Cole Palmer Celebrates Century Milestone by Scoring His First Champions League Goal for Chelsea
Chelsea's return to the Champions League in 2025–26 got off to a rough start, as they suffered a comprehensive defeat to Bayern Munich in their opening European fixture.
While the loss was well-deserved, there were still bright spots in the display, with Cole Palmer undoubtedly standing out as the most significant positive.
In a fitting twist, Chelsea's first Champions League outing in more than two years aligned with Palmer reaching his century of appearances for the club. The England star has been exceptional since arriving at Stamford Bridge and celebrated his 100-game landmark by netting his maiden Champions League strike for Chelsea.
Trailing by two goals at halftime, Palmer sparked hope for the Blues. He collected possession around the center circle and surged forward with purpose. As he approached the box, he laid the ball off to Malo Gusto, who immediately played it back into Palmer's path for a perfectly-timed finish that flew into the top corner.
While Palmer's strike couldn't inspire a Chelsea fightback, it served as another demonstration of his remarkable impact since joining the club on transfer deadline day in summer 2023.
"I believe we earned more from this match," Palmer commented after the Bayern Munich setback. "I feel we demonstrated tonight [our ability to compete with elite teams in this tournament] regardless of the scoreline. It's a valuable experience for us tonight, and returning to this competition feels great – we simply need to build from this point."
Across his 100 Chelsea appearances, Palmer has accumulated 45 goals and 28 assists, including strikes against all 'big six' Premier League sides plus goals versus Bayern Munich and a double in the 2025 Club World Cup final against PSG. He also contributed two assists in the Conference League final while helping secure the first of two trophies during his Chelsea career.
This marks Palmer's second Champions League goal overall, having scored his first in Europe's top club tournament against Club Brugge in 2021 while playing for Manchester City.