The Champions League once again produced a night to remember, with Europe’s top teams fighting for glory. Real Madrid emerged victorious in a thrilling showdown against Atalanta. Liverpool extended their impressive form and Bayern Munich stole the show with a dominant performance over Shakhter.
Here’s a detailed roundup from another exhilarating round of matches.
Atalanta 2-3 Real Madrid
Real Madrid battled through the early loss of Kylian Mbappe to claim a 3-2 victory over Atalanta. Mbappe opened the scoring before being forced off with an injury in the first half. Atalanta drew level just before halftime with a Charles De Ketelaere penalty, but second-half goals from Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham restored Madrid’s lead. Ademola Lookman pulled one back for the hosts, but it wasn’t enough to prevent their first defeat of the Champions League campaign, ending a nine-match winning streak across all competitions.
With the win, Madrid avoided the ignominy of becoming the first European champions to lose three consecutive games in their title defense. They now sit on nine points, two behind Atalanta, with both sides currently poised to advance to the playoff round.
Shakhter 1-5 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich stayed on track for the UEFA Champions League round of 16 with a commanding victory over Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen, despite an early setback. The hosts stunned Bayern just five minutes in when Oleksandr Zubkov delivered a superb through ball to Kevin, who calmly slotted it under Daniel Peretz to open the scoring.
Bayern quickly responded with a chaotic scramble in the Shakhtar box, which ended with Konrad Laimer firing the ball past Dmytro Riznyk to bring the scores level. Thomas Muller put the visitors into the lead on the brink of halftime before Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise’s brace sealed a 5-1 win for the visitors.
Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Inter Milan
Bayer Leverkusen edged closer to Champions League qualification with a dramatic 90th-minute winner from Nordi Mukiele, securing a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan on Tuesday. Dominating over 60% of possession, Leverkusen created several chances, with Nathan Tella hitting the post early on and Florian Wirtz and Jonathan Tah testing Inter’s defense.
The breakthrough finally came in the dying moments when Mukiele capitalized on a goalmouth scramble to score, marking the first goal Inter had conceded in the competition after five clean sheets. The loss drops Inter to fourth place on 13 points, while Leverkusen climbs to second, also on 13 points, with two games left to play.
RB Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa
Ross Barkley’s 85th-minute strike secured Aston Villa a thrilling 3-2 victory over RB Leipzig on Tuesday, lifting the visitors to third place in the table and bolstering their chances of a top-eight finish. Villa took an early lead through John McGinn, who scored just 153 seconds into the game, but Leipzig equalized midway through the first half when Lois Openda capitalized on a defensive error.
Jhon Duran restored Villa’s lead with a stunning goal in the 53rd minute, only for Christoph Baumgartner to bring Leipzig level again nine minutes later. Barkley introduced as a substitute, delivered the decisive blow just two minutes after coming on, with his deflected long-range effort marking his first Champions League goal. The win keeps Villa’s hopes alive in their first European campaign in 41 years.
Girona 0-1 Liverpool
Liverpool maintained their perfect record in the UEFA Champions League league phase with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Girona. The determined La Liga side made life difficult for Arne Slot’s team, but a decisive moment came in the second half when VAR ruled that Donny van de Beek had fouled Luis Diaz in the penalty area. Mohamed Salah stepped up and confidently converted the penalty, securing all three points for Liverpool.
The Egyptian star calmly dispatched a penalty just after the hour mark, marking his 16th goal of the season and a significant milestone in Europe’s premier competition. The victory ensures Liverpool remains at the top of the standings, boasting a flawless record from all six matches played.
RB Salzburg 0-3 PSG
Paris Saint-Germain secured their first Champions League win since Matchday 1 with a much-needed 3-0 triumph over RB Salzburg. Portuguese forward Goncalo Ramos opened the scoring with a clinical finish in the first half, setting the tone for the rest of the match.
Nuno Mendes and Desire Doue added goals in the second half, sealing a crucial 3-0 victory for Luis Enrique’s side. The win moves PSG into the final play-off spot ahead of Thursday’s (AEDT) fixtures.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic
Celtic extended their unbeaten Champions League streak to four matches, earning a crucial away point against Dinamo Zagreb, putting their progression to the knockout stages within reach. Brendan Rodgers’ team now sits on nine points, with a home game against Young Boys scheduled for January, followed by an away trip to Aston Villa.
In the first half, Celtic had little to show for their dominance, with only a 20-yard free kick from Paulo Bernardo narrowly missing the target, despite controlling nearly 70% of possession. Dinamo Zagreb remained solid defensively, closing down the spaces Celtic tried to exploit and looking to capitalize on counterattacks. The closest chance came late in the match when Kasper Schmeichel made a superb save, denying Marko Pjaca’s header, which seemed destined for the top corner, to keep the score level and secure another valuable point for the visitors.
Club Brugge 2-1 Sporting
Club Brugge bounced back from an early setback to defeat Sporting CP 2-1, handing their opponents another blow in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s departure. Sporting had been strong in the Champions League before Amorim’s exit from Manchester United, but a 5-1 loss to Arsenal and two consecutive league defeats have left them struggling.
Though Sporting took the lead in the third minute through Geny Catamo’s rebound, Brugge responded when Eduardo Quaresma inadvertently scored an own goal from Christos Tzolis’ shot. A VAR review later overturned a penalty decision in Sporting’s favor, giving Brugge a lifeline. The match remained tight until the 84th minute when substitute Casper Nielsen fired Brugge ahead after a brilliant pass from captain Hans Vanaken. The win moved Brugge level on points with Sporting, who are still in contention for a playoff spot but have fallen behind the top eight.
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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.
