On the opening day of the 2025–26 Champions League season, USMNT players are already making their presences felt with Timothy Weah scoring against Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
A trip to face Real Madrid seemed like a tough task for Marseille in their opening game of the competition. Nevertheless, the French side traded blows with Los Blancos early and eventually found the breakthrough with a stellar goal from Weah.
Mason Greenwood recovered the ball around the halfway line and was off to the races. Before entering the box, Weah overlapped and Greenwood played him through on goal. The USMNT forward didn’t hesitate and fired a shot past Thibaut Courtois to give Marseille the lead.
TIMOTHY WEAH SILENCES THE BERNABÉU! 🤫
— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) September 16, 2025
What a moment for the #USMNT forward 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/9IgCp3TkIN
For Weah, there could be no better stage.
Thirty-one years after his father, 1995 Ballon d’Or winner George, scored against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, Timothy has followed in familial footsteps.
“[The Bernabeu] is definitely football royalty. You see it and you feel it when you walk in. It is the field of dreams. As a kid, you dream of moments like that, and there is no better club to do it with,” he told CBS after the match, which eventually ended in a loss.
“In 100 years, I didn’t believe that I would play here. I grew up in Rosedale [NYC], playing on a small turf pitch, so coming here was definitely a dream come true.”
It’s Weah’s second career Champions League goal. Last season, he found the back of the net against PSV Eindhoven in one of his nine appearances for Juventus in the 2024–25 Champions League. He had previously failed to score in his five Champions League appearances for Lille.
It took the 25-year-old just five games to open his Marseille account. He’ll hope the goal helps his confidence during a potentially successful loan stint with Roberto Di Zerbi’s side as the 2026 FIFA World Cup looms.
Unfortunately for Marseille, Weah’s goal wasn’t enough to escape the Bernabéu with a positive result. Kylian Mbappé converted two penalties to become the joint-sixth all-time goalscorer in Champions League history, guiding Real Madrid to a 2–1 comeback win against the Ligue 1 side.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as ‘Field of Dreams’—USMNT’s Timothy Weah Reacts to First Goal for New Club Against Real Madrid.
