Champions League Roundup: Barcelona Crumbles At Chelsea As Mourinho Celebrates First Benfica Win

‎Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League match as Manchester City coach ended in disappointment, with his side producing a display he will quickly want to forget.

‎Barcelona suffered an even more disastrous night at Stamford Bridge, where a red card, an own goal, and a brilliant contribution from rising star Estêvão intensified the club’s current troubles.

‎Guardiola’s Rotation Gamble Backfires for Manchester City

‎Guardiola’s decision to overhaul his starting lineup with ten changes after the weekend loss to Newcastle immediately disrupted City’s rhythm and chemistry.

‎Erling Haaland was left on the bench, and the side struggled to cope with Bayer Leverkusen’s fast transitions and direct pressure. Leverkusen took the lead midway through the first half when Alejandro Grimaldo drilled a low shot into the far corner, and the German side strengthened their advantage early in the second half as Patrik Schick rose to head in a second goal.

‎City pushed forward late on, but Leverkusen remained compact and disciplined, leaving the English champions frustrated and unable to change the outcome. Guardiola’s 100th Champions League match ended with disappointment, and City missed the opportunity to climb to the top of the table, leaving the top three unchanged ahead of Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Inter Milan’s fixtures on Wednesday.

‎Barcelona Collapses at Stamford Bridge

‎Barcelona’s evening was even more turbulent as the team fell 3-0 to Chelsea and finished the match with ten men.

‎The collapse began when Jules Koundé inadvertently turned the ball into his own net during a chaotic defensive scramble. Matters worsened just before halftime when Ronald Araújo received a second yellow card for a forceful challenge on Marc Cucurella, leaving Barcelona undermanned and increasingly vulnerable.

‎Chelsea took firm control after the break and the moment of the night belonged to 18-year-old Estevão, who showed strength, balance, and composure as he held off two defenders before finishing brilliantly to extend the lead.

‎Liam Delap later scored a third, sealing a result that heightens concern over Hansi Flick’s direction and tactical choices. Barcelona have now lost four of their last ten matches in all competitions and fallen to fifteenth in the standings, a worrying position for a club of their size.

‎Chelsea, meanwhile, boosted their momentum by climbing to fifth, joining Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund on ten points.

‎Mourinho Finally Celebrates Champions League Victory with Benfica

‎Elsewhere, Mourinho finally earned his first Champions League win with Benfica as his team defeated Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam.

‎The match featured the two lowest-ranked clubs going into the night, and Benfica seized early control with a stunning sixth-minute volley from Samuel Dahl before Leandro Barreiro added a late second. Ajax’s disastrous season continued, with another defeat in Europe and only one victory in their last ten matches.

‎Aubameyang Inspires Marseille Comeback and Dortmund Return to Form

‎Marseille also enjoyed a comeback performance as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in rapid succession early in the second half to overturn a deficit and secure a 2-1 win over Newcastle.

‎Borussia Dortmund ended their winless spell with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Villarreal as Serhou Guirassy scored in stoppage time before the break and again in the second half after Villarreal went down to ten men for handling a goal-bound strike.

‎Karim Adeyemi added a third and Daniel Svensson completed the scoring in the final action of the match, lifting Dortmund to fourth in the table and level with Chelsea and City.

‎Juventus Snatch Late Winner While Other Fixtures Shift the Standings

‎Juventus survived a wild finish in the Arctic Circle as Bodo/Glimt equalised late before Jonathan David struck in stoppage time to seal a 3-2 victory. Substituted at halftime, Kenan Yildiz influenced all three Juventus goals and proved decisive in changing the match.

‎Union Saint-Gilloise earned a narrow win over Galatasaray thanks to a goal from Canadian forward Promise David, with the Turkish side weakened by injuries and missing tournament top scorer Victor Osimhen.

‎Napoli secured a 2-0 win over Qarabag, with Scott McTominay scoring again and play being momentarily paused when a Qarabag player appeared briefly unconscious after being struck by another McTominay effort.

‎The night concluded with a goalless draw between Athletic Bilbao and Slavia Prague, leaving both clubs outside qualifying places after five matches.