Explore every episode of the podcast Official UEFA Champions League Podcast

Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Real Betis all secured home wins to maintain their perfect starts in the UEFA Champions League, while Declan Rice’s late leveller meant Bayern München and Arsenal shared the points in Munich. There were wins as well on Wednesday for Club Brugge and a Nico Paz-inspired Como, who beat Manchester United 4-1. 

It was a night to remember for LASK as the debutants beat Sporting CP 3-2 in Lisbon while Galatasaray and Inter also recorded their first wins of the campaign. 

Matchday 3 picked up where Matchday 2 left off, with goals galore! 

In our featured match, Paris and Barcelona played out an end-to-end classic in the French capital with the defending champions running out eventual 4-2 winners. Désiré Doué and Lamine Yamal were inevitably amongst the goalscorers.

Liverpool, Napoli and Roma all scored four to see off Villarreal, Bodø/Glimt and Slovan Bratislava respectively, while Manchester City hit five at home to AEK Athens, midfielder Phil Foden with a hat-trick. Elsewhere Stuttgart drew with 10-man Atleti 1-1 in Germany whilst PSV secured a superb 1-0 win in Porto. And in our early matches Sabah went down 2-1 at home to Borussia Dortmund while Slavia Praha hit a last-minute equaliser against Fenerbahçe to draw 2-2 in Türkiye and register their first-ever away point in the competition. 

We hear from Manchester City hat-trick hero Foden, Liverpool’s UEFA Player of the Match Rio Ngumoha, Atleti goalkeeper Jan Oblak, Napoli midfielder Scott McTominay plus Barça boss Hansi Flick and Dortmund manager Niko Kovac. We also take a look ahead to Wednesday’s matches, hearing from Bayern’s Serge Gnabry and Real Madrid’s Ibrahima Konate. 

A record-breaking night of UEFA Champions League action saw 46 goals scored as Matchday 2 came to a close! 
  
Real Madrid completed an astonishing comeback to beat Roma 4-3, whilst Liverpool and Aston Villa both scored six times to defeat LASK and Fenerbahçe respectively. 
  
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain kept the defence of their title on track with a 4-2 win at Manchester City, whilst Feyenoord, Real Betis, Bodø/Glimt, Shakhtar and Stuttgart also collected three points. 
  
We hear from Madrid’s match-winner Antonio Rüdiger, as well as Paris’ Désiré Doué, Aston Villa’s Nicolas Jackson and Stuttgart’s Deniz Undav. 

Matchday 2 got under way in the UEFA Champions League with goals galore across Europe.

Barcelona and Club Brugge both hit four as they beat Galatasaray and Inter respectively, whilst Arsenal and Villarreal netted three times to secure wins against Lille and Napoli. 

Viking left it late to snatch a shock 3-3 draw against Bayern in Norway, while in Baku there were wild celebrations as Sabah picked up their first-ever UEFA Champions League victory, overcoming Slavia Praha 2-0.

Elsewhere, Atleti, Leipzig and Sporting CP also secured crucial wins. We hear from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta as well as goalscorer Jurriën Timber, plus Sabah’s Player of the Match Joy-Lance Mickels reflects on a historic night in Azerbaijan.

Matchday 1 came to a close on Thursday, with a night of extraordinary goals across Europe. 

Manchester United marked their return to the Champions League with a 4-0 victory over Sabah, while Bayern were also big winners, beating Bodø/Glimt 5-0 in Bavaria.

Como shone on their Champions League debut, with an impressive 4-1 victory over Leipzig, and Lens left it late in Prague to come from behind, scoring twice after 90 minutes to beat Slavia Praha.

The early kick-offs saw ties in both matches, with Fenerbahçe, Roma, PSV and Shakhtar all earning a point on their opening night.

We hear from Benjamin Šeško, Patrick Dorgu, Valdas Dambrauskas and Ivan Perišić

Wednesday night delivered another evening of high drama and great goals.  Liverpool edged Atlético de Madrid 2-1 at Anfield thanks to Alexis Mac Allister’s superb second-half strike. We hear from the match-winner, plus UEFA Player of the Match Dominik Szoboszlai. 

Meanwhile, Paris began their title defence in fine style, scoring six against Slovan Bratislava. Last season’s runners-up Arsenal, Barcelona, Stuttgart and Sporting CP also claimed victories to open their campaigns

Plus, we look ahead to Thursday’s  fixtures, including Manchester United’s return to the Champions League against debutants Sabah.

The Champions League kicked back into action in style on Tuesday with 21 goals across the six matches. 

In our featured commentary, Real Madrid edged an end-to-end encounter against Inter, running out 2-1 winners thanks to first-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Federico Valverde. Carlos Augusto responded for the Italians in the second half but the 15-time champions held on to start their campaign with a victory. 

Elsewhere, Erling Haaland was the match-winner in Portugal for Manchester City, scoring both goals in an impressive 2-0 victory against Porto - we hear from the Norwegian striker. Borussia Dortmund saw off a spirited Villarreal side, with two late Serhou Guirassy goals sealing a 3-2 win for the Germans. And in France, 10-man Lille surrendered a first-half lead to go down 3-2 to Real Betis, with Irishman Troy Parrott grabbing the winner for the Spaniards. 

Meanwhile in the two early kick-offs, AEK Athens overcame LASK 1-0 in Greece and Aston Villa hung on to beat Club Brugge 3-2 in Belgium.   

Chris Parrott, Kevin Hatchard and Richard Connelly review all the night’s action and look ahead to Wednesday night’s matches, including Liverpool vs Atleti, Napoli vs Arsenal and the start of Paris Saint-Germain’s title defence as they host Slovan Bratislava.

It was an evening of high drama in Budapest as Paris Saint-Germain edged out Arsenal 4-3 on penalties to secure back-to-back Champions League titles.

Kai Havertz gave Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side the perfect start with a superb sixth-minute finish; a lead they held onto until midway through the second half when Ousmane Dembélé equalised for Paris with a clinical penalty after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was fouled in the box. It finished 1-1 at full time, and stayed that way during extra time, to take the final to penalties for the first time since 2016. And in the shootout, Paris emerged victorious, misses from Eberechi Eze and Gabriel proving pivotal as the French side won 4-3 on penalties to claim successive Champions League triumphs.

We look back on a fascinating showpiece in Budapest and get reaction from the winning camp, hearing from Désiré Doué and Illia Zabarnyi. Plus, we look back on what was an enthralling 2025/26 competition.

Budapest’s Champions League final will see Paris Saint-Germain face Arsenal. 

Paris put on an away masterclass in Munich, holding Bayern 1-1 on the night, to triumph 6-5 on aggregate, and progress to back-to-back Champions League finals. It was Ousmane Dembélé’s 3rd-minute strike that proved pivotal, with an added-time Harry Kane strike giving Bayern late hope, but it was the defending champions who held on to book their place in the Budapest showpiece. 

We look back on a fascinating semi-final second leg and get reaction from Paris midfielder João Neves. We then look ahead to what’s sure to be a mouth-watering final in Hungary at the end of May – will Paris defend their trophy? Or will Arsenal claim their first ever European Cup?

We now have our first UEFA Champions League finalist. 

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side battled past Diego Simeone’s Atleti team in two tightly fought semi-final encounters to emerge 2-1 aggregate winners. The match-winner on the night in north London was Bukayo Saka, whose first-half goal secured the Gunners a decisive 1-0 second leg victory to see them progress to their first Champions League final since 2006.   

We dissect all the action on a nervy night in north London and get reaction to Arsenal reaching the Budapest showpiece at the end of May, hearing from goalscorer Saka and their delighted manager Mikel Arteta.  

We also look ahead to Wednesday’s tantalising semi-final second leg in Munich, where Bayern look to overturn an extraordinary 5-4 first leg deficit against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain. 

Wednesday night’s semi-final first leg between Atlético de Madrid and Arsenal ended in a stalemate after spot kicks for both sides saw the match end 1-1.  
  
Arsenal took the lead late in the first half thanks to Viktor Gyökeres’ penalty but Julián Alvarez was later handed the opportunity to draw the hosts level. The Argentinian fired his shot home to send the Atleti fans into jubilation, and set up next Tuesday’s second leg showdown in north London. 
  
In the podcast we hear from Arsenal’s Gyökeres and Atleti’s goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

The semi-finals kicked off on Tuesday with an electric first leg between two European giants. 
  
It was UEFA Champions League football at a relentless pace as Paris and Bayern poured in nine goals from seven different players. The breathless tie featured non-stop action with the hosts capturing victory at the Parc des Princes and taking a 5-4 lead into the second leg.  
Natalie Sawyer, Kevin Hatchard and John Bradley break down the historic match and look ahead to Wednesday’s semi-final clash at the Estadio Metropolitano where Arsenal and Atleti will battle to gain the advantage before a return trip to London.  

Some of the world’s best footballers put on a spectacular show on Wednesday night as the semi-final line-up for this season’s UEFA Champions League was confirmed. 
  
In Germany, Bayern and Real Madrid played out an all-time Champions League classic, both displaying the strength of their attacking talent in a second leg where the momentum shifted with breathtaking regularity. After five goals in the first 45 minutes left the tie level on aggregate at half-time, it was Luis Díaz and Michael Olise who had the final say - both scoring late in the second half to send Bayern through to the last four with a 4-3 win on the night and a 6-4 aggregate victory. We hear from UEFA Player of the Match Michael Olise on the podcast.
Meanwhile in London, defences were on top as Arsenal and Sporting played out a hard-fought 0-0 draw, with the Gunners progressing courtesy of their 1-0 first leg win. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice shares his thoughts after the match.
We review all the action and preview the semi-final contests as the battle for European club football’s biggest prize continues nears an exciting conclusion. 

It was a tense Tuesday night in the UEFA Champions League as this season’s first two semi-finalists were confirmed.   

At Anfield, Liverpool set out to overturn a two-goal first leg deficit and did all but score in an impressive display against the defending champions. Ultimately though, Paris progressed, scoring two late counterattack goals through Ousmane Dembele, to win 2-0 on the night and 4-0 on aggregate. We hear from Paris goalkeeper Matvéi Safónov and the Liverpool manager Arne Slot. 

