By Olukayode Olumuyiwa.
Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) delivered two major upsets, with former champions Manchester City suffering a costly home defeat and Chelsea humiliating 10-man Barcelona in a dominant performance at Stamford Bridge. These results highlight the high stakes and unpredictable nature of the competition’s new league phase.
Chelsea 3–0 Barcelona: Teen Star Estevão Shines in Rout
Chelsea secured one of their most significant European victories in recent years by comfortably defeating Barcelona 3-0. The Spanish giants were second-best from the start, struggling to cope with Chelsea’s intensity. The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when a cross was deflected in by an unfortunate Jules Koundé for an own goal after Pedro Neto’s strike ricocheted off him. Barcelona’s night went from bad to worse just before halftime when defender Ronald Araújo was sent off for a second yellow card following a reckless challenge on Marc Cucurella. Chelsea accelerated in the second half, led by teenage star Estevão. The 18-year-old scored a brilliant solo goal in the 55th minute, becoming only the third teenager in UCL history to score in each of his first three starts. Liam Delap added a third goal from close range in the 73rd minute to complete the rout. The 3-0 scoreline marked the first time Barcelona had failed to score in 54 matches across all competitions and was Chelsea’s biggest ever victory over the Catalan side.
Manchester City 0–2 Bayer Leverkusen: Guardiola’s Rotation Backfires
In Manchester, City suffered their first Champions League loss at home to Bayer Leverkusen. Manager Pep Guardiola, marking his 100th Champions League game in charge of City, opted for heavy rotation, making ten changes to his starting lineup. Guardiola later took full responsibility for the defeat. Leverkusen capitalized on the disjointed City side, with Alejandro Grimaldo opening the scoring in the 23rd minute with a first-time strike. The task became even tougher for City after the break when Patrik Schick guided a precise header past James Trafford in the 54th minute, doubling Leverkusen’s advantage. Despite bringing on substitutes like Erling Haaland and Phil Foden, City failed to find a response, losing their first European match of the season.
Other Results from Tuesday Night
The UCL action across Europe delivered several crucial results:
Borussia Dortmund 4–0 Villarreal: Dortmund secured a commanding victory. Serhou Guirassy scored twice, heading home from a corner before scoring again from the rebound of a saved penalty. Karim Adeyemi added the third, and Daniel Svensson wrapped up the win with a header, making a comeback impossible after Villarreal’s Juan Foyth was sent off.
Marseille 2–1 Newcastle United: Marseille battled back from an early deficit. Newcastle opened the scoring through Harvey Barnes in the sixth minute. Veteran striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the hero for the home side, scoring twice in four minutes shortly after the interval to complete the turnaround.
Napoli 2–0 Qarabag FK: Napoli secured a comfortable home victory. Scott McTominay opened the scoring from a corner in the 65th minute. The second goal came in the 72nd minute when McTominay’s attempted overhead kick forced Qarabag’s Marko Jankovic to turn the ball into his own net.
Juventus 3–2 Bodø/Glimt: Juventus earned their first win of the Champions League campaign in a narrow but crucial victory in Norway. After going down early, goals from Loïs Openda and Weston McKennie pulled Juventus level. The dramatic winner came in stoppage time from Jonathan David, who reacted quickest to slot home a rebound.
Ajax 0–2 Benfica: Benfica earned their first win of the campaign in Amsterdam. They took the lead early with a goal from Samuel Dahl and secured the victory in the final minutes when Leandro Barreiro sealed the 2-0 win on the counter-attack.
Galatasaray 0–1 Union Saint-Gilloise: Union Saint-Gilloise delivered a disciplined performance in Istanbul to secure a narrow away win. Promise David finished a slick move to score the only goal of the game in the 57th minute.
Slavia Prague 0–0 Athletic Club: A physically intense clash in Prague ended goalless, with both sides showing strong defensive discipline.
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