Champions League Matchweek 3 showcased the competition’s true powerhouses while others faltered on Europe’s biggest stage.
The Champions League continues to deliver its patented drama and showmanship. The Tuesday slate kicked off with USMNT captain Christian Pulisic scoring an Olimpico goal for AC Milan and ended with a Vinícius Júnior hat trick for Real Madrid.
Not to be outdone by his international teammate, Raphinha bagged a hat trick of his own the following day for Barcelona. Back in Manchester, Pep Guardiola’s side extended its UCL unbeaten streak to a historic 26 games, breaking Manchester United’s long-standing record.
At the end of the action-packed two days, Liverpool and Aston Villa remain atop the Champions League table as the only two teams with a perfect nine points in three matches.
Here’s SI Soccer’s Champions League Wrap-up for Matchweek 3.
There’s just something about Champions League nights at the Santiago Bernabéu. Real Madrid pulled off another UCL comeback after being down 0–2 to Borussia Dortmund at halftime. The defending European champions came out of the tunnel and fired five goals past Gregor Kobel in the second half.
The match transformed from a nightmare to a dream victory for Los Blancos. Vinícius Júnior bagged his first hat trick of the season, Kylian Mbappé and Jude Bellingham recorded assists and Thibaut Courtois made several heroic saves.
Except the first half exposed glaring defensive issues, especially on Lucas Vázquez’s right flank, that will come back to haunt Real Madrid against the top teams in Europe. Plus, Rodrygo and Courtois both suffered injuries, leaving Carlo Ancelotti without two of his best players for the next few weeks.
Liverpool continues to impress under Arne Slot. The Reds secured a hard-fought 0–1 victory over RB Leipzig, extending the club’s perfect UCL record under its new manager.
After an unimpressive start to the season, Darwin Núñez got the nod over an injured Diogo Jota and buried the winner for his side in the 27th minute. Caoimhin Kelleher, filling in for the injured Alisson, also kept an impressive clean sheet. No matter how many injuries hit Liverpool, the team always seems to find a way to secure three points.
For the first time in history, Liverpool has won 11 of its first 12 matches across all competitions. Slot is also the first Liverpool manager to win his opening six away fixtures. It is becoming near impossible to deny the Reds’ place among the best teams in Europe.
Speaking of new managers, Vincent Kompany is firmly on the heat seat after Bayern Munich’s disastrous 4–1 defeat to Barcelona. The loss comes after the German giants fell to Aston Villa on Oct. 2.
Losing to Barcelona is one thing—Hansi Flick’s side leads La Liga and is one of the best teams in Europe—but getting embarrassed is another. Conceding a goal inside the first 60 seconds and going on to concede three more is not up to Bayern Munich’s standards. The team that arguably should have made the 2024 Champions League final last year has now suffered two consecutive defeats in the competition’s league phase.
With just three points in three matches, Bayern Munich has a mountain to climb if it wants to finish in the top eight.
Unai Emery has his men flying through Europe. Aston Villa collected another three points in the Champions League with a 2–0 victory over Bologna. John McGinn found the winner in the 55th minute and Jhon Durán doubled Villa’s lead just nine minutes later.
The victory is the third in as many UCL games for the club; Villa defeated Young Boys and Bayern Munich in its opening two fixtures. Even more impressive, Emery’s squad has yet to concede a goal in the competition. Emiliano Martínez has kept three clean sheets and looked every bit as one of the world’s best goalkeepers.
Although the biggest Premier League clubs, like Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal grab the spotlight, Villa’s early success in the competition cannot go unnoticed. The club waited 41 years to return to the Champions League and now sit atop the table above powerhouses like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