Meanwhile in Madrid, Atleti and Barça played out a pulsating end-to-end encounter with Atleti eventually squeezing past their Spanish rivals 3-2 on aggregate. Barça started in style, scoring twice within the first 25 minutes, with clinical strikes from Lamine Yamal and Ferran Torres, to level the tie at 2-2. However, Atleti responded with an Ademola Lookman goal to make it 1-2 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate - and Diego Simeone’s side hung on for a famous quarter-final victory.  

We analyse all of the action and look ahead to Wednesday night’s two quarter-final second legs, both of which are fascinatingly poised.

The quarter-final first legs concluded on Wednesday with two statement 2-0 wins.

At the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain powered past Liverpool, thanks to Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia strikes in either half. It was an ominous display from the defending champions who could have scored more, but as it stands Liverpool are still alive in the tie ahead of next week’s second leg at Anfield. We hear from the Liverpool manager, Arne Slot, and captain, Virgil van Dijk.   

Meanwhile in the all-Spanish last-eight affair, ten-man Barcelona were beaten 2-0 at home by Atleti, courtesy of strikes from Julián Alvarez and Alexander Sørloth – we hear from the Norwegian striker. Barça had their chances but ultimately Pau Cubarsí’s sending-off at the end of the first half proved costly and the Catalans now have it all to do in next Tuesday’s second leg in Madrid. 

The quarter-finals kicked off on Tuesday with two fascinating first leg ties. 

It was a UEFA Champions League classic in Madrid, with Bayern overcoming the 15-time champions, 2-1, in what was a pulsating end-to-end knockout stage encounter. Goals from Luis Díaz and Harry Kane put Bayern in control but a 74th-minute Kylian Mbappé strike has given Real Madrid hope going into next week’s second leg in Munich.  

In the night’s other last eight match-up, Arsenal left it late to edge Sporting CP 1-0 in Lisbon, Kai Havertz netting an added-time winner to put the Gunners in control ahead of next Wednesday’s second leg in north London. We hear from their satisfied manager, Mikel Arteta.   

We discuss all the action as well as look ahead to Wednesday’s mouth-watering quarter-final first legs, with Atleti travelling to neighbours Barcelona and defending champions Paris welcoming six-time winners Liverpool to the Parc des Princes - Barca coach Hansi Flick and Paris boss Luis Enrique share their thoughts. 

The round of 16 ties ended in style with 23 goals across Wednesday’s four matches as Barcelona, Bayern, Liverpool and Atleti emphatically secured their spots in the last eight. 

Barca started the goal spree in the early kick-off, scoring seven against Newcastle at Camp Nou to run out 7-2 winners on the night and 8-3 victors on aggregate. It was a scintillating performance from Hansi Flick’s side with the front three of Raphinha, Yamal and Lewandowski all on the scoresheet – we hear from the Polish striker after he became the oldest player to score in a UEFA Champions League knockout match. 

At Anfield, Liverpool recovered from a 1-0 first leg deficit to storm to a 4-0 home win over Galatasaray to progress 4-1 on aggregate and set up another knockout match-up with Paris Saint-Germain. We get the thoughts of their manager Arne Slot and striker Hugo Ekitike. 

In Munich, Bayern ran out comfortable 4-1 winners over Atalanta to go through 10-2 on aggregate. Harry Kane bagged another two goals and the UEFA Player of the Match shared his thoughts afterwards. Bayern’s reward is a mouth-watering quarter-final clash with Real Madrid. 

In the night’s other round of 16 second leg tie, Spurs overcame Atleti 3-2 in North London but the Spaniards progressed 7-5 on aggregate after their clinical first leg performance. Diego Simeone’s side now face La Liga rivals Barcelona in a fascinating last eight encounter.

We now have our first four Champions League quarter-finalists. 

The evening started with an incredible comeback in Lisbon as Sporting CP overturned a three-goal first leg deficit to beat Bodø/Glimt 5-0 on the night and 5-3 on aggregate. The Portuguese champions levelled the tie in normal time with goals from Gonçalo Inácio, Pedro Gonçalves and Luis Suárez, before Maximiliano Araújo and Rafael Nel settled matters in extra time. 

Elsewhere, Real Madrid and Paris progressed to the last eight after pressing home their healthy three-goal first leg leads. The 15-time champions won 2-1 at the City of Manchester Stadium to secure a comfortable 5-1 aggregate victory – a double from Vinícius Júnior proving the difference on the night. In West London, Paris powered their way to a superb 3-0 win at Chelsea - Kvaratskhelia, Barcola and Mayulu all putting their names on the scoresheet - to seal a comprehensive 8-2 aggregate triumph. 

In Tuesday’s other last 16 tie, Arsenal ran out 2-0 winners in North London to progress 3-1 on aggregate. An Eberechi Eze thunderbolt put the Gunners on their way before UEFA Player of the Match Declan Rice finished things off in the second half, to set up a quarter-final match up with Sporting CP.

We analyse all of the action and hear from some of the key protagonists on the night, including Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Eberechi Eze and Mikel Arteta. Plus we look ahead to Wednesday’s tantalising Round of 16 second legs.

There were statement wins across Europe as the Round of 16 continued on Wednesday.

At the Bernabéu, Federico Valverde scored a superb first half hat-trick to put Real Madrid in control of their tie with Manchester City. On the show, his team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold and City’s Bernardo Silva share their thoughts after the first leg.

