Tuesday’s matches were defined by a high volume of goals and several commanding performances. Many were quite decisive, including a 7-2 victory for Paris Saint-Germain, a 6-2 win for PSV Eindhoven, and a 6-1 victory for Barcelona. Other clubs also secured large margins, with Arsenal and Inter Milan both achieving 4-0 wins. This night set a tone of overwhelming offensive power early in the competition.
The most dominant result of the night was the Paris Saint-Germain 7-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen at the BayArena PSG established a quick lead when Willian Pacho scored in the 7th minute. The game’s trajectory shifted decisively around the half-hour mark when Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich was sent off for an elbow on Désiré Doué and although a man down they managed to create a huge goalscoring chance themselves as PSG’s Illia Zabarnyi conceded a pen and was sent off around the 37th minute, to allow Leverkusen equalize with their second penalty of the night with Aleix Garcia scoring in the 38th after Grimaldo had missed his 14 minutes earlier. However, PSG responded immediately and decisively, scoring three goals before halftime, leading 4-1 at the break. Désiré Doué netted a brace in the 41st and 45th minutes, sandwiching a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia a goal in the 44th minute. PSG continued their scoring in the second half with Nuno Mendes (50′) , Ousmane Dembélé (66′) , and Vitinha (90′) finding the net. Leverkusen’s second goal came from a great goal from Aleix García in the 54th minute.
While the night produced massive scorelines, several clubs secured professional, dominant victories that asserted control in the chase for the top 8 spots.
Arsenal 4-0 Atlético Madrid
Arsenal delivered a masterclass in second-half efficiency, beating Atlético Madrid 4-0. They extended their unbeaten run and kept another clean sheet. The game was decided after the break when Gabriel Magalhães opened the scoring in the 57th minute from a Declan Rice free kick. Gabriel Martinelli added the second in the 64th minute. The final margin was sealed by Viktor Gyökeres, who broke his goal drought with a brace in the 67th and 70th minutes.
Inter Milan 4-0 Union Saint-Gilloise
Inter won comfortably, securing a 4-0 victory against Union Saint-Gilloise with goals from Denzel Dumfries, Lautaro Martinez, Hakan from the penalty spot and Esposito in the 76th minute. This result was significant as it extended their perfect start in the competition.
Villarreal 0-2 Manchester City
Manchester City secured a solid 2-0 away victory against Villarreal with Erling Haaland extending his scoring run to 12 consecutive games to equal Cristiano Ronaldo’s best ever streak and a goal from Bernardo Silva as well. This win ensured they kept pressure on the sides above them in the standings.
PSV Eindhoven 6-2 Napoli
PSV secured a historic 6-2 win over Napoli. This victory made PSV the first Dutch side to score six in a UCL match since 1979. PSV ran riot, taking advantage of Napoli’s defensive gaps. The goal rush started with an Alessandro Buongiorno own goal , followed by Ismael Saibari. Dennis Man netted a brace , and Ricardo Pepi and Couhaib Driouech contributed late goals. Napoli managed to pull two goals back with a Scott McTominay brace.
FC Barcelona 6-1 Olympiacos F.C.
Barcelona’s 6-1 win was fueled by attacking control and an Olympiacos red card.The star of the night was Fermín López, who scored a hat-trick . López became the first Spaniard to score a UCL hat-trick for Barça while Lamine Yamal scored from the penalty spot, and Marcus Rashford continued his impressive form, adding two goals to complete the rout . Olympiacos played with ten men after Santiago Hezze received a red card in the 57th minute
Copenhagen 2-4 Borussia Dortmund
Dortmund won 4-2 against Copenhagen in their 200th game in European Cup / UCL history. Felix Nmecha scored first in the 20th minute with a composed finish. The equalizer was an own goal after a clearance by Bensebaini deflected off Waldemar Anton. Bensebaini then converted a penalty in the 61st minute after a foul by Lerager. Nmecha scored his second of the night in the 76th minute , and Fabio Silva added the fourth goal late in the 87th minute. Copenhagen managed a late goal via Viktor Dadason in the 90th minute. Dortmund held 64% possession, and were quite efficient on the night, scoring with four of their four shots on target.
Newcastle 3-0 Benfica
Newcastle secured a 3-0 win against Benfica at St James’ Park. The win was a strong statement of intent, showing they can compete at this level. Newcastle defended compactly and were efficient on transition. Anthony Gordon scored the opener in the 32nd minute. Substitute Harvey Barnes secured the win with a brace, scoring in the 70th and 83rd minutes. Jose Mourinho’s side failed to score despite having possession and creating a number chances.
Kairat 0-0 Pafos
In contrast to the high-scoring night, the match between Kairat and Pafos ended in a goalless draw. Kairat dominated possession, holding approximately 69% of the ball and were a man up for over 86 minutes after a red for Joao Correia in the 4th minute, but failed to convert that control into goals, while Pafos held firm defensively to secure the point.
Night one was a night of high-scoring results. With six of the nine games featuring four or more goals, the attacking intent of several top clubs was clear. The day’s results established strong positions for teams like PSG and Arsenal and as Matchday 3 concludes today, the remaining teams have the opportunity to equal the high goal-scoring rate set by the first night of competition. Fans will be hoping to see the attacking trends continue as the league table continues to take shape.
