Wednesday night’s UCL action for Matchday 6 delivered a thrilling mix of European heavyweights flexing their muscles and underdogs upsetting the odds. From Arsenal continuing a flawless league phase campaign to Manchester City’s statement victory at the Bernabéu, the evening was packed with drama. Elsewhere, high-scoring thrillers involving Ajax and Copenhagen ensured that the race for qualification remains as unpredictable as ever.
Qarabag FK 2 – 4 Ajax
In one of the early kickoffs, Ajax secured a chaotic away victory in Baku, finding their scoring touch to overcome a spirited Qarabag side. The high-scoring affair set the tone for the night with six goals shared between the teams. Qarabag found the net through C. Duran in the 10th minute and M. Silva in the 47th minute. However, Ajax responded with goals from Kasper Dolberg (39′), Anton Gaaei (83′), and a late brace from Oscar Gloukh (79′, 90′) to seal the win.
Villarreal 2 – 3 FC Copenhagen
Copenhagen pulled off a stunning upset at the Estadio de la Cerámica, where Villarreal could not salvage a point despite a fighting effort. Mohamed Elyounoussi opened the scoring for the visitors in the 2nd minute, followed by goals from Elias Achouri (48′) and a last-minute winner from Andreas Cornelius (90′). Villarreal’s goals came from Santi Comesaña (47′) and T. Oluwaseyi (56′).
Real Madrid 1 – 2 Manchester City
Manchester City secured a massive victory at the Santiago Bernabéu, heaping pressure on Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso. Real took the lead through Rodrygo in the 28th minute, breaking his 32-game goalless drought. City responded swiftly with a rapid turnaround in the first half: youngster Nico O’Reilly equalized in the 35th minute, and Erling Haaland converted a penalty in the 43rd minute to secure the win. This marked Manchester City’s first win at the Bernabéu since 2020.
Club Brugge 0 – 3 Arsenal
Arsenal continued their flawless campaign, making it six wins out of six in the League Phase with a dominant performance in Belgium. Noni Madueke was the standout performer, scoring twice in the 26th and 47th minutes, with his header just after halftime killing off any hope of a Brugge resurgence. Gabriel Martinelli added a third goal in the 56th minute to cap off the victory.
Bayer Leverkusen 2 – 2 Newcastle United
A dramatic late equalizer denied Newcastle United a famous away win. After falling behind to a Bruno Guimarães own goal in the 13th minute, the Magpies turned the game around with a penalty from Anthony Gordon (51′) and a goal from 19-year-old Lewis Miley (74′), who became the club’s youngest-ever Champions League goalscorer. However, Alex Grimaldo struck in the 88th minute to snatch a point for Leverkusen.
Borussia Dortmund 2 – 2 Bodø/Glimt
Norwegian champions Bodø/Glimt produced a heroic performance to take a point at Signal Iduna Park, coming from behind twice to frustrate the home crowd. Julian Brandt scored both goals for Dortmund in the 19th and 51st minutes. Bodø/Glimt replied through Haitam Aleesami (42′) and a historic 75th-minute equalizer from Jens Petter Hauge.
SL Benfica 2 – 0 Napoli
Benfica claimed a solid home victory at the Estádio da Luz, boosting their qualification hopes while denting Napoli’s momentum. The Portuguese side secured the win with goals from Richard Ríos in the 20th minute and Leandro Barreiro in the 49th minute.
Juventus 2 – 0 Pafos FC
Juventus did what was required against the Cypriot debutants, securing a comfortable win in Turin to add three points to their tally. After a goalless first hour, Weston McKennie broke the deadlock in the 67th minute, followed by a goal from Jonathan David in the 73rd minute.
Athletic Club 0 – 0 Paris Saint-Germain
The match at San Mamés ended in a tactical stalemate, with neither side able to find a breakthrough in a tense, defensive battle. No goals were scored.
As the dust settles on Matchday 6, the contrast in fortunes is stark. Arsenal and Manchester City have reasserted their dominance at the top, while Real Madrid’s defeat piles further pressure on manager Xabi Alonso. Meanwhile, gritty results for the likes of Bodø/Glimt and shock wins for Copenhagen prove that no result in this competition is guaranteed, setting the stage for a fiercely contested final stretch of the League Phase.
