The third round of the Champions League league phase continued with lots of goals and a few surprises. Como humiliated Manchester United 4-1, LASK won in Lisbon, and Bayern and Arsenal drew 2-2 in the game of the night.
Barcelona captain Raphinha acknowledged PSG’s quality after the 4-2 defeat in Paris, the Catalans’ first loss of the season. Despite the result, the Brazilian believes his team performed well.
Bayern Munich and Arsenal drew 2-2 in the headline clash of the third round of the Champions League league phase. Goals from Eze and Rice for the Gunners and Davies and Kane for Bayern decided a match marked by injuries to Saka and Luis Díaz.
Barcelona's new signing Rodri shared his view on the club's chances in the Champions League, acknowledging the Blaugrana's ambition to win the trophy but without considering the team a favorite in the competition. The Spanish international explained why he believes the team still needs to polish key details to reach the top.
UEFA has named the hosts of the European finals for the coming years. The Allianz Arena in Munich and the renovated Camp Nou will host the Champions League finals in 2028 and 2029, while Bucharest and Belgrade will host the Europa League finals. Barcelona beat Wembley in the race to host the 2029 final thanks to the ambitious renovation project of its stadium.
Manchester United earned an emphatic 4-0 win over Azerbaijan's Sabah in its first match of the Champions League league phase. The game was historic for both teams: the Red Devils marked their 300th match in the competition after a two-year absence, while for Sabah it was their debut in the tournament.
Lens earned a dramatic 3-2 away win over Slavia Prague in the first round of the Champions League league phase, turning the match around with two goals in stoppage time. The key moment of the game turned out to be the red card shown to a Czech defender as early as the 49th minute, after which Slavia led until the very end of the match.
The fairy tale of Como and Cesc Fàbregas continues: the Italians recorded a historic first Champions League victory, thrashing RB Leipzig 4-1 in their debut league-phase match. Young stars Martin Baturina and Nico Paz shone with a combined three assists and one goal between them.
After impressive results in the first round of the Champions League, the English representatives also showed their strength in the opening Europa League matches, with all eight Premier League teams in the two competitions starting with wins.
Bayern Munich has stood behind Michael Olise after the player was criticized for giving one-word answers in an interview after one of the club's matches. Both sporting director Max Eberl and head coach Vincent Kompany backed the star, stressing that his conduct on the pitch is what really matters.
