Paris Saint-Germain ended Barcelona’s winning start to the UEFA Champions League league phase with a 4-2 victory, while Manchester City thrived without Erling Haaland in a 5-1 demolition of AEK Athens and Liverpool produced a stirring comeback to beat Villarreal 4-3 on a goal-filled Tuesday night.
Nine Matchday 3 fixtures produced 40 goals, with PSG’s late attacking surge, Phil Foden’s hat-trick and Liverpool’s fightback among the highlights of an action-packed evening across Europe.
PSG Halt Barcelona’s Momentum
PSG delivered a statement performance at the Parc des Princes, scoring twice in the closing stages to hand Barcelona their first defeat of the league phase.
Désiré Doué put the hosts ahead in the 38th minute, but Barcelona responded through Xavi Espart in the 55th minute. Lucas Hernández restored PSG’s advantage in the 72nd minute before Lamine Yamal levelled the contest again seven minutes later.
The French champions, however, finished strongly. Vitinha struck in the 81st minute before Fabián Ruiz sealed the 4-2 victory four minutes from time.
The result kept PSG’s perfect record intact after three matches and brought Barcelona’s winning run in the competition to an end.
Haalandless City Cruise as Foden Hits Hat-Trick
Manchester City demonstrated their attacking depth with a commanding 5-1 victory over AEK Athens despite the absence of Erling Haaland.
Elliot Anderson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, while Foden doubled City’s lead in the 34th. AEK briefly threatened a response through Stavros Pilios seven minutes after the break, but Rayan Cherki restored City’s two-goal cushion in the 57th minute.
Foden then took centre stage, scoring in the 65th and 76th minutes to complete his hat-trick and cap a dominant display.
The emphatic win lifted City to six points from three matches, strengthening their position in the race for a top-eight finish and automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Liverpool Stage Dramatic Comeback
Liverpool survived a seven-goal thriller at Anfield, recovering from a two-goal deficit to defeat Villarreal 4-3.
Georges Mikautadze gave the visitors an early lead in the fourth minute, and Sergi Cardona doubled their advantage in the 29th. Alexis Mac Allister pulled one back seven minutes later before Ronald Araújo equalised in first-half stoppage time.
Mac Allister struck again in the 65th minute to put Liverpool ahead, with Florian Wirtz extending the lead shortly afterwards. Tani Oluwaseyi reduced Villarreal’s deficit in the 87th minute, setting up a tense finish, but Liverpool held on for all three points.
The victory maintained Liverpool’s perfect start to the league phase, leaving them on nine points from three matches.
Roma, Napoli and Dortmund Secure Wins
AS Roma recorded a convincing 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava, with Mario Hermoso and Nahuel Molina scoring in the first half before Niccolò Pisilli and Donyell Malen completed the rout after the break.
Napoli edged Bodø/Glimt 4-3 in another high-scoring encounter, while Borussia Dortmund earned a 2-1 away win against Sabah.
PSV Eindhoven claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Porto, while Stuttgart and Atlético Madrid played out a 1-1 draw. Fenerbahçe and Slavia Prague shared the points in a 2-2 stalemate.
Race for the Knockout Stage
PSG and Liverpool both reached nine points from three matches, while Manchester City moved to six points after their emphatic win.
Barcelona will look to recover from their setback as the league phase continues, with five matches remaining for each team. The top eight clubs at the end of the league phase will qualify directly for the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will contest the knockout phase play-offs.
Champions League Matchday 3 Results
- Paris Saint-Germain 4-2 Barcelona
- Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal
- Manchester City 5-1 AEK Athens
- Roma 4-0 Slovan Bratislava
- Napoli 4-3 Bodø/Glimt
- Fenerbahçe 2-2 Slavia Prague
- Sabah 1-2 Borussia Dortmund
- Porto 0-1 PSV Eindhoven
- Stuttgart 1-1 Atlético Madrid