Paris and Bodø/Glimt will also take three-goal leads into their return legs after convincing home wins over Chelsea and Sporting respectively. Paris winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia reflects on his two goals and his side’s strong performance.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen and Arsenal remain level after a 1-1 draw in Germany. Arsenal’s Noni Madueke gives his reaction to the contest.

The Round of 16 kicked off with an enthralling early match up in Istanbul as Galatasaray edged past Liverpool 1-0 in an end-to-end encounter that saw both sides have a goal disallowed. We get reaction from Liverpool’s manager Arne Slot and captain Virgil van Dijk plus Gala’s match-winner, Mario Lemina.

The evening’s late kick-offs treated us to 16 goals across the three matches. Our commentary game took place at St James’ Park where Newcastle and Barcelona played out a pulsating 1-1 draw with an injury time Lamine Yamal penalty rescuing the Catalans. We hear from Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and their goalscorer Harvey Barnes.

Elsewhere Bayern and Atletico took control of their last 16 ties against Atalanta and Spurs respectively thanks to a flurry of early goals. Bayern scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes to run out eventual 6-1 winners in Bergamo, while in Madrid, there were five goals in the opening 26 minutes as Atletico ended up 5-2 victors over Spurs. 

We’ll review all the action and look ahead to Wednesday’s four Round of 16 first leg ties, including Real Madrid v Man City and Paris v Chelsea.

On a night of high drama, Galatasaray saw off an inspiring comeback from Juventus to secure their spot in the round of 16. The Italian side had clawed back a 3-goal first leg deficit to send the match to extra time with the score 5-5 on aggregate after 90 minutes. Victor Osimhen and Baris Alper Yilmaz then scored the crucial goals for the team from Türkiye to complete a 7-5 victory in the tie.

In Italy, Atalanta completed a remarkable turnaround against Dortmund after losing the first leg 2-0. The team from Bergamo won 4-1 on the night, 4-3 on aggregate, with the winning moment in the tie coming courtesy of a Lazar Samardzic penalty deep into second half stoppage time.

The two most recent champions of the UEFA Champions League are also safely through. Real Madrid secured a 3-1 aggregate victory with a 2-1 second leg win over Benfica, whilst Paris’ 2-2 draw with Monaco was enough to see them progress 5-4 on aggregate. Paris coach Luis Enrique reflects on his side’s performance on the podcast, as does Real Madrid star Trent Alexander-Arnold.

We also look ahead to the draw for the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with Bodo/Glimt captain Patrick Berg explaining how much he and his team-mates are looking forward to the next stage of the competition.

History was made in the UEFA Champions League this evening, with Bodø/Glimt becoming the first ever Norwegian side to win a knockout phase tie in the competition. Kjetil Knutsen’s side travelled to Milan with a 3-1 first leg lead and completed the job in style with a 2-1 win at Stadio San Siro to progress against Inter 5-2 on aggregate. We hear from the scorer of their first goal and UEFA Player of the Match, Jens Petter Hauge. 

In Madrid, Atleti saw off Club Brugge 4-1 on the night, and 7-4 on aggregate, after an Alexander Sorloth hat-trick – we hear from the heroic Norwegian. Newcastle progressed 9-3 on aggregate against Qarabag after a 3-2 second leg home win – we hear from Jacob Murphy and POTM Sandro Tonali. And in Germany, Leverkusen drew 0-0 with Olympiacos to progress 2-0 on aggregate thanks to their first leg victory in Greece – we get the thoughts of their defender and POTM Alejandro Grimaldo. 

We dissect all the action and look ahead to Wednesday’s play-off second legs, including a superbly poised tie between Juventus and Galatasaray in Turin, with the Turkish side 5-2 up after the first leg. We hear from Gala striker Victor Osimhen and Juve defender Lloyd Kelly.

It was a night to remember in Norway as Bodø/Glimt recorded a 3-1 victory against Inter in their knockout phase play-offs first leg. We get reaction from goalscorer Jens Petter Hauge. Elsewhere, Newcastle shone against Qarabag, winning 6-1 in Azerbaijan. We hear from four-goal hero and player of the match, Anthony Gordon. Plus, get reaction to the night’s other matches as Club Brugge and Atletico played out an epic 3-3 draw, while Leverkusen won 2-0 at Olympiacos. 

The knockout phase picked up where the League phase left off with 15 goals across Tuesday’s four matches. 

The surprise of the night saw Galatasaray recover from 2-1 down at half-time to beat Juventus 5-2 in Istanbul to put the Turkish side in pole position going into next week’s second leg in Turin. We hear from their UEFA Player of the Match, Gabriel Sara.  

Elsewhere holders Paris and 15-time winners Real Madrid fought their way to narrow first leg away wins. Paris had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to overcome fellow French side Monaco while Madrid edged their way to a 1-0 win against Benfica thanks to a superb Vinicius Jnr second half strike. We hear from Paris’ match-winner Désiré Doué. 

In the night’s other match, 1997 champions Borussia Dortmund recorded a comfortable 2-0 home win over Atalanta - Player of the Match Serhou Guirassy was the difference-maker with a goal and an assist and we hear from the in-form Guinean striker. 

We analyse all of the action and look ahead to Wednesday’s knockout phase play-off first legs, including our featured commentary Bodo / Glimt v Inter.

The final night of the League Phase ended in sensational fashion as Benfica goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, scored a stoppage time header against Real Madrid to squeeze his side into the top 24 on goal difference only – we discuss the last gasp drama and hear from the heroic shot-stopper.  

In the race for the top 8, Sporting and Chelsea scored late winners to qualify, whilst Barcelona and Manchester City also secured victories to progress straight to the Round of 16 – we hear from Joao Pedro, Marcus Rashford and Rayan Cherki. In our featured commentary game holders Paris and Newcastle played out a hard fought 1-1 draw, a result which saw both sides just miss out on a top 8 finish – we hear from Newcastle’s Player of the Match, Dan Burn. 

As well as Benfica’s heroics, Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos and Club Brugge all registered crucial victories to seal a place in the top 24 and the knockout phase of this season’s competition. The unlucky clubs to drop out were Marseille, PSV and Athletic Club. Elsewhere, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool and Spurs all won to seal the top four spots respectively, and the benefit of home second legs in the Round of 16. 

It was relentless from the first minute to the last and we’ll discuss all of the stories as they developed on a fascinating final night of the League Phase.

The goals were flowing once again on the penultimate night of League Phase action with 29 goals across the nine matches. 

At the top of the table, Bayern secured their passage through to the last 16 with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Union SG - Harry Kane with both goals and we hear from the Englishman. There were impressive 3-0 wins for both Liverpool and Newcastle, against Marseille and PSV respectively, to move both clubs into the coveted top 8 with just one round to go – we hear from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Newcastle goalscorer Harvey Barnes. 

Elsewhere Barcelona, Chelsea and Juventus also recorded crucial victories to keep their top 8 hopes alive, whilst Galatasaray and Atleti played out a 1-1 draw and Athletic Club won 3-2 in Atalanta. We hear from Hansi Flick, Moises Caicedo and Victor Osimhen. 

However, the shock of the night came in Baku where Qarabag scored a stoppage time winner to beat Frankfurt 3-2 and move into the top 24 and in sight of the knockout phase play-offs – we hear from their delighted captain Abdellah Zoubir.

We review all the action and look ahead to what’s sure to be a dramatic Matchday 8 as the League Phase concludes with all 18 matches kicking off simultaneously.

The League Phase rolled into 2026 in style with 32 goals across Tuesday’s nine matches. 

Arsenal made it seven out of seven in Milan, beating Inter 3-1 to solidify top spot and confirm their passage into the last 16 - we hear from their delighted manager Mikel Arteta as well as UEFA Player of the Match and scorer of two goals Gabriel Jesus. In Madrid, Real hit six to see off Monaco and move up to second in the league standings, with Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius Jnr all on the scoresheet.

The shock of the evening took place in Norway where Bodø / Glimt beat ten-man Manchester City 3-1 - we get reaction from their Coach Kjetil Knutsen and Player Of the Match Jens Petter Hauge. Another surprise result took place in Lisbon where holders Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-1 by Sporting thanks to a last-minute winner from Colombian striker Luis Suárez. 

Elsewhere there were important wins for Spurs, Olympiacos, Club Brugge and Ajax, while Copenhagen and Napoli drew 1-1 to leave both sides on the cusp of the top 24. We review all of the action as well as look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 7 encounters. 

Matchday 6 concluded with compelling matches across Europe. Manchester City and Real Madrid played out another classic encounter, with the visitors edging it thanks Erling Haaland’s first half penalty. They’re now assured of a place in either the knockout phase play-offs or round of 16, something also secured by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night following their goalless draw with Athletic Club. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle were also held, while Juventus, Benfica, Copenhagen and Ajax picked up eye-catching wins on the final night of UEFA Champions League action in 2025. Arsenal end the year in top-spot thanks to their 3-0 victory over Brugge, as they maintain their perfect record in the league phase.

Many of Europe’s biggest clubs made their move as Matchday 6 got underway. There were no draws in any of Tuesday’s nine games with wins for Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico, Tottenham, Marseille, Olympiacos, Atalanta and Monaco – leaving the League Phase table fascinatingly poised. 

In our featured commentary in Milan, Liverpool struck late to sink Inter, thanks to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty. Elsewhere in Italy, Atalanta came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 and move up to third in the table, their in-form midfielder Charles De Ketelaere once again the match-winner. And in Germany, Bayern booked their passage through to the knockout phase with a 3-1 win over Sporting, inspired once again by 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl – we hear from their goalscoring defender Jonathan Tah. 

There were dramatic 3-2 away wins for Atleti and Marseille at PSV and Union SG respectively – we get reaction from Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi. Marcus Rashford shares his thoughts after Barcelona recovered from an early set back to see off Frankfurt 2-1 at Camp Nou. Xavi Simons talks about his first Champions League goal for Spurs as they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at home to Slavia Praha. And there were crucial 1-0 wins for Olympiacos at Kairat Almaty and Monaco at home to Galatasaray.

We’ll unpack all of Tuesday’s action and look ahead to 9 more huge matches on Wednesday, including the small matter of Real Madrid v Manchester City in the Spanish capital.

The goals continued to flow on Matchday 5 with an incredible 42 goals across Wednesday’s 9 matches.

The top two met in North London with the home side coming out on top in a pulsating encounter. Julien Timber opened the scoring for the Gunners before Bayern’s 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl equalised. However, second half goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli secured a statement 3-1 win for Arsenal to put them top of the League Phase table and the only side with a 100% record.

Elsewhere there were staggering scorelines across Europe: defending champions Paris beat Spurs 5-3 at the Parc des Princes; PSV fired four past Liverpool at Anfield; Mbappe scored all four of Real Madrid’s goals as they won 4-3 at Olympiacos; Atalanta and Sporting both registered comfortable 3-0 wins against Frankfurt and Club Brugge respectively; Atleti left it late to beat Inter in Madrid; and in the early kick offs Copenhagen edged past Kairat 3-2 and Cypriot side Pafos earned another point, drawing 2-2 with Monaco to move into the much coveted 24th place in the League Phase table.

We’ll review all of Wednesday’s action and get reaction from Arsenal’s Declan Rice & Noni Madueke, PSV’s Ivan Perišić, Sporting’s Francisco Trincao and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.

There was drama across Europe as Matchday 5 started with a bang in the Champions League.

At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea turned on the style to overcome 10-man Barcelona 3-0, thanks to a superb performance from teenage sensation Estêvão. In Norway, Juve edged a five-goal thriller thanks to an injury time winner from Jonathan David – we hear from their Player of the Match, Kenan Yildaz. However, the shock of the night came in Manchester as Leverkusen beat the 2023 champions 2-0, and we hear from the scorer of their superb opener Alejandro Grimaldo. 

Benfica registered their first win of the League Phase, seeing off Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, and we get reaction from their manager Jose Mourinho as well as Swedish defender Samuel Dahl. And Napoli secured a crucial home win against Qarabag, inspired once again by their Scottish goalscoring midfielder Scott McTominay. Elsewhere there were win crucial wins for Dortmund, Marseille and Union SG and Slavia Praha and Athletic Club played out a 0-0 draw.

We’ll review all of Tuesday’s action as well as look ahead to a huge Wednesday in Europe’s top club competition, with the top two coming head-to-head in north London as Arsenal host Bayern.

The UEFA Champions League table continued to take shape on Wednesday as Inter maintained their perfect start to the competition with a 2-1 victory over Kairat Almaty. Galatasaray enhanced their hopes of a top 8 finish thanks to a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen against Ajax as he earned the UEFA Player of the Match award for a third game in a row. Manchester City end the matchday in 4th after their 4-1 win against Dortmund. There were also wins for Atalanta, Leverkusen and Newcastle, while Pafos recorded their first Champions League victory against Villarreal.

Matchday 4 treated us to two heavyweight European encounters. At Anfield, six-time winners Liverpool edged out 15-time champions Real Madrid 1-0, thanks to a bullet second half header from Alexis Mac Allister – we hear from the goal-scorer as well Los Blancos midfielder Jude Bellingham. Meanwhile in Paris, the defending champions went down 2-1 to table toppers Bayern, their Colombian winger Luis Diaz the match-winner with both goals before being sent off.

Arsenal joined Bayern at the top of the table with four wins out of four, seeing off Slavia Praha 3-0 in the Czech Republic, with a brace from Mikel Merino and a penalty from Bukayo Saka. We hear from the Gunners manager, Mikel Arteta as well as midfielder Christian Norgaard on 15-year-old Max Dowman becoming the competition’s youngest ever player. 

Elsewhere, Arsenal’s North London neighbours Tottenham beat visitors Copenhagen 4-0, thanks to a superb solo goal from defender Micky van de Ven – we hear from the Dutchman. Napoli were held 0-0 by Frankfurt and there were 1-1 draws for Juventus and Sporting in Turin and Olympiacos and PSV in Greece. Plus there were crucial wins for Atleti and Monaco against Union SG and Bodø/Glimt respectively. 

We review all of Tuesday’s action and look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 4 encounters, including a reunion for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland with his former club Borussia Dortmund.

There were statement victories across Europe as Matchday 3 concluded.

Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the game at the Bernabeu as the 15-time champions Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0. Madrid midfielder Arda Guler reflects on the match that saw Los Blancos maintain their perfect start to the League Phase.

Bayern also have three wins from three after a 4-0 win over Club Brugge.

Chelsea and Liverpool both scored five in victories over Ajax and Frankfurt respectively. We hear from Reds striker Hugo Ekitike, who shares what it was like scoring against his former club in Germany.

Elsewhere, Victor Osimhen got two goals in a 3-1 win for Galatasaray over Bodo/Glimt – he reflects on his performance on the show. Athletic Club and Sporting also picked up an important three points.

Matchday 3 started in style with a phenomenal 43 goals across the 9 matches.

In Germany, defending champions Paris struck seven against Leverkusen, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé back amongst the goals.

Barca and PSV hit six - the Spaniards seeing off ten-man Olympiacos thanks to a hat-trick from Fermin Lopez, and the Dutch side coming from behind to dispatch Italian champions Napoli in Eindhoven.

Arsenal, Dortmund and Inter all scored four to register convincing wins. We hear from the Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and defender Gabriel after they inflicted a rare 4-0 defeat on Diego Simeone’s Atletico side.

