UEFA Champions League: Bayern and Real Madrid Stay Perfect, Liverpool and Chelsea hit Five In Record-Breaking Week
Bayern München and Real Madrid beat Club Brugge and Juventus respectively to make it a quintet of teams with a perfect nine points in the league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League. Matchday 3 was a landmark week, producing a record-breaking 71 goals in all, with Chelsea and Liverpool contributing five apiece in convincing victories of their own on Wednesday. UEFA.com rounds up all the action.
Wednesday night’s action
Athletic Club 3-1 Qarabağ
Two clinical finishes from Gorka Guruzeta helped Athletic Club secure their first points of the league phase.
The visitors led after 49 seconds through Leandro Andrade’s strike from inside the box, but Guruzeta met Mikel Jaureguizar’s deft pass with a ruthless 40th-minute drive to reflect the Spanish side’s increasing dominance.
Newly-introduced substitute Roberto Navarro curled in a beauty in the 70th minute to turn the scoreline around, Guruzeta sealing victory two minutes from time as Qarabağ’s perfect start came to an end.
Player of the Match: Gorka Guruzeta (Athletic Club)
Galatasaray 3-1 Bodø/Glimt
Victor Osimhen was in sparkling form as Galatasaray secured successive Champions League victories for the first time in almost 13 years.
The Nigerian international took just three minutes to expertly sweep in Mario Lemina’s through ball before doubling his tally by pouncing on Fredrik André Bjørkan’s pass and rounding goalkeeper Nikita Haikin shortly after the half-hour.
Osimhen’s incessant pressing enabled Yunus Akgün to extend the advantage at the second attempt after Haikin could not hold the initial 60th-minute effort.
The visitors cut the deficit thanks to sub Andreas Helmersen’s powerful header but were unable to mount a dramatic comeback.
Player of the Match: Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray)
Monaco 0-0 Tottenham
Tottenham maintained their unbeaten start as Guglielmo Vicario produced an inspired display to deny Monaco. The goalkeeper twice came to the visitors’ rescue during the first half, producing smart reflex saves to thwart Folarin Balogun from close range.
Vicario then brilliantly kept out Jordan Teze’s header after the break, with Monaco continuing to look the more likely to score.
Takumi Minamimo flashed a volley narrowly over the crossbar later on, but the hosts had to settle for a point.
Player of the Match: Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham)
Atalanta 0-0 Slavia Praha
Slavia earned their second point of the league phase following a fine display from goalkeeper Jakub Markovič in Bergamo. The hosts were the dominant force in the first half, but were unable to make their pressure pay as Markovič saved brilliantly from Odilon Kossounou, Nikola Krstović and the dangerous Charles De Ketelaere.
There were signs of the tide turning early in the second half as Lukáš Provod’s free-kick tested Marco Carnesecchi, but it was Atalanta who were closest to a winner in the closing stages – Gianluca Scamacca heading over from Nicola Zalewski’s 82nd-minute cross and testing Markovič minutes later.
Player of the Match: Charles De Ketelaere (Atalanta)
Chelsea 5-1 Ajax
Chelsea racked up an impressive win against Ajax thanks, largely, to a first half that included five goals, a red card and three converted penalties.
Kenneth Taylor was dismissed after 15 minutes and Marc Guiu opened the scoring from the resulting free-kick. Moises Caicedo doubled Chelsea’s lead but Ajax got back into the match as Wout Weghorst scored from the spot.
Enzo Fernández and Estêvão then scored penalties themselves before Tyrique George made it five having come off the bench.
Player of the Match: Jamie Gittens (Chelsea)
Frankfurt 1-5 Liverpool
Liverpool ended their four-match losing streak in all competitions as three goals in ten first-half minutes sparked a comfortable win in Frankfurt. Rasmus Kristensen finished a flowing move to put the hosts ahead, only for Hugo Ekitiké to level against his former club.
Defenders Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté then scored headers from corners to give the visitors a cushion, Florian Wirtz also setting up Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai after the break on an impressive night for Arne Slot’s side.
Player of the Match: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Bayern München 4-0 Club Brugge
Lennart Karl became Bayern’s youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer as the Bundesliga champions kept up their 100% winning start to the season. The 17-year-old curled in brilliantly to open the scoring before England captain Harry Kane tapped in at the far post.
Luis Díaz slammed in a powerful third and Nicolas Jackson ran onto a deflected shot to convert the fourth late on as dominant Bayern went second in the standings.
Player of the Match: Lennart Karl (Bayern)
Real Madrid 0-1 Juventus
Jude Bellingham’s goal kept Madrid perfect and Juventus on two points.
Weston McKennie and Federico Gatti tested home goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois early on, but the visitors needed Michele Di Gregorio to turn Kylian Mbappé’s strike behind before half-time.
Courtois denied Dušan Vlahović in a one-on-one before Bellingham slotted in the rebound when Vinícius Júnior’s shot hit a post, and Madrid would have scored again but for Di Gregorio’s exceptional double save to repel fierce efforts by Mbappé and Brahim Díaz.
Player of the Match: Arda Güler (Real Madrid)
Sporting CP 2-1 Marseille
Substitutes Geny Catamo and Alisson Santos sealed a dramatic second-half comeback for the hosts in Lisbon.
Free-scoring Marseille began in attacking fashion and were ahead early on via Igor Paixão’s stunning curling effort.
However, with the visitors reduced to ten men just before half-time following Emerson’s dismissal, Sporting cranked up the pressure and levelled when Geny Catamo turned in with just over 20 minutes remaining.
Rui Borges’ side pressed for a winner and were rewarded in the 86th minute when Alisson Santos’ deflected effort looped in.
Player of the Match: Alisson Santos (Sporting CP)
