The latest round of Champions League action delivered high drama and standout performances across Europe. Barcelona stunned Bayern Munich with a dominant 4-1 victory at Camp Nou while, Manchester City put on a five-star display, beating Sparta Praha 5-0 win to maintain their unbeaten start to the competition. Meanwhile, Inter Milan left it late to clinch all three points with a last-gasp winner against Young Boys.
Barcelona 4-1 Bayern Munich
Barcelona finally broke their recent run of poor results against Bayern Munich with a commanding 4-1 victory, highlighted by a hat-trick from captain Raphinha. The Brazilian opened the scoring in just the first minute, finishing off a swift counter-attack to give the Catalans an early advantage. Robert Lewandowski added to the tally with a goal against his former club, sealing an emphatic win for Barcelona in this crucial Champions League encounter.
Barca will face Red Star Belgrade in their next group game, while Bayern will welcome Benfica at the Allianz Arena. Kompany’s side is 23rd in the table, and with five games to go, every point is precious now for the Germans.
RB Leipzig 0-1 Liverpool
Darwin Nunez’s first-half strike secured a 1-0 victory for Liverpool against RB Leipzig, continuing the impressive form under manager Arne Slot. The win keeps Liverpool’s unbeaten streak alive in the Champions League, as Slot’s tactics once again proved effective on German soil.
Starting in place of the injured Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez netted the decisive goal in the 27th minute, finishing off Mohamed Salah’s headed assist. Liverpool’s seventh clean sheet of the season ensured the 1-0 win. Liverpool are just one of two teams to have won all three of their matches in the Champions League so far. The other is Aston Villa who currently sit top of the table due to a better goal difference from the Reds.
Manchester City 5-0 Sparta Praha
Manchester City set a new Champions League benchmark on Wednesday night with a dominant 5-0 win over Sparta Prague. The victory extends City’s unbeaten streak in the Champions League to 26 matches, surpassing the previous record of 25 games set by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United between 2007 and 2009. City’s remarkable run breaks this milestone and secures them yet another prestigious record, further distancing themselves from their long-standing rivals.
Phil Foden opened the scoring for City in just the third minute, setting the tone for a dominant performance. After the break, Erling Haaland extended the lead with a sublime backheel goal before adding a second. John Stones and Matheus Nunes also found the back of the net, sealing the comprehensive victory and ensuring all three points for City.
Atletico Madrid 1-3 LOSC
Lille’s Jonathan David netted twice in a stunning 3-1 comeback victory over Atlético Madrid, handing the French side their second consecutive Champions League win. The victory added to the mounting pressure on Atlético, while Lille had defeated the second Madrid club in two matchdays after previously upsetting Real Madrid earlier in October.
Goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who delivered a man-of-the-match performance, played a pivotal role in securing the result. David’s brace not only sealed the win but also made him the highest-scoring Canadian in Champions League history with six goals, surpassing Tomasz Radzinski. Lille now sits on six points, while Atlético remains with just one win from their three games.
Benfica 1-3 Feyenoord
Antoni Milambo netted twice to help Feyenoord secure an impressive 3-1 win over Benfica at Estadio da Luz. Ayase Ueda opened the scoring in the 12th minute, finishing off a neat cutback from Igor Paixao. Although Ueda had a second goal disallowed by VAR, Milambo doubled Feyenoord’s lead in the 33rd minute, skipping past Nicolas Otamendi to score.
Benfica pulled one back midway through the second half through Kerem Akturkoglu, but despite their push for an equalizer, Milambo sealed the victory in stoppage time with his second of the game.
Red Bull Salzburg 0-2 GNK Dinamo Zagreb
Sandro Kulenovic and Bruno Petkovic both struck in the second half to lead Dinamo Zagreb to a 2-0 Champions League triumph over 10-man RB Salzburg on Wednesday, marking only their second-ever away win in the group stage of the competition. Kulenovic opened the scoring, calmly finishing from 12 yards out after a precise low cross from Stefan Ristovski caught the Salzburg defense flat-footed.
The home side, having lost all three of their opening games, faced further woes when goalkeeper Alexander Schlager received a red card for handling the ball outside his box while attempting to save Petar Sucic’s shot. Ristovski again showcased his playmaking skills, providing the assist for Dinamo’s second goal, which Petkovic struck into the bottom corner, securing a total of four points for Dinamo from their first three matches.
Brest 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen
In a tightly contested match of the UEFA Champions League, Brest and Bayer Leverkusen played to a 1-1 draw at the Stade du Roudourou in Guingamp, France, allowing both teams to remain unbeaten in the 2024-2025 tournament. Florian Wirtz opened the scoring for Leverkusen in the 24th minute, reflecting their strong form after an impressive campaign last season.
However, Brest fought back, with Pierre Lees-Melou leveling the match with a stunning volley in the 39th minute, ensuring both sides shared the spoils. Next up Bayer Leverkusen will face a challenging away match against Liverpool at Anfield. Meanwhile, Brest is set to travel the following day to take on Sparta Prague.
Atalanta 0-0 Celtic
Celtic secured a crucial point in their Champions League campaign with a solid defensive performance, holding last season’s Europa League champions, Atalanta, to a 0-0 draw in Bergamo. This marks a significant achievement for Celtic, who had lost all seven of their previous matches on Italian soil in this competition.
Despite facing intense pressure from the hosts, Celtic’s defense, led by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, was resilient, with Schmeichel making several key saves to deny Atalanta, who wasted multiple scoring opportunities. This result puts Celtic in a better position as they aim for a spot in the knockout stage, having accumulated four points so far. Celtic will play their next two matches at home against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge, while Atalanta prepares for an away fixture against Stuttgart.
Young Boys 0-1 Inter Milan
Substitute Marcus Thuram delivered a dramatic late goal in stoppage time, securing a 1-0 victory for Inter Milan against Swiss champions Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday. Despite having missed a penalty early in the second half, Inter struggled to penetrate the hosts’ robust defense until Federico Dimarco provided a superb cross from the left, allowing Thuram to finish from close range and clinch the win for the Italian side.
Inter, following their impressive 4-0 victory over Red Star Belgrade at home and a valuable goalless draw against Manchester City in their opening match of the tournament, has climbed to seventh place in the standings, amassing seven points from three matches.
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