There were also crucial victories for Newcastle and Manchester City against Benfica and Villarreal respectively. We hear from City defender Rico Lewis after Erling Haaland scored yet again to make it 53 Champions League goals in just 51 matches.

We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 3 encounters, including our featured commentary game between European heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus.

Matchday 2 of this season’s UEFA Champions League concluded in style!
In Spain, Paris left it late to beat Barcelona as Goncalo Ramos secured a 2-1 victory. We hear from the Portuguese match winner.
Monaco and Villarreal both scored in the 90th minute to draw their matches against Manchester City and Juventus.
Arsenal and Qarabag are on 6 points after two games after wins over Olympiacos and Copenhagen respectively. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta chats through his team's performance.
Rasmus Hojlund found the back of the net twice as Napoli beat Sporting 2-1, whilst Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund each scored 4 times on their way to victory. Newcastle Player of the Match Anthony Elanga and Hojlund himself reflect on their side’s wins on the podcast.

There were 33 goals across 9 matches on Tuesday but just 1 separated Galatasaray and Liverpool on Matchday 2. Atleti, Bayern and Real Madrid both secured impressive wins, as did Inter,  Marseille & Atalanta.

Chelsea welcomed former manager Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge by beating his Benfica side 1-0, while Bodø Glimt held Tottenham 2-2 in their first Champions League home game.

In the podcast, we hear from Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.

Matchday 1 concluded with a thrilling night of action across Europe!
Marcus Rashford shone for Barcelona as his brace secured a 2-1 win over Newcastle. Head Coach Hansi Flick shares his thoughts on the forward’s Player of the Match performance, whilst we also hear from Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon.
Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal in a 2-0 victory over Napoli, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone in the competition’s history. City midfielder Phil Foden and boss Pep Guardiola reflect on the win.
Sporting and Club Brugge both scored 4 goals in wins over Kairat Almaty and Monaco respectively, whilst Frankfurt began their league phase campaign with 3 points by beating Galatasaray 5-1. 
Elsewhere, Copenhagen and Leverkusen shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Copenhagen’s Player of the Match Jordan Larsson analyses the game at Parken.

Champions Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence in style dispatching Atalanta 4-0 at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Marquinhos, Kvaratskhelia, Mendes and Ramos. At Anfield, Liverpool left it late again to grab all three points, with defender Virgil van Dijk heading in an injury time winner to seal a 3-2 victory over Atleti. While in Munich, Bayern saw off Chelsea 3-1, thanks to another brace from their top scorer Harry Kane. We hear from the UEFA Player of The Match in all three matches, Paris winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bayern match-winner Harry Kane, as well as Reds defender Andy Robertson.

Elsewhere, Inter overcame Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, Marcus Thuram with both goals, and we hear from one of the Italian side’s new signings, defender Manuel Akanji. While in the evening’s early kick offs, Bodø/Glimt came back from 2-0 down to earn a hard-fought point at Slavia Praha and Olympiakos were impressively held 0-0 at home by Cypriot Champions League debutants Pafos - we get reaction from their defender and POTM Derrick Luckassen. Plus. we look ahead to the final night of Matchday 1 action, with another six games taking place across Europe on Thursday evening, including our featured commentary match Newcastle v Barcelona and Man City v Napoli with the thoughts of Pep Guardiola.

The 2025/26 League Phase started in style on Tuesday evening with opening day victories for Real Madrid, Arsenal and Spurs plus first ever Champions League wins for Qarabag and Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on their competition debut.

In Madrid, the 15-time champions began their quest to re-claim the coveted trophy with a hard fought 2-1 win over Marseille - Kylian Mbappe the match-winner with both goals – we hear from the Frenchman. North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs both began their campaigns with victories – the Gunners winning 2-0 in Bilbao and Spurs seeing off Villareal 1-0 at home. We hear from Arsenal’s UEFA POTM Gabriel Martinelli as well as Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven.

Elsewhere Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out an incredible 4-4 draw in Turin, with all 8 goals coming in the second half, Qarabag came from 2-0 down to earn a stunning 3-2 win against Benfica in Lisbon, but arguably the performance of the night took place in Eindhoven where Champions League debutants Union Saint-Gilloise secured a historic 3-1 win against PSV – we hear from their first ever goal-scorer in the competition, Promise David.

We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 1 encounters, including our featured commentary game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, hearing from the Reds’ manager Arne Slot.

Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned champions of Europe for the very first time after a historic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, the biggest ever win in the final of this competition. Two goals from UEFA Player of the Match Désiré Doué, and one each for Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and teenager Senny Mayulu put a seal on a perfect Paris performance in Munich. We look back on an absorbing final, including an exuberant trophy lift and jubilant reaction from Paris midfielder Vitinha and manager Luis Enrique. We also look back on the 2024/25 Champions League season as a whole, a revamped campaign that has truly delivered at every stage.

