeri to put worries aside to respond to their Champions League defeat to Benfica.

Juve are without a point in the Champions League after two Group H games, falling to a 2-1 defeat after Joao Mario cancelled out Arkadiusz Milik's opener before David Neres scored a second-half winner.

That marked the first time Juve have opened a Champions League group stage with two losses, while they suffered three straight defeats in Europe's premier club competition for the first time since September 1972.

With just one win in seven games amid a poor run in Serie A, pressure continues to grow on Allegri but the Juve coach remains confident he is the right man to take the Bianconeri forward.

"Absolutely yes, we have a bit of difficulty but there are a few players missing," Allegri responded to Amazon Prime Video when asked if he felt he could turn things around.

"We must work with calmness and with the responsibility of all."

Juve have won just one of their last seven games in Europe against Benfica, who moved level at the top of Group H with Paris Saint-Germain after the Ligue 1 side downed Maccabi Haifa 3-1 on Wednesday.

The Bianconeri had no response to the dominance of Benfica, who had previously lost 10 of their last 12 visits against Italian sides, leading Allegri to call on a response from his players.

"It is difficult to explain what happened but after going 2-1 down, the match is over. The performance would have been bad too [even if we got] a draw," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"Now we don't need to talk, just work and think about on the pitch. I told the team that in football these moments happen and you have to get out of them as a collective.

"In the Champions League it's hard, but it's not finished. I understand the difficult moment for the team. We don't have to think about worries, we just have to do."

Juve will hope to respond when they visit Monza in Serie A on Sunday, with their next Champions League clash coming against Maccabi Haifa at home on October 5.

Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar took to social media swiftly after the 3-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League to complain about his booking.

The Brazilian scored PSG's third in Israel, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe both already on the scoresheet as Christophe Galtier's side responded after Tjaronn Chery had given the hosts a surprising lead.

Neymar was left frustrated with German referee Daniel Siebert though, who elected to issue a yellow card for his antics after finding the back of the net – despite it being his customary celebration.

The 30-year-old wasted no time in expressing his feelings on the matter, taking to his Instagram account to unleash his thoughts under a caption of "football keeps getting more annoying!"

"Another victory, congratulations, but we move on right? There it is; a celebration is a yellow card, another one for the list for NJ (Neymar)," he said.

"It's only with me that these things happen to. Next time I will warn the referee's that I am going to do it."

Neymar then took his views to Twitter in a series of posts, writing: "I'm asking now, okay?

"Total lack of respect for the athlete. This kind of thing can't happen. I take the yellow for simply not having done anything and I continue to be harmed.

"And the judge? He will not even say he was wrong. A lot of lack of respect."

He then posted a clip of his celebration alongside the name of Siebert, adding the use of emojis to reflective of his antics.

Erling Haaland always expected a tough game against former employers Borussia Dortmund but said "they didn't stop me" after scoring a superb winner in Manchester City's 2-1 comeback triumph.

City were up against it in Wednesday's Champions League encounter when Jude Bellingham nodded the visitors ahead after the break.

But John Stones rifled in a long-range equaliser, which proved the precursor to a moment of genius from Haaland, who produced a stunning acrobatic volley to break the hearts of his former club.

Haaland's stunning intervention came just a day after Dortmund defender Nico Schlotterbeck declared he was well-equipped to stop the Norwegian, shattering a resolute defensive display from BVB.

City's goals – scored in the 80th and 84th minutes – came from their first two shots on target in the match, and Haaland acknowledged how tough it had been for him to make his mark. 

"They didn't stop me. I scored. They played well, they were good," Haaland, who at the age of 22 years and 55 days old is now the youngest player in Champions League history to score both for and against a single club, told BT Sport.

"They were good. I was quite sure I was going to be followed the whole game because Edin [Terzic] knows me very well. Dortmund were really good today. In the end, the three points is what matters.

"This is what we are, and this is why we have to play. In the end, I'm proud of the last 20, 25 minutes. 

"Two wonderful goals today, mine was a bit better, honestly! In the end, a really important win."

City have now gone unbeaten through their last 21 home Champions League games (W19 D2), the longest such sequence by an English club since Chelsea also went 21 without defeat between September 2006 and December 2009.

