The biggest club competition in the world never disappoints. Matchday 3 of the UEFA Champions League reminded fans just how lethal the European powerhouses can be. However, anybody can beat anyone on a given day, which was highlighted by PSV’s stunning victory over Napoli. The biggest match of the week saw Real Madrid prevail over Juventus as the league standings continue to take shape. Without further ado, let’s dive into all the drama.
Key Match Summaries
Real Madrid picked up a narrow 1-0 win over Juventus in a repeat of the 2017 Champions League final. Jude Bellingham’s goal was enough to give Madrid their third consecutive league phase victory.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain continued their red-hot form with a 7-2 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen. Willian Pacho, Desire Doue, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, Ousmane Dembele, and Vitinha were among the goals.
Barcelona registered a thumping 6-1 win over Olympiacos courtesy of a hat-trick from Fermin Lopez, and Marcus Rashford bagged a brace. Lamine Yamal converted a penalty as well, while Ayoub El Kaabi got a consolation strike for the Greek club.
Liverpool ended their four-game losing streak with a thumping 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. Hugo Ekitike was among the goals against his former club, alongside Virgil Van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai.
Harry Kane continued his goalscoring exploits, as Bayern Munich hammered Club Brugge 4-0. Luis Diaz, Nicolas Jackson and Lennart Karl were also on the scoresheet.
Kairat Almaty registered their first points in the league phase after playing out a 0-0 stalemate with Pafos. Newcastle United piled more misery on Jose Mourinho after a 3-0 win, thanks to Harvey Barnes’ brace.
PSV pulled off the biggest upset of this week by smashing six goals past Napoli. Scott McTominay’s brace was cancelled out by goals from Alessandro Buongiorno, Ismael Saibari, Dennis Man, Ricardi Pepi and Couhaib Driouech.
Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Çalhanoğlu and Francesco Pio Esposito guided Inter Milan to a 4-0 thumping win over Union Saint-Gilloise. Borussia Dortmund rode on Felix Nmecha’s brace to down Copenhagen 4-2.
Erling Haaland scored in his 12th consecutive game for club and country, helping Manchester City sink Villarreal 2-0.
Arsenal shot down the high-flying Atletico Madrid with a brace from summer signing Viktor Gyokeres. Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes also scored one each for the Gunners at the Emirates.
West London giants Chelsea smashed Ajax 5-1, whereas Tottenham were held to a 0-0 draw by AS Monaco. Sporting CP edged Marseille 2-1, and Athletic Club defeated Qarabag 3-1. Victor Osimhen’s brace gave Galatasaray a 3-1 win over Bodo/Glimt, while Atalanta were held to a 0-0 draw by Slavia Praha.
Standout Players and Performances
Fermin Lopez (10) recorded a hat-trick and was among three players who picked up a perfect 10 in the SofaScore player ratings alongside Temirlan Anarbekov and Guglielmo Vicario.
Aleksandr Martynovic (9.4) was the highest-rated defender, having made 4 clearances. Vitinha (9.1) and Dominik Szoboszlai (8.9) were the highest-rated midfielders. Felix Nmecha (8.8), Anthony Gordon (9.2) were the pick of the lot among wingers. Gorka Guruzeta (9.5) and Victor Osimhen (9.8) both scored twice to find their place in the SofaScore team of the week.
League Table & Impact
Holders PSG remain at the top with 3 wins from as many games, leading the pack on goal difference. Bayern, Inter, Arsenal and Real Madrid are the only other teams that have not dropped any points. Borussia Dortmund, Man City, Newcastle, Barcelona and Liverpool round off the top ten.
Chelsea, Spurs, Atletico, Napoli, Frankfurt all occupy mid-table spots. Union Saint-Gilloise currently hold the last qualification playoff berth.
Juventus slipped to 25th, while Leverkusen are also not where they would like to be. All teams below USG have yet to pick a win in the competition.
Injuries and Suspension Updates
Joao Correia, Santiago Hezze, Robert Andrich, and Ilya Zabarnyi will all be suspended for their respective sides after seeing red cards. Lorenzo Lucca, Kenneth Taylor and Emerson Palmieri will also be unavailable.
Looking Ahead
Matchday 4 promises to be all the more epic as defending champions PSG gear up to host six-time holders Bayern Munich. Manchester City will be hosting Borussia Dortmund in another exciting clash. The marquee fixture of this week will be the meeting between Liverpool and Real Madrid at Anfield.
Arsenal will be on the road, as they will face Slavia Praha, while Tottenham will host Copenhagen in North London. Atletico are due to host Union Saint-Gilloise, whereas Juventus will be facing a tricky test against Sporting CP. An away trip to Qarabag awaits Chelsea, and Barcelona will take on Club Brugge. Inter will want to go top of the league standings as they will make the tough trip east to Kairat Almaty.