5 Things We Learned from Tuesday's Wild Champions League Action.

The 2024/25 Champions League began with a surprising set of outcomes, including broken records and impressive comebacks.

Here are the top five talking points from all the action in Europe.

Mbappé is off the mark.

Kylian Mbappé had a big night as he started his first Champions League game for new club Real Madrid.

His goal shortly after halftime put Real Madrid ahead, marking the first of many for Los Blancos.

It wasn't an easy trip for the tournament holders, as Stuttgart managed to square the scores, but the Frenchman will be relieved that his team won and that he scored in European competition.

There is no stopping him now.

Harry Kane keeps breaking records.

Tonight, Harry Kane became the most prolific Englishman in Champions League history, equaling and then breaking Wayne Rooney's record of 30 goals in the competition.

The fact that three of his four goals on the night were penalties should not detract from his performance, as he finished the evening with 33 goals in Europe's most elite league.

Kane now has more goals than games for Bayern Munich, with 53 in 50 outings, and he looks to add on his hat-trick in the Bundesliga last weekend.

Could this be the year he finally adds silverware to his impressive goal scoring record?

Is Viktor Gyökeres Europe's greatest kept secret?

If you hadn't heard of Viktor Gyökeres before today, it's time to catch up.

The Swedish striker joined Sporting in 2023 following a successful period at Coventry City, and he has recently been on fire for both club and country.

His goal this evening brought the 26-year-old's tally to nine goals and four assists in his previous seven games with Sporting, and 12 goals and five assists in his past nine games if you include internationals with Sweden.

The best clubs may come knocking shortly.

Aston Villa are back!

Some Aston Villa fans will not have been born when the club last competed in Europe's top competition, and they returned with a statement win tonight.

The 3-0 scoreline really didn't even reflect Villa's dominance, as they had the ball in the back of the net twice more, both of which were ruled out for handball in the build-up.

Their manager, Unai Emery, is well-known for his Europa League victories, but tonight he delivered in the Champions League.

This was their first success since the European Cup was renamed the Champions League, and they thoroughly enjoyed it.

Liverpool are the San Siro set piece specialists.

Arne Slot got off to the worst possible start in his debut Champions League game with Liverpool, as his team fell behind just three minutes at San Siro.

However, the Reds recovered, dusted themselves off, and won 3-1.

You could have mistakenly assumed that their usually razor-sharp attack was to blame for the turnaround, but that was not the case on this occasion.

Liverpool took the lead with two goals from set pieces, both of which were headed home by defensive combination Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil Van Dijk, and this turned the tie around.

If the goals come from all around the team, more wins like this will undoubtedly follow.

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