All Whites midfielder Marko Stamenic has been called up to make his first Champions League start for Danish heavyweights Copenhagen in a goalless draw against Sevilla.
Last week, Stamenic was named to the bench, but wasn't called upon during the side's 3-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund.
The 20-year-old had an industrious 90-minute outing for Copenhagen in the Group G showdown, which included a yellow card in the 82nd minute.
He became the first All Whites player to appear in the Champions League since Chris Killen featured for Scottish side Celtic in 2007.
Stamenic described his debut on club football's biggest stage as "indescribable".
"I couldn't imagine this day would come watching Champions League all of my childhood, also knowing the background of how rare it is for a New Zealander to play in the Champions League," he told his team's YouTube channel.
"It's a huge achievement both for myself and my family, and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunities I have.
"I hope to build on this and keep going forward, and hopefully help the team get three points for the next game."
While admitting he was his own harshest critic, Stamenic assessed his on-field performance as "strong".
"I'm very ambitious," he said. "I always look at things I could have done better.
"I showed that I'm ready and I want to play, and that's the most important thing."
Both teams earned their first Champions League point in a game that showcased plenty of effort, but little effective attacking football.
Amid a fantastic atmosphere at a packed Parken Stadium, the visitors enjoyed plenty of possession, but they struggled to get many shots on target, as the Copenhagen defenders threw themselves in the way of their goal-bound efforts.
The best effort of the second half came from the home side's Mohammed Daramy, who brought the crowd to their feet with a dribble along Sevilla's goal-line, but keeper Marko Dmitrovic was alive to the danger and snuffed out the chance.
Erling Haaland grabbed an 84th-minute winner against former club Borussia Dortmund, as Manchester City came from behind with two late goals to seal a 2-1 win.
The Norwegian has now scored 13 goals in eight games since making his move from the Bundesliga club and his latest was a brilliant finish, as he leapt to guide home a Joao Cancelo cross with the outside of his left foot.
Dortmund had taken a deserved lead in the 56th minute, when England international Jude Bellingham broke loose to head in a cross from Marco Reus.
Pep Guardiola's side drew level in the 80th minute, when defender John Stones blasted a fierce drive past Alexander Meyer from outside the box.
Manchester City top the group on six points, with Borussia Dortmund second on three. Copenhagen are third on one point, with Sevilla bottom on goal difference.
Meanwhile, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi have combined superbly, as Paris St Germain's near-perfect start to the season continued with a 3-1 win at Maccabi Haifa.
Messi cancelled out Tjarron Chery's surprise first-half opener, after being set up by Mbappe, and he returned the favour for the France forward after the break, then Neymar grabbed a late third, as PSG were made to sweat by the Israeli champions.
Battling Salzburg have held a disjointed Chelsea to a 1-1 draw, severely denting the 2021 winners' chances of qualifying from Group E.
Raheem Sterling put the London side ahead in the 48th minute, latching on to a low cross from Mason Mount and shooting beyond the diving Philipp Kohn into the left corner of his net.
But Noah Okafor equalised in the 75th minute with a low shot, after Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva failed to clear the ball. The Austrian side also drew against AC Milan last week.
It was a disappointing first game for new Chelsea coach Graham Potter, who took over at the end of last week, after the shock dismissal of Thomas Tuchel, when Chelsea lost their first group game to Dinamo Zagreb.
Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde has scored a superb second-half goal, while Marco Asensio struck late to fire the holders to a 2-0 win at home to RB Leipzig.
The Uruguayan showed composure to calmly beat a defender with clever footwork on the edge of the area, before picking his spot in the far bottom corner of the net in the 80th minute.
The 14-time winners gave an underwhelming performance and until Valverde's goal, had only managed one shot on target, while Leipzig had created plenty of openings, but were not clinical enough in the area.
Real wrapped up the victory with a goal in added time from substitute Asensio, the Spaniard slotting into the net after a lay off from Toni Kroos.
Real lead Group F with six points after two games, while Leipzig are bottom with no points.
Twice European Champions Benfica fought back to secure a 2-1 win at Juventus with goals from Joao Mario and David Neres.
Juventus took a fourth-minute lead, when Arkadiusz Milik climbed highest inside the box to head the ball into the bottom-left corner from a Leandro Paredes set-piece.
With halftime approaching, Benfica began to gain more control and possession, as the pressure from Juventus eased.
The visitors were awarded a penalty in the 43rd minute, after a video check, when Juventus midfielder Fabio Miretti fouled Goncalo Ramos inside the box and Mario equalised from the spot.
Benfica maintained their momentum in the second half, with Neres putting them ahead in the 55th minute from close range.
Reuters/Newshub