This is Off Pitch: The UEFA Champions League with a beat. Where UCL coverage meets the timeline’s conversations–fuelled by music. Join Culture Cams, Formz and Nieve aka Stunt Pegg as they preview the Champions League final between Inter and PSG with the help of their own in-house band Out N Bad. This week, the team is joined by rapper Aitch. #UCLOffPitch #UCL #championsleague 

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Paris Saint Germain will meet Inter Milan in the 2025 UEFA Champions League final, after the French champions saw off Arsenal 2-1 on the night and 3-1 on aggregate. It was a historic evening at the Parc des Princes as Luis Enrique’s side booked their place in the showpiece for just the second time - and the first time they’ve done so in front of their fans after the 2020 semi-final took place during Covid times. Superb first and second half strikes from Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi put Paris in control, however a 76th minute Bakayo Saka goal gave Arsenal hope of an unlikely late comeback. However, the French side held on to seal their place in the Munich Final and keep alive their dreams of a first Champions League crown.  

We review it all and hear from UEFA Player of the Match, Achraf Hakimi, as well as Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. Plus we’ll look ahead to the much-anticipated final on Saturday 31st May, which will see Inter and Paris face off for the very first time in Europe’s elite competition.

After a night of high drama at San Siro, we have our first finalist in this season’s UEFA Champions League.

Inter will head to Munich after a remarkable semi-final second leg against Barcelona which saw the Italians come out 4-3 winners after extra time to progress 7-6 on aggregate. It was a rollercoaster of a match which saw Inter take a two goal lead before Barca hit back to make it 3-2 late in the second half. Then with just seconds remaining Inter defender Francesco Acerbi popped up to score his first European goal to make it 3-3 at the end of normal time. Extra time could have gone either way but it was Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi who was the match winner, curling in the decisive goal in the 99th minute, to send the Nerazzurri through to their second final in three years. We hear from Inter’s hero on the night, and UEFA Player of the Match, Yann Sommer as well as defender Denzel Dumfries. Plus Barca coach Hansi Flick shares his thoughts. 

We also look ahead to the second leg of Wednesday’s semi-final between Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal and hear from Mikel Arteta and Achraf Hakimi, It’s advantage Paris after the first leg but who will emerge victorious to face Inter in the Munich showpiece at the end of the May?

Barcelona and Inter play out an absolute classic in Spain as the second UEFA Champions League semi-final first leg ends 3-3. We analyse the drama, hearing from goal scorer and player of the match, Denzel Dumfries, as well as his Inter teammate, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, and Barcelona boss, Hansi Flick. We also preview next week’s second leg action, including Wednesday’s match in France, where Paris lead Arsenal 1-0. The bosses Luis Enrique and Mikel Arteta give their thoughts ahead of that one.

This season’s semi-finals got underway in style and it’s advantage Paris after the first leg of their tie with Arsenal. Ousmane Dembele’s early goal was the difference on an absorbing night in North London, meaning they’ll take a crucial 1-0 lead back to the French capital as both sides chase a first European crown. We recount the story of the match and hear from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and David Raya plus Paris’ Luis Enrique and Player of the Match Vitinha.

We also preview Wednesday’s semi-final first leg between Barcelona and Inter Milan with the help of UEFA reporter Graham Hunter and Barca coach Hansi Flick.

This is Off Pitch: The UEFA Champions League with a beat. Where UCL coverage meets the timeline’s conversations – fuelled by music. Join Culture Cams, Formz and Stunt Peg as they wrap up the UCL quarter-finals with all eyes on the final four. As always, the vibes are brought by in-house band Out & Bad with special guest Alex Iwobi in the building.

#UCLOffPitch #UCL #championsleague

Arsenal saw past defending champions Real Madrid, producing another assured performance at the Bernabeu winning 2-1 on the night, 5-1 on aggregate. In a dramatic second half, Inter held off Bayern as it finished 2-2 at Stadium San Siro, meaning the Nerazzuri progress with a 4-3 aggregate, and will meet Barcelona in the semi-finals. We hear from Arsenal’s Player of the Match Declan Rice and manager Mikel Arteta, plus Bayern’s Harry Kane.  And we look ahead to both semi-finals, Inter v Barcelona and Arsenal v Paris. 

On a night of classic UEFA Champions League drama, Paris survive an Aston Villa fight back to win 5-4 on aggregate and progress to the last four, despite losing 3-2 on the night. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund give Barcelona a scare winning 3-1 in Germany. However, Barca progress 5-3 on aggregate. We hear from Villa goal scorer Ezri Konsa, as well as Dortmund’s Pascal Gross. Plus, Jude Bellingham looks ahead to the final night of quarter final action, where his Real Madrid team look to come from behind against Arsenal, and Inter defend a 2-1 lead against Bayern heading to San Siro.

It was home advantage in Wednesday’s quarter-finals as both Barca and Paris secured impressive first leg wins against Dortmund and Aston Villa respectively.

In Spain, it was Barcelona’s front three that the did the damage with Raphinha, Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski (twice) grabbing the goals as the Catalan club surged to a convincing 4-0 first leg win over Borussia Dortmund. We hear from a very satisfied Barca coach Hansi Flick.

In Paris, it was a much tighter affair, with the French champions having to come from behind to secure a late 3-1 first leg victory over Aston Villa. Morgan Rogers put the English side into a surprise lead but three brilliant goals from Désiré Doué, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Nuno Mendes put Paris Saint-Germain in control of the tie heading into the second leg in Birmingham next week. We hear from two of the scorers on the night, Paris’ Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Villa’s Morgan Rogers.

We also look ahead to next week’s quarter-final second legs and hear from Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta, Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti and Bayern’s Vincent Kompany.