Just as belief was drifting away from the Etihad Stadium, Stones' 20-yard strike whistled past Alexander Meyer to get the hosts back on terms – the England defender's first goal from outside the penalty area for club or country.

Stones explained he had taken up his advanced position for defensive reasons as he acknowledged City did not meet their usual standards for long periods.

"The manager wants us in those sorts of areas for things like that, and to control the counter-attack as well, we're in good positions for balls that come outside the box," Stones said.

"It was one of those things, I was getting a few shouts and just decided to pull the trigger.

"It was difficult, we were definitely not at our best. In the first half we made it difficult, we didn't play at the tempo we should have, we didn’t use the ball well, we had a lot of sloppy passes.

"So at half-time we had some stern words between each other and tried to change that for the second half, and I think we did."

Dortmund goalscorer Bellingham, meanwhile, acknowledged the quality of Haaland's finish in his own post-match interview, saying: "That shows his quality, you know? 

"He's not always in the game, but you know if you give him half a sniff, he can make a goal. That's what he did tonight."

City's win moved them three points clear of Dortmund at the top of Group G ahead of back-to-back meetings with Copenhagen in early October.

Graham Potter vowed Chelsea "will get better" once they have worked on minor details after being held to a 1-1 draw by Salzburg in his opening game in charge.

Chelsea took the lead in Wednesday's Champions League match through Raheem Sterling's 48th-minute strike, with that their first attempt on target.

However, the Blues struggled to build on that goal and were pegged back 15 minutes from time when Noah Okafor profited from a Thiago Silva error to equalise for Salzburg.

Potter's side finished the game at Stamford Bridge with 72 per cent of the possession and had 17 shots, but only four of those were on target.

While happy with the effort from his players, Potter – appointed as Thomas Tuchel's successor six days ago – accepted there is room for improvement.

"We're disappointed with the result. I thought the boys gave everything," he told BT Sport. 

"We scored a good goal but lost a bit in the second half. Their goalkeeper has made some good saves. It is what it is, we have to dust ourselves down. 

"Personality and application was good, we will get better. We got Raheem in one-on-one situations quite often and the goal was a good result of that.

"It's always irritating when you concede a goal. Overall the defensive performance was quite good, it's just the little details we will have to improve.

"It has not been easy for the boys. They have responded to us really well over the last few days, and it's a point we will have to take and get better. 

"The attitude has been fantastic, so no complaints apart from the fact we have not taken three points."

Chelsea were beaten 1-0 by Dinamo Zagreb in Tuchel's final game in charge and are bottom of Group E ahead of their double-header with pacesetters Milan.

It is the first time since the 1999-2000 season that Chelsea have failed to win either of their opening two Champions League games and leaves them with work to do.

"It's not the position we want to be in, but we have to respond, it's as simple as that," Potter said at his post-match press conference.

"It's a tough group, but there's enough quality in the squad, and we have to respond to those two games.

"We are at the start of a process together as staff and players. I am looking forward to working and making this team competitive and one supporters are proud of."

Sterling has now been directly involved in 250 career goals at club level (158 goals, 92 assists) following his impressive curled finish.

The England international was selected as a left-sided wing-back in Potter's hybrid 3-5-2 formation, with Reece James on the right.

Explaining his choice of formation, Potter said: "It was a back three with Reece and Raheem giving the width. 

"It's not easy to play through the middle against their system, so Reece and Raheem gave us the width. I thought we got them into good situations, Mason [Mount], too.

"You don't want Raheem defending in his box too often, and I don't think he did. I think Marc Cucurella handled that situation well."

Leonardo Bonucci conceded the jeers from Juventus fans were deserved in the Champions League defeat to Benfica, leaving the Bianconeri captain "worried" by a situation that "needs to be changed".

Juve needed just four minutes to take the lead in Turin as Arkadiusz Milik headed in, only for Joao Mario to restore parity with a first-half penalty.

David Neres secured a deserved three points for Roger Schmidt's side after the interval, with Dusan Vlahovic seeing a goal ruled out for offside and Bremer blasting over as Juve looked to snatch a late equaliser.

