The third round of matches in the 2025/2026 UEFA Champions League, played on Tuesday, October 21, 2025, produced an avalanche of goals from top European clubs aiming to secure top spots in the league phase.
With nine matches played across Europe, a total of forty-three (43) goals were scored. Several teams received red cards, opening the floodgates for attacking dominance.
The early kickoff saw FC Barcelona thrash Olympiacos 6-1. Fermín López netted a hat-trick, Marcus Rashford added a brace, and Lamine Yamal sealed the win with a penalty for Barcelona.
Alex Kotey speaks on poor officiating and VAR controversy on Sports Check
In the other early kickoff, Kairat played out a goalless draw against Pafos, who were reduced to ten men.
In the later fixtures, defending champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hammered Bayer 04 Leverkusen 7-2 in an away match. The French giants saw goals from Dembélé, Doué, Mendes, Vitinha, and others.
The most anticipated clash of the night between Arsenal and Atlético Madrid ended in a dominant 4-0 victory for the Gunners. Within 14 minutes of the second half, Gyökeres, Martinelli, and Gabriel Magalhães scored three quick goals to seal the win at the Emirates Stadium.
Premier League side Manchester City also traveled to Spain and secured a 2-0 win, courtesy of goals from Erling Haaland and Bernardo Silva.
Italian giants Inter Milan also cruised to a comfortable 4-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise, with goals from Dumfries, Martínez, Çalhanoğlu, and Esposito.
In Denmark, Copenhagen suffered a 4-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund, with Bensebaini and Fábio Silva among the scorers for the German side.
Meanwhile, José Mourinho continues to struggle with Portuguese side Benfica, who fell to a 3-0 defeat against Newcastle at St. James’ Park. Harvey Barnes scored a brace, with Anthony Gordon adding the third to seal the win.
The most shocking result of the day came as Serie A champions Napoli were thrashed 6-2 by Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.
After Lucca was sent off in the 76th minute, Napoli collapsed. Despite a brace from McTominay, goals from Saibari, Pepi, Dennis Man, and others secured a resounding win for the home side.
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Meanwhile, watch the latest Sports Check interview with Alex Kotey, the GFA Referees Manager below:
