The goals continued to flow on Matchday 5 with an incredible 42 goals across Wednesday’s 9 matches. The top two met in North London with the home side coming out on top in a pulsating encounter. Julien Timber opened the scoring for the Gunners before Bayern’s 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl equalised. However, second half goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli secured a statement 3-1 win for Arsenal to put them top of the League Phase table and the only side with a 100% record. Elsewhere there were staggering scorelines across Europe: defending champions Paris beat Spurs 5-3 at the Parc des Princes; PSV fired four past Liverpool at Anfield; Mbappe scored all four of Real Madrid’s goals as they won 4-3 at Olympiacos; Atalanta and Sporting both registered comfortable 3-0 wins against Frankfurt and Club Brugge respectively; Atleti left it late to beat Inter in Madrid; and in the early kick offs Copenhagen edged past Kairat 3-2 and Cypriot side Pafos earned another point, drawing 2-2 with Monaco to move into the much coveted 24th place in the League Phase table. We’ll review all of Wednesday’s action and get reaction from Arsenal’s Declan Rice & Noni Madueke, PSV’s Ivan Perišić, Sporting’s Francisco Trincao and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.
There was drama across Europe as Matchday 5 started with a bang in the Champions League. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea turned on the style to overcome 10-man Barcelona 3-0, thanks to a superb performance from teenage sensation Estêvão. In Norway, Juve edged a five-goal thriller thanks to an injury time winner from Jonathan David – we hear from their Player of the Match, Kenan Yildaz. However, the shock of the night came in Manchester as Leverkusen beat the 2023 champions 2-0, and we hear from the scorer of their superb opener Alejandro Grimaldo. Benfica registered their first win of the League Phase, seeing off Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, and we get reaction from their manager Jose Mourinho as well as Swedish defender Samuel Dahl. And Napoli secured a crucial home win against Qarabag, inspired once again by their Scottish goalscoring midfielder Scott McTominay. Elsewhere there were win crucial wins for Dortmund, Marseille and Union SG and Slavia Praha and Athletic Club played out a 0-0 draw. We’ll review all of Tuesday’s action as well as look ahead to a huge Wednesday in Europe’s top club competition, with the top two coming head-to-head in north London as Arsenal host Bayern.
The UEFA Champions League table continued to take shape on Wednesday as Inter maintained their perfect start to the competition with a 2-1 victory over Kairat Almaty. Galatasaray enhanced their hopes of a top 8 finish thanks to a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen against Ajax as he earned the UEFA Player of the Match award for a third game in a row. Manchester City end the matchday in 4th after their 4-1 win against Dortmund. There were also wins for Atalanta, Leverkusen and Newcastle, while Pafos recorded their first Champions League victory against Villarreal.
Matchday 4 treated us to two heavyweight European encounters. At Anfield, six-time winners Liverpool edged out 15-time champions Real Madrid 1-0, thanks to a bullet second half header from Alexis Mac Allister – we hear from the goal-scorer as well Los Blancos midfielder Jude Bellingham. Meanwhile in Paris, the defending champions went down 2-1 to table toppers Bayern, their Colombian winger Luis Diaz the match-winner with both goals before being sent off. Arsenal joined Bayern at the top of the table with four wins out of four, seeing off Slavia Praha 3-0 in the Czech Republic, with a brace from Mikel Merino and a penalty from Bukayo Saka. We hear from the Gunners manager, Mikel Arteta as well as midfielder Christian Norgaard on 15-year-old Max Dowman becoming the competition’s youngest ever player. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s North London neighbours Tottenham beat visitors Copenhagen 4-0, thanks to a superb solo goal from defender Micky van de Ven – we hear from the Dutchman. Napoli were held 0-0 by Frankfurt and there were 1-1 draws for Juventus and Sporting in Turin and Olympiacos and PSV in Greece. Plus there were crucial wins for Atleti and Monaco against Union SG and Bodø/Glimt respectively. We review all of Tuesday’s action and look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 4 encounters, including a reunion for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland with his former club Borussia Dortmund.
There were statement victories across Europe as Matchday 3 concluded. Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the game at the Bernabeu as the 15-time champions Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0. Madrid midfielder Arda Guler reflects on the match that saw Los Blancos maintain their perfect start to the League Phase. Bayern also have three wins from three after a 4-0 win over Club Brugge. Chelsea and Liverpool both scored five in victories over Ajax and Frankfurt respectively. We hear from Reds striker Hugo Ekitike, who shares what it was like scoring against his former club in Germany. Elsewhere, Victor Osimhen got two goals in a 3-1 win for Galatasaray over Bodo/Glimt – he reflects on his performance on the show. Athletic Club and Sporting also picked up an important three points.
