Champions League
Full Champions League Matchday Recap With Key Stats From Every Match
The final Champions League matchday of the calendar year delivered drama, chaos, redemption arcs, and historic milestones across 18 fixtures.
Over Tuesday and Wednesday, four more clubs sealed their place in the knockout rounds, while others kept their hopes alive or saw them vanish.
Here is the full breakdown match by match, stat by stat, across two action-packed nights.
Atalanta Come From Behind as Liverpool Break Inter’s Fortress
Olympiakos 1–0 Kairat Almaty
Stat of the match: 4
Gelson Martins kept Olympiakos’ European dream alive with the only goal of the game in Astana. The win lifted the Greek champions to 29th place and dealt a fatal blow to Kairat’s hopes.
The Kazakh side has now gone four straight home matches in Europe without scoring, stretching all the way back to the playoff round.
Bayern Munich 3–1 Sporting CP
Stat of the match: 21
Bayern turned a 1–0 deficit into a commanding win with three goals in 12 minutes, booking their knockout stage ticket with two matches to spare.
Despite the loss, Sporting remain well-positioned to advance but their record against German teams continues to suffer, with 21 defeats in European competitions.
Union SG 2–3 Marseille
Stat of the match: 13
Union Saint-Gilloise will rue missed opportunities after having two goals disallowed for offside in a heartbreaking home defeat.
Their woes at home continue they have now conceded 13 goals in four European home losses.
For Marseille, these crucial three points put them on course for their first progression in 14 years.
Atletico Madrid 3–2 PSV Eindhoven
Stat of the match: 14
Two goals in four minutes early in the second half flipped the momentum as Atleti pushed into the top eight.
PSV’s defensive struggles remain glaring the Dutch side has now failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 consecutive European matches.
Tottenham 3–0 Slavia Praha
Stat of the match: 0
Another home game, another clean sheet. Spurs remain the only team yet to concede at home in this season’s league phase.
A first-half own goal and two penalties sealed the win as last season’s Europa League champions continue their push for a top-eight finish.
Galatasaray 0–1 AS Monaco
Stat of the match: 49
Folarin Balogun’s strike earned Monaco a huge away win and brought them level on points with Galatasaray.
For the Turkish giants, the defeat marks a rare occurrence they have now been shut out in back-to-back European matches for the first time in 49 games.
Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea
Stat of the match: 5
Atalanta clinched a spot inside the top 24 with a comeback victory over Chelsea.
The Blues remain winless away from home in this season’s UCL and have now gone five European away games without a victory, dating back to 2023/24.
Barcelona 2–1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Stat of the match: 19
Jules Kounde turned hero with two goals in three minutes as Barca came from behind at the Camp Nou.
With 19 attempts, Barcelona recorded its highest home shot tally of the season, maintaining hope of breaking into the top eight.
Inter Milan 0–1 Liverpool
Stat of the match: 11
A late Szoboszlai penalty boosted Liverpool’s race for the last 16 and handed Inter their first home group-stage loss after an 11-match unbeaten run.
The Reds sit ninth on goal difference but remain firmly in the fight.
Arsenal Cruise in Belgium as Benfica Keep Their Campaign Alive
Qarabag 2–4 Ajax
Stat of the match: 3
Despite scoring twice and leading twice, Qarabag faltered again at home. Ajax’s Oscar Gloukh scored twice, but even a perfect finish to their group may not be enough for the Dutch giants.
This is the third time this season Qarabag have scored multiple home goals but failed to win.
Villarreal 2–3 FC Kobenhavn
Stat of the match: 16
A last-minute Andreas Cornelius winner pushed FCK into the top 24. Villarreal’s European journey is over with just one point from six matches.
Remarkably, the Danish side has now defeated Spanish opposition 16 times in a row.
Athletic Bilbao 0–0 PSG
Stat of the match: 7
With only 28% possession, Athletic frustrated the defending champions to earn their best result of the campaign.
PSG still leads the league phase with 19 goals, but Bilbao’s scoring troubles continue this was their seventh UCL match without a goal.
Bayer Leverkusen 2–2 Newcastle
Stat of the match: 1
A balanced, end-to-end affair saw both teams take and lose the lead before sharing the points. This was the first draw in five head-to-heads between the clubs.
Work remains for both sides to secure qualification.
Benfica 2–0 Napoli
Stat of the match: 10
Benfica’s late surge continues with back-to-back wins after losing their opening four.
Napoli, however, remains winless away from home in the league phase and has conceded 10 goals in their three road games.
Club Brugge 0–3 Arsenal
Stat of the match: 18
A Noni Madueke brace helped Arsenal maintain a perfect six-for-six record, virtually sealing automatic qualification.
Despite the heavy defeat, Club Brugge produced 18 attempts, the highest by any team in the league phase this season.
Bodo/Glimt 2–2 Borussia Dortmund
Stat of the match: 32
Dortmund games never disappoint the six group fixtures involving them have produced 32 goals, averaging over five per match.
Despite Brandt’s brace, they twice squandered the lead.
Real Madrid 1–2 Manchester City
Stat of the match: 15
City’s comeback win at the Bernabéu lifted them into fourth place and marked their 15th victory over LaLiga sides, second only to their tally versus German opposition (24).
Both clubs remain inside the top eight.
Juventus 2–0 Paphos
Stat of the match: 27
Juve made it two wins on the bounce and remained perfect against Cypriot sides, scoring 27 goals in seven meetings.
Paphos still has a narrow pathway to qualification but likely needs at least four points from the final two matchdays.
