Galatasaray were the biggest winners of the opening night of the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, but Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund also took charge of their respective ties with first-leg victories. Galatasaray came from 2-1 down at half-time to score four in the second period and defeat ten-man Juventus 5-2, Real Madrid secured a narrow 1-0 away win at Benfica through Vinícius Júnior’s stunning curling strike, Paris recovered from falling 2-0 behind after 18 minutes to win 3-2 in Monaco with substitute Désiré Doué scoring twice, and Borussia Dortmund claimed their 100th European Cup win by beating Atalanta 2-0.
Table of Contents
Tuesday’s Knockout Phase Play-Off First Legs Summary
Four matches took place on Tuesday evening in the Champions League knockout phase play-off first legs. Galatasaray produced the most emphatic result with a 5-2 comeback victory over Juventus after trailing 2-1 at the break, Real Madrid took a narrow advantage with a 1-0 away win at Benfica, Paris completed a stunning comeback from 2-0 down to win 3-2 away at Monaco, and Borussia Dortmund secured a comfortable 2-0 home win against Atalanta. All second legs will be played on February 24-25, 2026.
Tuesday’s Results Summary
| Match | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Galatasaray vs Juventus | 5-2 | Istanbul |
| Benfica vs Real Madrid | 0-1 | Lisbon |
| Monaco vs Paris | 2-3 | Monaco |
| Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta | 2-0 | Dortmund |
Galatasaray 5-2 Juventus — Four Second-Half Goals Sink Ten-Man Juve
First Half — Koopmeiners Double Turns It Around
Gabriel Sara curled the hosts into the lead after 15 minutes but a Teun Koopmeiners double turned things around. The Juventus midfielder tucked in a rebound before rifling in first time to give Juve a 2-1 half-time lead.
Second Half — Lang Brace and Sánchez Header Seal Rampant Victory
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| Shortly after break | Noa Lang equalised from close range (2-2) |
| On the hour (60 min) | Davinson Sánchez headed in (3-2) |
| After Cabal red card | Lang lofted in his second (4-2) |
| Late | Sacha Boey drilled in a fifth (5-2) |
Player of the Match: Gabriel Sara (Galatasaray)
Match Summary
| Phase | Key Events |
|---|---|
| 15 minutes | Sara curled hosts into lead (1-0) |
| First half | Koopmeiners tucked in rebound (1-1) |
| First half | Koopmeiners rifled in first time (1-2) |
| Half-time | Juventus 2-1 up |
| Shortly after break | Lang close-range equaliser (2-2) |
| 60 minutes | Sánchez header (3-2) |
| Second half | Cabal sent off (two yellow cards) |
| After red card | Lang lofted second (4-2) |
| Late | Boey drilled fifth (5-2) |
Key Performances
| Player | Team | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Sara | Galatasaray | Curled hosts into lead after 15 min; Player of the Match |
| Noa Lang | Galatasaray | Two goals (close-range equaliser shortly after break; lofted second after Cabal red card) |
| Davinson Sánchez | Galatasaray | Headed in on the hour for 3-2 |
| Sacha Boey | Galatasaray | Drilled in fifth late |
| Teun Koopmeiners | Juventus | Double turned things around first half (tucked in rebound, rifled in first time) |
| Juan Cabal | Juventus | Sent off for two yellow cards |
Benfica 0-1 Real Madrid — Vinícius Stunning Strike Seals Narrow Win
Vinícius Júnior’s Moment of Magic
Madrid will take a narrow lead back to the Spanish capital thanks to Vinícius Júnior’s stunning strike shortly after half-time. The Brazilian international cut in from the left wing before unleashing a curling right-footed shot into the far corner, leaving Anatoliy Trubin with no chance.
Match Summary
| Phase | Key Events |
|---|---|
| First half | Benfica started brightly |
| Late first half | Intense Madrid pressure; Trubin at best to thwart Mbappé and Güler in particular |
| Shortly after half-time | Vinícius cut in from left wing; curling right-footed shot into far corner (0-1) |
| First half | Aursnes’ deflected effort produced smart one-handed stop from Courtois |
Player of the Match: Aurélien Tchouaméni (Real Madrid)
Key Performances
| Player | Team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Vinícius Júnior | Real Madrid | Stunning curling strike from left wing into far corner shortly after half-time |
| Anatoliy Trubin | Benfica | At best late first half to thwart Mbappé and Güler; Matchday 8 goalscoring hero; no chance on Vinícius goal |
| Aurélien Tchouaméni | Real Madrid | Player of the Match |
| Thibaut Courtois | Real Madrid | Smart one-handed stop from Aursnes’ deflected effort |
| Kylian Mbappé | Real Madrid | Thwarted by Trubin in late first half |
| Arda Güler | Real Madrid | Thwarted by Trubin in late first half |
| Fredrik Aursnes | Benfica | Deflected effort saved by Courtois |
Monaco 2-3 Paris — Doué’s Double Completes Stunning Comeback
Monaco’s Fast Start — 2-0 After 18 Minutes
Folarin Balogun headed the first-minute opener from Aleksandr Golovin’s cross and also doubled the hosts’ advantage with a composed run and finish to give Monaco a 2-0 lead after just 18 minutes.
