The Champions League delivered another electrifying round of action as Liverpool ended their Real Madrid curse with a gritty win, Aston Villa earned a vital draw against Juventus in Turin, and Borussia Dortmund cruised past Dinamo Zagreb to solidify position in the top 8.
Let us take a look at Wednesday’s results in detail.
Liverpool 2-0 Real Madrid
Liverpool maintained their flawless Champions League campaign, becoming the only team with a perfect record this season after a commanding 2-0 victory over reigning champions Real Madrid on Wednesday. Alexis Mac Allister struck early in the second half to give Arne Slot’s Premier League leaders the advantage, showcasing their dominance.
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Kylian Mbappé’s missed penalty an hour into the game epitomized a frustrating night for Real Madrid. Liverpool sealed the victory in the 76th minute when substitute Cody Gakpo headed in their second goal, shortly after Mohamed Salah had missed a penalty at the other end. With five consecutive wins in this revamped Champions League format, Liverpool are now guaranteed a spot in the February knockout stage play-offs.
Aston Villa 0-0 Juventus
Aston Villa were held to a 0-0 draw against Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday after a dramatic late effort by Morgan Rogers was disallowed due to a foul on Juventus goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Villa believed they had broken their six-game winless streak when Di Gregorio mishandled a free kick, allowing Rogers to fire the ball into the net. However, the referee ruled that Diego Carlos had fouled the keeper, prompting frustrated boos from the Villa Park crowd at the final whistle.
Midway through the second half, Francisco Conceição’s header from a corner seemed bound for Villa’s net, but goalkeeper Emi Martinez made a spectacular diving save to tip it away. Unai Emery’s Villa, which began its Champions League campaign with three straight wins and clean sheets, now sits ninth in the standings after five games, while their injury-depleted Italian opponents, fielding just 14 outfield players, are 17th.
Celtic 1-1 Club Brugge
Celtic earned a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Club Brugge in their Champions League clash, with Daizen Maeda salvaging a point after Cameron Carter-Vickers’ rare own goal. Brendan Rodgers’ side preserved their unbeaten home run this season, despite Brugge dominating large parts of the first half and taking the lead in the 26th minute through Carter-Vickers’ misjudged backpass. The hosts equalized as Maeda expertly bent a shot in off the far post.
This result extends Celtic’s unbeaten streak in Champions League matches to three, a feat they last achieved between December 2008 and October 2012. The team also recorded 686 passes, their highest in a single match since the start of last season, although their perfect home record came to an end with a draw.
PSV 3-2 Shakhtar
Malik Tillman played a pivotal role in PSV Eindhoven’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk, scoring twice in quick succession to bring the game level before Ricardo Pepi sealed the win with a last-gasp goal. The match saw PSV trailing until the dying minutes, with Shakhtar taking a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Danylo Sikan and Oleksandr Zubkov.
Tillman’s brace, including a free-kick and a powerful strike, put PSV back in the game, and Pepi’s late goal secured a crucial win, lifting PSV to 18th place in the standings.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund secured a dominant 3-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, finishing with 12 points from 5 matches and cementing their place in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League standings. The opening goal came in the 41st minute, with Jamie Gittens netting a precise right-footed finish inside the box after a clever dribble to shake off his marker.
Dortmund doubled their lead in the 57th minute through a header by Bensebaini from a Pascal Gross corner. In the final moments, Sehou Guirassy sealed the victory with a composed finish in the 90th minute, following a perfect assist from Nico Schlotterbeck.
Monaco 2-3 Benfica
Ángel Di María provided two assists in Benfica’s thrilling 3-2 victory over Monaco in the Champions League. After Monaco took a 2-1 lead, Di María delivered a pinpoint cross to Arthur Cabral, who headed the ball into the net to level the score.
Just minutes later, the Argentine winger swung in another cross, this time to Zeki Amdouni, whose header put Benfica ahead 3-2. Nicolás Otamendi started for Benfica, while Benjamín Rollheiser came on as a substitute during the match.
Red Star Belgrade 5-1 Stuttgart
Red Star Belgrade claimed their first win of the season in the Champions League, thrashing Stuttgart 5-1 at the Stadion Rajko Mitic. This marked just their third-ever victory in the competition. Despite falling behind early to an Ermedin Demirovic goal for Stuttgart, Red Star swiftly responded and took control, ultimately securing a dominant win and rising to 31st place after five matches.
The Serbian side showcased remarkable resilience, overturning an early deficit to secure a memorable victory. This win marked their biggest comeback in both Champions League and European Cup history, while also matching Stuttgart’s heaviest defeat in the competition. It was Red Star’s first five-goal performance in a match since their 5-0 triumph over Dundalk in September 1988.
Bologna 1-2 Lille
Lille clinched a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Bologna in the Champions League, with Ngal’ayel Mukau playing a decisive role. Mukau opened the scoring just before halftime, converting a rebound after his first shot was blocked. Bologna equalized in the 63rd minute through Jhon Lucumi’s first goal of the campaign, but Mukau quickly restored Lille’s lead, scoring again just three minutes later.
Despite Bologna’s efforts, including several key saves by goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski, they were unable to find an equalizer. The result left Lille with 10 points in the standings, while Bologna remained stuck on one point after suffering their third straight defeat.
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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.
