Italian clubs in crisis: Inter, Napoli out in Champions League group

The opening night of the second matchday of the League Phase of the 2026/27 Champions League showed two opposite faces: on one side the Italian Inter and Napoli suffered clear defeats, while clubs such as Barcelona and Sporting consolidated their position at the top of the table.

Italian defeats

Inter lost 3-4 to Club Brugge, with goals from Lautaro Martínez in the 44th and 81st minute, as well as goals from Tresoldi, Vermant and Bonny. Napoli were beaten 3-1 by Villarreal, with goals from Rrahmani in the 8th minute, Mikautadze and Mourino for the hosts.

These results left Inter and Napoli without points, placing them respectively in 28th and 31st place in the group standings, with goal differences of –2 and –3.

Impact on the standings

The updated table shows Barcelona on top with 6 points and a goal difference of +7, followed by Sporting and Arsenal, both on 6 points and +4. Bayern Munich occupies fourth place with 4 points and +5.

Napoli collapses at Villarreal: zero points in Champions League and urgent warnings

The teams coached by Silvio Chivu (Inter) and Massimiliano Allegri (Napoli) are now trailing, while clubs such as Manchester United, Manchester City and Real Madrid remain on 3 points with positive goal differences.

Other results of the night include Arsenal‑Lille (3-0), Atletico Madrid‑Manchester United (2-0) and Viking‑Bayern Munich (3-3), demonstrating the variability of the groups.

Rafa Marín at the centre of the debate: Villarreal ready to bring him back to Napoli

The next matchday features fixtures such as Feyenoord‑Como, Roma‑Real Madrid and Manchester City‑Paris Saint‑Germain, all scheduled for 14 October 2026.