September 16th, 2026…
Europe watched with bated breath as the 2ND season of the newly formatted UEFA Champions League continued its roar into a historic era: the League Phase.
No longer constrained by traditional groups, clubs now battled across a sprawling league table of 36 contenders. Eight matches. Eight separate duels.
The world was watching, and the giants were ready to make statements.
And standing at the center of attention? FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.
[LOCATION: Amsterdam, Netherlands]
[Fixture: Ajax vs FC Barcelona]
[Venue: Johan Cruyff Arena]
[Attendance: 54,900]
There were over 54,000 fans gathered in the stadium.
Barcelona had traveled light but deadly. Their first UEFA League Phase fixture was a daunting away clash against Ajax, a club known for its fearless youth and attacking heritage.
In this European cauldron named after one of their greatest ever, also a Barcelona legend, Barca's mission tonight was simple.
Start strong. Dominate. Deliver.
Hansi Flick tweaked his team slightly for the first UEFA Champions League game of the season. Starting in the same 4-2-3-1 formation, Jose Garcia retained his spot as the starting goalkeeper.
Standing in front of the goalkeeper was the defensive quadruple of Jules Kounde, Ronald Araujo, Pau Cubarsi, and Alejandro Balde, while the midfield duo comprised Pedri and Gavi, with Sam upfront in central attacking midfield.
Flanking Sam to his left and right sides respectively were Lamine Yamal and Marcus Rashford, the loaned player from Manchester United.
And of course, Lewandowski led the line as the striker.
Marcus Rashford, regaining form, earned his start with Raphinha rested.
The Dutch champions had embraced the chaos of the new format, and the Johan Cruyff Arena thundered with relentless noise. Youths with wild haircuts, veteran ultras waving banners of red and white, a soundtrack of war drums and flares.
The Ajax crowd left no stone unturned, sending a clear message to the visitors. Barca were not welcome here.
And Sam Moses? He wouldn't have it any other way.
Sam fed from the noise of the fans.
FWEEE!
The referee's whistle sounded and immediately, the game exploded with tempo. Ajax came flying out of the gates.
In the 2nd minute, a whipped cross forced Garcia into a reflex save.
Shortly after in the 6th minute of the game, Gavi and Pedri were swarmed, Ajax pressing like wolves as they refused to let the two FC Barcelona prodigies settle into their comfort zone in the middle of the pack.
But the calm soon returned as Sam dropped deep, helping Pedri retain control. Hansi Flick had drilled them for moments like this: survive the storm, then impose your rhythm.
It was their first UEFA Champions League game of the season, and it was important to start well. The fans expected nothing less.
With Sam dropping deep, FC Barcelona regained control.
In the 18th minute, he found space, sent a no-look trivela pass wide to Lamine Yamal. The teenager received the ball with a deft touch and danced past his marker, whipped in a ball to Lewandowski who volleyed… just wide.
In the 25th minute, Yamal went on another mazy run, before laying off a cutback. Sam arrived late but his shot cannoned off the bar.
The fans jeered. Ajax countered, and then…
In the 32nd minute, GOAL! AJAX!
A defensive lapse. Pau Cubarsi mistimed a clearance, and Ajax's winger curled one into the far post to make it 1-0.
The Johan Cruyff Arena erupted.
Barca didn't panic though. They responded like champions.
In the 39th minute, Marcus Rashford turned inside, drawing a foul. The Ajax fans protested the decision, calling it a dive, but the referee paid them no attention.
Sam stood over the free kick. Twenty five yards out.
He took a deep breath, letting a familiar calm settle over him. The fans were loud, but all the noise filtered out at this moment as abstraction took place.
Then, he jogged, and hit the ball.
BAM!
The curl, the dip… the net bulged.
GOAL!
1-1 Barcelona.
Silence followed, and then scattered applause lit up the stadium. Even enemy fans respected brilliance.
Halftime arrived. The locker room buzzed with tactical adjustments.
When the second half started, Ajax came out fiercer. But not to be outdone, Barca showed steel as they responded in kind.
As the tempo of the game rose exponentially, the Barca players found themselves slipping into the flow state. Gavi slid into tackles like a demon, Pedri ran the tempo like a maestro.
Sam? He orchestrated the future.
In the 56th minute, a jaw-dropping elastic nutmeg by Sam led to a chance, but Marcus Rashford blazed it over the bar.
Then, the moment of truth finally came in the 64th minute of the game.
In the 64th minute, Sam split the defense with a through ball that only existed in his imagination. Yamal raced onto it, squared it back to Lewandowski who tapped in with effortless grace.
GOAL!
2-1 Barcelona.
They'd flipped the game.
Hansi Flick finally introduced some fresh legs, bringing on Raphinha for Marcus Rashford, De Jong for Pedri, and Inigo Martinez for Pau Cubarsi.
Ajax threw everything at them in the final ten minutes of the game. But Barca didn't flinch or make a mistake, they held firm.
Jose Garcia was the star in the final minutes. He made a stunning fingertip save in the 89th minute to keep Barca in the game.
Sam also played his role to perfection as dropping deep, he broke up a midfield surge, and led a counter in stoppage time that nearly ended in a third.
The game was tight, but FC Barcelona was still the superior side.
FWEEE!
The final whistle rang, bringing the game to an end.
[FULL-TIME: Ajax 1-2 Barcelona]
…
Meanwhile…
[LOCATION: Emirates Stadium, London]
[Fixture: Arsenal vs Real Madrid]
While FC Barcelona took on Ajax, a club outside the top 5 leagues, Real Madrid took on one of the heavy punchers in England, Arsenal.
Xabi Alonso started in his regular 4-3-3 with Courtois in goal, Trent Alexander Arnold, Rudiger, Dean Huijsen, and Mendy in defense, Valverde and Bellingham in center midfield, Arda Guler in central attacking midfield, while Rodrygo, Vinicius, and Mbappe spearheaded the attack.
Arsenal pressed early and hard, but Madrid showed ruthless edge.
In the 12th minute of the game, Mbappe tapped in from a Vinicius assist to make it 0-1 Real Madrid.
In the 30th minute, Real Madrid doubled down, Rodrygo dancing through two defenders before slotting home to make it 0-2.
The Gunners rallied, scoring via Saka in the 41st minute, but Madrid eventually shut them down in the second half.
In the 78th minute, Bellingham closed the script, thundering in a volley o make it 1-3 in Real Madrid's favor.
[FULL-TIME: Arsenal 1-3 Real Madrid]
Two titans had arrived. The world now knew.
This season, Barca and Madrid weren't just La Liga giants. They were coming for Europe too.
And this? This was only match one of eight.