Matchday 3 started in style with a phenomenal 43 goals across the 9 matches. In Germany, defending champions Paris struck seven against Leverkusen, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé back amongst the goals. Barca and PSV hit six - the Spaniards seeing off ten-man Olympiacos thanks to a hat-trick from Fermin Lopez, and the Dutch side coming from behind to dispatch Italian champions Napoli in Eindhoven. Arsenal, Dortmund and Inter all scored four to register convincing wins. We hear from the Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and defender Gabriel after they inflicted a rare 4-0 defeat on Diego Simeone’s Atletico side. There were also crucial victories for Newcastle and Manchester City against Benfica and Villarreal respectively. We hear from City defender Rico Lewis after Erling Haaland scored yet again to make it 53 Champions League goals in just 51 matches. We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 3 encounters, including our featured commentary game between European heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus.
Matchday 2 of this season’s UEFA Champions League concluded in style! In Spain, Paris left it late to beat Barcelona as Goncalo Ramos secured a 2-1 victory. We hear from the Portuguese match winner. Monaco and Villarreal both scored in the 90th minute to draw their matches against Manchester City and Juventus. Arsenal and Qarabag are on 6 points after two games after wins over Olympiacos and Copenhagen respectively. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta chats through his team's performance. Rasmus Hojlund found the back of the net twice as Napoli beat Sporting 2-1, whilst Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund each scored 4 times on their way to victory. Newcastle Player of the Match Anthony Elanga and Hojlund himself reflect on their side’s wins on the podcast.
There were 33 goals across 9 matches on Tuesday but just 1 separated Galatasaray and Liverpool on Matchday 2. Atleti, Bayern and Real Madrid both secured impressive wins, as did Inter, Marseille & Atalanta. Chelsea welcomed former manager Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge by beating his Benfica side 1-0, while Bodø Glimt held Tottenham 2-2 in their first Champions League home game. In the podcast, we hear from Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.
Matchday 1 concluded with a thrilling night of action across Europe! Marcus Rashford shone for Barcelona as his brace secured a 2-1 win over Newcastle. Head Coach Hansi Flick shares his thoughts on the forward’s Player of the Match performance, whilst we also hear from Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal in a 2-0 victory over Napoli, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone in the competition’s history. City midfielder Phil Foden and boss Pep Guardiola reflect on the win. Sporting and Club Brugge both scored 4 goals in wins over Kairat Almaty and Monaco respectively, whilst Frankfurt began their league phase campaign with 3 points by beating Galatasaray 5-1. Elsewhere, Copenhagen and Leverkusen shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Copenhagen’s Player of the Match Jordan Larsson analyses the game at Parken.
Champions Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence in style dispatching Atalanta 4-0 at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Marquinhos, Kvaratskhelia, Mendes and Ramos. At Anfield, Liverpool left it late again to grab all three points, with defender Virgil van Dijk heading in an injury time winner to seal a 3-2 victory over Atleti. While in Munich, Bayern saw off Chelsea 3-1, thanks to another brace from their top scorer Harry Kane. We hear from the UEFA Player of The Match in all three matches, Paris winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bayern match-winner Harry Kane, as well as Reds defender Andy Robertson. Elsewhere, Inter overcame Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, Marcus Thuram with both goals, and we hear from one of the Italian side’s new signings, defender Manuel Akanji. While in the evening’s early kick offs, Bodø/Glimt came back from 2-0 down to earn a hard-fought point at Slavia Praha and Olympiakos were impressively held 0-0 at home by Cypriot Champions League debutants Pafos - we get reaction from their defender and POTM Derrick Luckassen. Plus. we look ahead to the final night of Matchday 1 action, with another six games taking place across Europe on Thursday evening, including our featured commentary match Newcastle v Barcelona and Man City v Napoli with the thoughts of Pep Guardiola.
The 2025/26 League Phase started in style on Tuesday evening with opening day victories for Real Madrid, Arsenal and Spurs plus first ever Champions League wins for Qarabag and Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on their competition debut. In Madrid, the 15-time champions began their quest to re-claim the coveted trophy with a hard fought 2-1 win over Marseille - Kylian Mbappe the match-winner with both goals – we hear from the Frenchman. North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs both began their campaigns with victories – the Gunners winning 2-0 in Bilbao and Spurs seeing off Villareal 1-0 at home. We hear from Arsenal’s UEFA POTM Gabriel Martinelli as well as Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven. Elsewhere Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out an incredible 4-4 draw in Turin, with all 8 goals coming in the second half, Qarabag came from 2-0 down to earn a stunning 3-2 win against Benfica in Lisbon, but arguably the performance of the night took place in Eindhoven where Champions League debutants Union Saint-Gilloise secured a historic 3-1 win against PSV – we hear from their first ever goal-scorer in the competition, Promise David. We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 1 encounters, including our featured commentary game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, hearing from the Reds’ manager Arne Slot.
Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned champions of Europe for the very first time after a historic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, the biggest ever win in the final of this competition. Two goals from UEFA Player of the Match Désiré Doué, and one each for Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and teenager Senny Mayulu put a seal on a perfect Paris performance in Munich. We look back on an absorbing final, including an exuberant trophy lift and jubilant reaction from Paris midfielder Vitinha and manager Luis Enrique. We also look back on the 2024/25 Champions League season as a whole, a revamped campaign that has truly delivered at every stage.