That left Juve with just one win in seven European outings against Benfica, who sit level on points with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Group H after the Ligue 1 side overcame Maccabi Haifa 3-1 on Wednesday.

Defeat also marked the first time Juve have lost their opening two games in the competition's group stage, while it is the first occasion they have lost three games in a row in the European Cup or Champions League since September 1972.

Pressure continues to mount on coach Massimiliano Allegri after just one win in Juve's last seven games, and Bonucci offered an honest appraisal after yet another frustrating performance at the Allianz Stadium.

"The whistles are right. There is little to say. We have lost a game that we absolutely shouldn't have lost," the Italy international told Amazon Prime Video. 

"It is right that we are booed. I am the captain who must put my face to it. We are going through a moment where we find it hard to do everything.

"I'm worried, there is nothing to hide. Unfortunately, we leave the game too often. I don't know why and that's the thing that worries me the most.

"We struggle to keep the games constant. Now there is little to say, we just have to shut up, work and look forward.

"I think it is a situation that needs to be changed certainly. We have many players out, we are always playing the same ones and you feel the fatigue. It is everyone's fault."

Juve remain without a point after two Group H games in the Champions League, and will look to make amends on the return to Serie A action at Monza on Sunday.

Manchester City bought Erling Haaland to be the difference on nights like this.

In cagey Champions League matches, against Europe's top sides, the striker was the player who could turn possessional dominance into victory.

Yet for 84 frustrating minutes against his former club Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, Haaland toiled. World-class players – strikers especially – only need a moment, a split-second, however, to do the damage.

And so it proved, when Joao Cancelo lofted in a left-wing cross to the back post that mere mortals could not have reached. But Haaland, now the youngest player in Champions League history to score for and against the same side in the competition, is no mere mortal.

Nico Schlotterbeck had told the press he "knew how to stop Haaland". The centre-back, named on the bench after playing in a 3-0 Bundesliga defeat to RB Leipzig at the weekend, had been on the pitch just six minutes when Haaland somehow met Cancelo's delivery and, in mid-air, prodded a finish beyond Alexander Meyer. His 13th goal of the season. It is mid-September.

It completed a four-minute City turnaround, from 1-0 down to 2-1 up – John Stones having cancelled out Jude Bellingham's opener with a rocket from the edge of the area, albeit one Meyer might have done better with.

Not that this was a vintage City display, by any means. Up until Stones' equaliser, they had laboured, failing to test Meyer. Indeed, the loudest the home crowd had been before then was after Haaland had struck the outside of the post from a near-impossible angle with his first true sighting of goal, and prior to that, it was a chorus of "you're just a s*** Bayern Munich" directed at the vociferous visiting fans, who were in great voice throughout.

Bellingham's opener did not come against the run of play, either. City had 64.1 per cent possession in the first half but managed just four attempts. None were on target and three, from Jack Grealish, were easily blocked.

Pep Guardiola cut a frustrated figure, but whatever he said to his side at half-time did not have the desired impact. Dortmund came out of the blocks, Marco Reus slicing just wide before he provided the cross-shot for Bellingham to nod home, becoming the highest-scoring English teenager in the Champions League in the process.

Bellingham scored one of his other three Champions League goals on the last occasion these sides met, in the 2020-21 quarter-finals. Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden scored in a 2-1 win for City, sealing a 4-2 aggregate victory. 

Haaland, then in a Dortmund shirt of course, had 25 touches on that occasion. Only one of those came in the box, and he had just one attempt, failing to hit the target with it. He finished with 26 touches before being taken off to a standing ovation this time out, but 14 of those were in BVB's area.

Ilkay Gundogan, another ex-Dortmund star, had suggested in his pre-match press conference that City had to show more patience in regards to getting the ball into their number nine, but there is a fine balance to be struck and it was only when Foden came on – as part of a treble substitution in the wake of Dortmund's goal – that the hosts started to click into gear.

Whereas Grealish looked to chop inside, Foden's directness offered City a different dimension, putting Thomas Meunier on the back foot. Indeed, only a brilliant Mats Hummels intervention prevented Haaland getting on the end of a sharp Foden cross.

