Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag delivered unexpected results in the Champions League on Tuesday. Union SG, making their debut in the competition, secured a 3-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven.
Meanwhile, Qarabag staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Benfica 3-2 in Lisbon. These results highlighted the unpredictability of the tournament and showcased the determination of both teams.
Union SG’s first appearance in the Champions League was memorable. Promise David opened the scoring for the Belgian side with a penalty in the ninth minute at Philips Stadion. Despite PSV’s attempts to equalise, including a shot from Ruben van Bommel that hit the crossbar, Union SG extended their lead through Anouar Ait El Hadj before halftime. Kevin Mac Allister added a third goal in the 81st minute, sealing an impressive win for Union SG.
Qarabag’s victory over Benfica was equally dramatic. Benfica took an early lead with goals from Enzo Barrenechea and Vangelis Pavlidis within 16 minutes. However, Qarabag fought back with Leandro Andrade reducing the deficit in the 30th minute. Camilo Duran then equalised shortly after halftime. The decisive moment came in the 86th minute when substitute Oleksii Kashchuk scored the winning goal.
Union SG became only the second Belgian team to win their first Champions League match since Club Brugge did so in 1992-93. This victory also marked their second opening group stage win in a major European competition, following their success in the 2022-23 Europa League. Union SG have now won three of their last four away matches in European tournaments.
For Qarabag, this was their first Champions League win after previously drawing twice and losing four times. It was only their second victory in their last 12 matches across major European competitions, with one draw and nine losses during that period.
Despite PSV controlling possession, Union SG posed more threats with an expected goals (xG) rate of 3.25 from their 18 shots. Van Bommel managed to score for PSV in stoppage time, but it was insufficient to change the outcome as Peter Bosz’s team fell short.
These surprising results underscore how competitive and unpredictable football can be at this level. Both Union Saint-Gilloise and Qarabag demonstrated resilience and skill against more established opponents, making significant strides on Europe’s grandest stage.