Paris Fightback — Substitute Doué Strikes Twice
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 29 minutes | Doué fired in reply (1-2) |
| 4 minutes before HT | Hakimi drilled in equaliser (2-2) |
| 3 min into 2nd half | Golovin dismissed for Les Rouges et Blancs |
| 67 minutes | Doué completed slick move with winner (2-3) |
Player of the Match: Désiré Doué (Paris)
Match Summary
| Phase | Key Events |
|---|---|
| 1 minute | Balogun headed opener from Golovin’s cross (1-0) |
| After 18 min | Balogun composed run and finish doubled advantage (2-0) |
| Between goals | Köhn saved Vitinha’s penalty |
| 29 minutes | Doué fired in (early replacement for Dembélé) (1-2) |
| 4 min before HT | Hakimi drilled equaliser (2-2) |
| 3 min into 2nd half | Golovin dismissal (red card) |
| 67 minutes | Doué slick move winner (2-3) |
Key Performances
| Player | Team | Contribution |
|---|---|---|
| Désiré Doué | Paris | Two goals (29 min reply, 67 min slick move winner); on as early replacement for Dembélé; Player of the Match |
| Folarin Balogun | Monaco | Two goals (first-minute header from Golovin’s cross, composed run and finish after 18 min) |
| Achraf Hakimi | Paris | Drilled equaliser 4 minutes before half-time |
| Philipp Köhn | Monaco | Saved Vitinha’s penalty |
| Aleksandr Golovin | Monaco | Cross for Balogun’s opener; dismissed 3 minutes into second half |
| Ousmane Dembélé | Paris | Replaced early by Doué |
Borussia Dortmund 2-0 Atalanta — 100th European Cup Win
Dortmund’s Perfect Start
Dortmund claimed their 100th European Cup win to take control of their tie against Atalanta. The hosts got off to a brilliant start as Julian Ryerson followed up his four weekend assists with another, crossing for Serhou Guirassy to head in.
Comfortable First-Half Lead
Although Atalanta probed well through Nicola Zalewski in particular, there was to be no reward and instead they fell further behind before the break as Maximilian Beier tapped in Guirassy’s low cross. The visitors could not mount a second-half comeback, leaving them with much to do in Bergamo next week.
Player of the Match: Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund)
Match Summary
| Phase | Key Events |
|---|---|
| Brilliant start | Ryerson crossed for Guirassy header (1-0) |
| First half | Atalanta probed well through Zalewski; no reward |
| Before break | Beier tapped in Guirassy’s low cross (2-0) |
| Second half | Atalanta could not mount comeback |
| Context | Dortmund’s 100th European Cup win |
Key Performances
| Player | Team | Performance |
|---|---|---|
| Serhou Guirassy | Dortmund | Header from Ryerson cross; low cross for Beier tap-in; Player of the Match |
| Julian Ryerson | Dortmund | Followed up four weekend assists with another; crossed for Guirassy header |
| Maximilian Beier | Dortmund | Tapped in Guirassy’s low cross before break |
| Nicola Zalewski | Atalanta | Probed well in particular; no reward |
Outstanding First-Leg Performances
Désiré Doué (Paris)
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Goals | Two (29 min reply from 2-0 down; 67 min slick move winner) |
| Context | On as early replacement for Ousmane Dembélé |
| Impact | Completed stunning comeback from 2-0 behind after 18 minutes |
| Award | Player of the Match |
Noa Lang (Galatasaray)
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Goals | Two (close-range equaliser shortly after break; lofted second after Cabal red card) |
| Context | Part of four-goal second-half surge to complete comeback from 2-1 down |
| Impact | Helped seal 5-2 rampant victory over ten-man Juventus |
Vinícius Júnior (Real Madrid)
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Goal | Stunning strike shortly after half-time |
| Technique | Cut in from left wing; unleashing curling right-footed shot into far corner |
| Impact | Sealed narrow 1-0 away win; left Trubin with no chance |
Serhou Guirassy (Dortmund)
| Category | Detail |
|---|---|
| Goal | Header from Ryerson cross for brilliant start |
| Assist | Low cross for Beier tap-in before break |
| Context | Part of Dortmund’s 100th European Cup win |
| Award | Player of the Match |
Champions League Knockout Phase Play-Offs Context
First-Leg Advantages
Tuesday’s results showed clear first-leg advantages for all four home teams and one away victory:
- Galatasaray: 3-goal cushion (5-2 home win)
- Paris: 1-goal away advantage (3-2 in Monaco)
- Dortmund: 2-goal cushion (2-0 home win)
- Real Madrid: Narrow away goal advantage (1-0 at Benfica)
Wednesday’s Fixtures (February 18, 2026)
| Match | Kick-off (CET) |
|---|---|
| Qarabağ vs Newcastle | 18:45 |
| Club Brugge vs Atlético Madrid | 21:00 |
| Bodø/Glimt vs Inter | 21:00 |
| Olympiacos vs Leverkusen | 21:00 |
Read More: UCL 2025-26 Playoffs: Gordon Hits Four as Newcastle, Bodø/Glimt and Leverkusen Win
FAQs
What were the Champions League knockout phase play-off first-leg results on Tuesday?
Galatasaray beat Juventus 5-2, Real Madrid won 1-0 at Benfica, Paris defeated Monaco 3-2, and Dortmund beat Atalanta 2-0.
How did Galatasaray come back to beat Juventus?
Galatasaray trailed 2-1 at half-time but scored four second-half goals (Lang twice, Sánchez header, Boey) after Juventus’ Cabal was sent off for two yellow cards.
Who scored for Real Madrid in their 1-0 win at Benfica?
Vinícius Júnior scored a stunning curling strike shortly after half-time, cutting in from the left wing before unleashing a right-footed shot into the far corner.
How did Paris recover from 2-0 down against Monaco?
Substitute Désiré Doué scored twice (29 min and 67 min), while Achraf Hakimi drilled in the equaliser four minutes before half-time after Monaco’s Golovin was dismissed.
What milestone did Borussia Dortmund reach with their 2-0 win?
Dortmund claimed their 100th European Cup win with goals from Serhou Guirassy (header) and Maximilian Beier (tap-in from Guirassy’s cross).