And it was getting the ball in sharply that finally set the stage for Haaland to prove the difference, to back up the reason City bought him. For nights like this. So well-shackled by his former club, one quick ball – from a situation where Cancelo had been far too content to play the safe option previously – provided the Norway international with the ammunition.

He does not miss. And for City, it means even on an off-day, they got the job done. Come the season's end, it might just prove to be the factor that ends their hunt for European glory.

Napoli needed three attempts to beat Allan McGregor from the spot before coasting past 10-man Rangers 3-0 in the Champions League.

Rangers defied UEFA to go ahead with pre-match plans to sing God Save The King before the game following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The emotional atmosphere lifted Rangers early on and Alfredo Morelos skewed a close-range header wide. Piotr Zielinski then cracked the post at the other end before Scott Arfield drew a fine save out of Alex Meret.

Yet Rangers' good work in the first half was undone by a chaotic second period, in which 40-year-old McGregor played a starring role.

James Sands was shown a second yellow card for bringing down Giovanni Simeone as he broke into the box. Zielinski's subsequent penalty was brilliantly turned away by McGregor but only as far as Matteo Politano, who finished from a tight angle.

However, Politano was deemed to have encroached before the penalty was taken and McGregor produced heroics from the retake to thwart the Poland international.

McGregor, though, could not deny Napoli a third time after Borna Barisic was deemed to have handled in the area, Politano's penalty squeaking under his hand and into the bottom-right corner. 

Giacomo Raspadori fired home a late second after a one-two with fellow substitute Mathias Olivera and Tanguy Ndombele added further gloss to the scoreline before Rangers had a penalty overturned by VAR as Napoli moved three points at the top of Group A.

Real Madrid scored twice in the closing stages as they battled to a 2-0 win over RB Leipzig in the Champions League.

The reigning European champions had endured a frustrating day at the Santiago Bernabeu until Federico Valverde broke the deadlock with 10 minutes to play.

Substitute Marco Asensio then wrapped up the points in stoppage time to move Los Blancos to the top of Group F and give Carlo Ancelotti his 100th win in Europe's premier club competition.

Despite a spirited display – at odds with their below-par showing against Shakhtar Donetsk – Leipzig remain pointless after a second consecutive defeat.

Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar were all on target as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Maccabi Haifa 3-1 in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Tjaronn Chery gave the Israeli side hope of a famous victory when he powered home from close range in the 24th minute.

But PSG responded well to that early setback and pulled level before the break when Messi stroked home following fine work by Mbappe.

France international Mbappe put the visitors ahead and Neymar then sealed the three points late on as PSG made it two wins from two in Group H following last week's victory over Juventus.

Josh Cohen denied a clean-through Mbappe after just 70 seconds, while at the other end Gianluigi Donnarumma got down well to keep out Mohammad Abu Fani's strike in the ninth minute.

Maccabi stunned the Ligue 1 giants shortly after the midway point of the first half when Chery stole in at the back post to volley home Dolev Haziza's superb cross from six yards.

PSG restored parity eight minutes before the interval, though, when Messi clipped home from close range after Mbappe's low cross from the left had been deflected into his path.

Frantzdy Pierrot squandered a golden opportunity to put Maccabi ahead again early in the second half, the forward narrowly directing Pierre Cornud's cross past the post.

Messi was denied by a wonderful save from Cohen, but there was nothing the Maccabi goalkeeper could do to keep out Mbappe in the 69th minute as the 23-year-old curled past him after latching onto Messi's pass. 

Neymar then put the seal on the victory two minutes from full-time when he latched onto Marco Verratti's ball over the top and fired a crisp finish past Cohen.

Erling Haaland came back to haunt his former club with a stunning acrobatic winner as Manchester City came from behind to earn a hard-fought 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Etihad Stadium.

Haaland, who averaged over a goal per game in the Champions League during a two-year spell at Dortmund, met Joao Cancelo's fine cross with a sensational backheeled volley to seal the hosts' victory in the 84th minute.

City had appeared set for a surprise defeat when Jude Bellingham nodded Dortmund ahead after the break, only for John Stones' long-range effort to beat Alexander Meyer for the leveller.

Having been kept quiet by Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule for the majority of the contest, the indomitable Haaland came good in sensational style late on to ensure City preserved their perfect start to their Champions League campaign.