UEFA Champions League: Rashford Inspires Barcelona; Haaland Sets New Record
In an electrifying start to the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona’s Marcus Rashford and Manchester City’s Erling Haaland stole the spotlight on Thursday, September 18, 2025. Both players played pivotal roles in their teams’ victories as the first round of matches unfolded across Europe.
At St. James’ Park, Rashford scored twice to lead Barcelona to a 2-1 win against Newcastle United. Making his return to England, Rashford opened the scoring with a powerful header from a cross by Jules Kounde just before the hour mark. He followed this up with a stunning long-range strike that rocketed into the top corner. Although Anthony Gordon pulled one back for Newcastle, Barcelona held on to secure their first three points of the tournament.
“It’s an amazing experience playing for Barcelona,” Rashford expressed. “I’ve always been a huge admirer of the club, and we just want to win as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, at the Etihad Stadium, Erling Haaland made history by becoming the fastest player to reach 50 goals in the Champions League, achieving the milestone in just 49 appearances. His header from a Phil Foden assist gave Manchester City a 1-0 lead against Napoli, who were reduced to ten men after their captain, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, was sent off in the 21st minute. Jérémy Doku sealed the win for City with a second goal, ensuring a solid start to their title defense.
Pep Guardiola praised Haaland, stating, “The numbers speak for themselves. He is unbelievable.”
In other matches, Eintracht Frankfurt delivered a stunning performance, thrashing Galatasaray 5-1, with Jonathan Burkardt scoring twice. Club Brugge also had a memorable night, defeating Monaco 4-1, while Bayer Leverkusen managed a 2-2 draw against FC Copenhagen after trailing twice.
Sporting CP began their campaign with a convincing 4-1 victory over Kairat Almaty, with Francisco Trincão scoring twice.
