It was a disappointing 2025–26 Champions League debut for Chelsea, falling to Bayern Munich in convincing fashion to kick-off their European campaign.
Despite the deserved defeat, there are positives to take away from the performance with Cole Palmer being unquestionably being the biggest one.
Ironically, Chelsea’s first Champions League match in over two years coincided with Palmer’s 100th appearance for the Blues. The England international has been sublime since he joined Chelsea and marked his 100-game milestone by scoring his first Champions League goal for the club.
With the Blues facing a two-goal disadvantage in the first half, Palmer brought them back in the game. He picked up the ball near the halfway line and took off running with intent. When he was about the reach the penalty area, he passed the ball to Malo Gusto who returned it first time into Palmer’s path for him to fire a first-time shot into the roof of the net.
A gorgeous one-two 😮💨
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 17, 2025
Cole Palmer doing what he does best 🥶 pic.twitter.com/IUvBJZmxIu
Although Palmer’s goal didn’t lead to Chelsea mounting a comeback, it was yet another example of how stupendous he’s been since he joined the club on deadline day in the summer of 2023.
“I think we deserved more,” Palmer said following the defeat against Bayern Munich. “I think we’ve shown tonight [we can go toe-to-toe against the best teams in the competition] despite the result. It’s a good learning curve for tonight and to be back in the competition is nice, we just need to kick-on from here.”
Through 100 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, Palmer now has 45 goals and 28 assists, including goals against every ‘big six’ Premier League club as well as goals against Bayern Munich and a brace against PSG in the 2025 Club World Cup final. He also tallied two assists in the Conference League final en route to lifting the first of two trophies during his Chelsea tenure.
It’s Palmer’s second goal in his Champions League career, having opened his account in Europe’s premier club competition against Club Brugge in 2021 during his time with Manchester City.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cole Palmer Marks 100th Chelsea Appearance With Champions League First.
