Champions League football continued on Wednesday and delivered unforgettable drama across Europe as Arsenal maintained their perfect record, Manchester City stunned Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, and Newcastle United suffered yet another crushing late blow.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain were held in Bilbao, Benfica and Juventus boosted their qualification chances, Ajax finally won in thrilling fashion, while Dortmund and Copenhagen battled through high-stakes showdowns of their own.
Below are the full match reports, each complete with every detail from a breathtaking round of fixtures.
Madueke Double Fires Arsenal to Seal Knockout Spot
Arsenal cruised to a dominant 3-0 win at Club Brugge to maintain their 100% Champions League record and all but secure their place in the knockout phase.
Mikel Arteta made five changes following the weekend defeat at Aston Villa, and one of those incoming players, Noni Madueke delivered a stunning opener.
The England winger shrugged off a defender before unleashing a rocket from 20 yards that cannoned off the crossbar and in.
Club Brugge came close to equalising before half-time, but David Raya denied Christos Tzolis and Aleksandar Stankovic with sharp reaction saves.
Just two minutes into the second half, Madueke struck again — this time heading in Martin Zubimendi’s perfect cross.
Gabriel Martinelli added the third in the 56th minute with a beautiful curling effort to seal the victory.
Arsenal host Wolves on Saturday at 20:00 GMT.
Major Returns & Debut Appearances
There was more good news for Arsenal:
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Gabriel Jesus made his first appearance in 332 days after recovering from an ACL injury.
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16-year-old Marli Salmon made his first-team debut.
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Jesus almost capped the night with a goal, but his late strike clipped the bar.
Manchester City Sink Real Madrid at Bernabeau
Manchester City came from behind to beat Real Madrid 2-1 in their latest Champions League clash, increasing the pressure on Xabi Alonso after another damaging defeat for Los Blancos.
Madrid Strike First, City Hit Back
After Federico Valverde’s free-kick went close early on, Madrid struck through Rodrygo, who rifled home after receiving a cross-field ball from Jude Bellingham.
City equalised seven minutes later as academy left-back Nico O’Reilly poked in following Thibaut Courtois’ failed clearance of Josko Gvardiol’s header.
On the verge of half-time, Erling Haaland converted a penalty after Antonio Rüdiger bundled him over — his 55th Champions League goal.
Madrid pushed in the second half, with Endrick’s header clipping the bar and Bellingham chipping over, but City stood resilient.
Guardiola: “We are not ready yet… in February we will be better.”
Pep Guardiola insisted City must remain grounded, telling reporters:
“We’ve been here many times in the past five years, we’ve played many battles against them, but we’ve played much better and not won, this is the reality.”
“We are not ready (yet). We are far away. In February we will be better.”
“Don’t misunderstand me, winning at the Bernabeu is a big, big task. But at the same time, whatever the results look like, for the level to arrive to the semi-finals, it’s not enough.”
Alonso on the Brink
According to reports, Real Madrid head coach, Xabi Alonso’s chances of surviving as coach are “slim,” and another Real Madrid board meeting is expected imminently.
Next Fixtures:
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Real Madrid → away to Alavés, Sunday 20:00 GMT
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Man City → away to Crystal Palace, Sunday 14:00 GMT
Newcastle United Crushed Again by Leverkusen’s Late Strike
Newcastle were seconds away from a huge Champions League win, but Alex Grimaldo struck in the 88th minute to rescue a 2-2 draw for Bayer Leverkusen.
This is the second consecutive late heartbreak for Eddie Howe’s side.
Leverkusen took the lead via Bruno Guimarães’s own goal after Andrich beat Sandro Tonali to a header from Aleix Garcia’s corner.
Mark Flekken gifted Newcastle a penalty after a disastrous attempt to play out from the back.
Anthony Gordon calmly converted for 1-1.
Minutes later, Gordon hit the post before assisting Lewis Miley, who made history as Newcastle’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer.
Leverkusen Break Magpies’ Hearts Late
Ibrahim Maza combined beautifully with Grimaldo, who swept home the equaliser from inside the box.
Newcastle drop to 12th in the standings.
What’s Next?
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Newcastle → Wear–Tyne derby vs Sunderland, Sunday 14:00 GMT
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Leverkusen → host Cologne, Saturday 17:30 GMT
PSG Held to Goalless Draw by Brave Athletic Club
PSG dominated but couldn’t find a breakthrough in a frustrating 0-0 draw away at Athletic Club.
Fabian Ruiz missed two big chances, Senny Mayulu was denied twice by Unai Simon, and Bradley Barcola smashed a shot against the crossbar.
Athletic’s only shot on target came late through Asier Hierro.
PSG stay inside the top eight by a single point.
Benfica Beat Napoli to Keep Play-Off Hopes Alive
Benfica earned a crucial 2-0 win at home to Napoli, securing back-to-back victories in the competition under José Mourinho.
Richard Rios opened the scoring after Napoli failed to clear a cross.
He then assisted Leandro Barreiro, who expertly diverted in a near-post finish early in the second half.
Napoli’s Scott McTominay headed wide late on as Benfica held firm.
Juventus See Off Pafos to Boost Last-16 Chances
Juventus beat Pafos 2-0 thanks to second-half goals from Weston McKennie and Jonathan David. Pafos hit the post through Anderson Silva but fell away after the break.
Juve climb to 17th with nine points.
Ajax Finally Claim First Champions League Win
Ajax came from behind twice to beat Qarabağ 4-2 in Baku, their first win after five straight defeats.
Late Goal Rush
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Oscar Gloukh made it 2-2 with a brilliant strike.
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Anton Gaaei smashed a first-time finish for 3-2.
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Gloukh sealed it with a 90th-minute low finish.
Ajax remain unlikely to reach the top 24 but avoid bottom spot for now.
Dortmund Slip as Bodo/Glimt Twice Fight Back for 2-2 Draw
Julian Brandt opened the scoring and later restored Dortmund’s lead, but goals from Haitam Aleesami and Jens Petter Hauge earned Bodo/Glimt a valuable draw.
Dortmund sit just outside the top eight with 11 points.
Copenhagen Shock Villarreal with Last-Minute Winner
A dramatic last-minute finish from Andreas Cornelius secured Copenhagen a vital 3-2 win away to Villarreal.
Elyounoussi and Achouri both scored for the Danish side, while Tani Oluwaseyi briefly levelled for Villarreal, but Cornelius pounced late to win it.
Copenhagen move into play-off contention.
FULL-TIME SCORES – WEDNESDAY 10 DECEMBER
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Qarabağ 2–4 Ajax
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Villarreal 2–3 Copenhagen
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Athletic Club 0–0 PSG
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Bayer Leverkusen 2–2 Newcastle
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Benfica 2–0 Napoli
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Dortmund 2–2 Bodo/Glimt
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Club Brugge 0–3 Arsenal
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Juventus 2–0 Pafos
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Real Madrid 1–2 Manchester City
FULL-TIME SCORES – TUESDAY 9 DECEMBER
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Kairat 0–1 Olympiakos
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Bayern Munich 3–1 Sporting CP
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Atalanta 2–1 Chelsea
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Barcelona 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
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Inter Milan 0-1 Liverpool
- Monaco 1-0 Galatasaray
- PSV 2-3 Atletico Madrid
- Tottenham 3-0 Slavia Prague
- Union Saint-Gilloise 2-3 Marseille