This is Off Pitch: The UEFA Champions League with a beat. Where UCL coverage meets the timeline’s conversations–fuelled by music. Join Culture Cams, Formz and Nieve aka Stunt Pegg as they preview the Champions League final between Inter and PSG with the help of their own in-house band Out N Bad. This week, the team is joined by rapper Aitch. #UCLOffPitch #UCL #championsleague Watch more at: https://www.uefa.tv/ Subscribe to UEFA on YouTube at: https://bit.ly/UEFA_YT Follow us on Facebook at: https://bit.ly/FB_UEFA Visit our Website at: https://www.uefa.com/
Paris Saint Germain will meet Inter Milan in the 2025 UEFA Champions League final, after the French champions saw off Arsenal 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. It was a historic evening at the Parc des Princes as Luis Enrique’s side booked their place in the showpiece for just the second time - and the first time they’ve done so in front of their fans after the 2020 semi-final took place during Covid times. Superb first and second half strikes from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put Paris in control, however a 76th minute Bakayo Saka goal gave Arsenal hope of an unlikely late comeback. However, the French side held on to seal their place in the Munich Final and keep alive their dreams of a first Champions League crown. We review it all and hear from UEFA Player of the Match, Achraf Hakimi, as well as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Plus we’ll look ahead to the much-anticipated final on Saturday 31st May, which will see Inter and Paris face off for the very first time in Europe’s elite competition.
After a night of high drama at San Siro, we have our first finalist in this season’s UEFA Champions League. Inter will head to Munich after a remarkable semi-final second leg against Barcelona which saw the Italians come out 4-3 winners after extra time to progress 7-6 on aggregate. It was a rollercoaster of a match which saw Inter take a two goal lead before Barca hit back to make it 3-2 late in the second half. Then with just seconds remaining Inter defender Francesco Acerbi popped up to score his first European goal to make it 3-3 at the end of normal time. Extra time could have gone either way but it was Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi who was the match winner, curling in the decisive goal in the 99th minute, to send the Nerazzurri through to their second final in three years. We hear from Inter’s hero on the night, and UEFA Player of the Match, Yann Sommer as well as defender Denzel Dumfries. Plus Barca coach Hansi Flick shares his thoughts. We also look ahead to the second leg of Wednesday’s semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal and hear from Mikel Arteta and Achraf Hakimi, It’s advantage Paris after the first leg but who will emerge victorious to face Inter in the Munich showpiece at the end of the May?
Barcelona and Inter play out an absolute classic in Spain as the second UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg ends 3-3. We analyse the drama, hearing from goal scorer and player of the match, Denzel Dumfries, as well as his Inter teammate, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Barcelona boss, Hansi Flick. We also preview next week’s second leg action, including Wednesday’s match in France, where Paris lead Arsenal 1-0. The bosses Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta give their thoughts ahead of that one.
This season’s semi-finals got underway in style and it’s advantage Paris after the first leg of their tie with Arsenal. Ousmane Dembele’s early goal was the difference on an absorbing night in North London, meaning they’ll take a crucial 1-0 lead back to the French capital as both sides chase a first European crown. We recount the story of the match and hear from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and David Raya plus Paris’ Luis Enrique and Player of the Match Vitinha. We also preview Wednesday’s semi-final first leg between Barcelona and Inter Milan with the help of UEFA reporter Graham Hunter and Barca coach Hansi Flick.
This is Off Pitch: The UEFA Champions League with a beat. Where UCL coverage meets the timeline’s conversations – fuelled by music. Join Culture Cams, Formz and Stunt Peg as they wrap up the UCL quarter-finals with all eyes on the final four. As always, the vibes are brought by in-house band Out & Bad with special guest Alex Iwobi in the building. #UCLOffPitch #UCL #championsleague
Arsenal saw past defending champions Real Madrid, producing another assured performance at the Bernabeu winning 2-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate. In a dramatic second half, Inter held off Bayern as it finished 2-2 at Stadium San Siro, meaning the Nerazzuri progress with a 4-3 aggregate, and will meet Barcelona in the semi-finals. We hear from Arsenal’s Player of the Match Declan Rice and manager Mikel Arteta, plus Bayern’s Harry Kane. And we look ahead to both semi-finals, Inter v Barcelona and Arsenal v Paris.
On a night of classic UEFA Champions League drama, Paris survive an Aston Villa fight back to win 5-4 on aggregate and progress to the last four, despite losing 3-2 on the night. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund give Barcelona a scare winning 3-1 in Germany. However, Barca progress 5-3 on aggregate. We hear from Villa goal scorer Ezri Konsa, as well as Dortmund’s Pascal Gross. Plus, Jude Bellingham looks ahead to the final night of quarter final action, where his Real Madrid team look to come from behind against Arsenal, and Inter defend a 2-1 lead against Bayern heading to San Siro.