The Champions League has launched with a marathon this season: three straight nights — each bringing fresh drama, unexpected twists and headline personal stories. “Eintracht” soar to the top, “Man City” slip back into predator mode, “Barcelona” leave Northern England with both nerves and points, while “Kairat” in Lisbon are setting records and collecting painful experience at the same time. We've gathered the night's main threads — from Erling Haaland's record to “Sporting” scoring three times in three minutes.
“City” Switched Off “Napoli” in Control Mode: Early Red, Applause for Kevin and Haaland's New Milestone
At the Etihad, the intriguing subplot of Kevin De Bruyne facing his former club lasted only 25 minutes. By the 21st, Giovanni Di Lorenzo yanked the handbrake on Erling Haaland — a last-man foul and a straight red. Antonio Conte reacted instantly, reshuffled and took KDB off; “City” fans sent the Belgian off with warm applause — and even so, the visitors' defensive plan collapsed right there.
From there it was one-way traffic: 23–1 in shots, endless combinations in “Napoli” territory and near-faultless choices in the final third. The deadlock broke on 56: Phil Foden clipped a delicate ball into the box and Haaland lofted it over the keeper with a deft glancing header. On 66, Jérémy Doku carved through on his own and made it two — 2–0, clean sheet and complete control.
Record note: Haaland reached 50 Champions League goals faster than anyone — 49 matches. The Norwegian already shares ninth place in the competition's all-time scoring list with Thierry Henry, and he's on a tear: 12 goals in seven official games for club and country this autumn. After a 3–0 derby over “United”, “City” confirm the trend: calmly building tempo. Up next are two tests — an away day at “Arsenal” in the Premier League, then a UCL trip to “Monaco”. “Napoli” stumble for the first time this season after their Serie A start and will host “Sporting”.
“Barcelona” Survived a Battle in Newcastle: Yamal Out, but Rashford on Fire
The game at St James' Park looked exactly like any script stamped with Eddie Howe's name: fierce pressing, a flood of duels and a tempo that came in waves. “Barça” (without the injured Lamine Yamal) seized the key moments in the second half — and seized the points. Man of the night: Marcus Rashford. First, on 58, he won the aerial in the box and headed in cleanly; on 67 he lashed one from range that left the stadium gasping after a heartbeat's pause. “Newcastle” pulled one back late through Anthony Gordon, but lacked the power and accuracy for more — 1–2.
The Catalans keep up their autumn sprint: three wins and a draw in La Liga, and a 6–0 demolition of “Valencia” last round. The Magpies' start is choppy: two draws, two defeats and only a single one-goal win over “Wolves”. Next, “Barça” host a home super-match with “PSG”, while “Newcastle” travel — theoretically simpler — to debutants “Union”. The Germans already showed their bite in the opener: a 3–1 win away at PSV in Eindhoven.
Late Shoot-Out in Copenhagen: “Bayer” Saved at 90+1, the Scandinavian Chill Left a Mark
“Copenhagen” and “Bayer” delivered a game of mismatched tempos: the hosts quickly hit the vertical channel — on 9 minutes Elias Achouri kept a ball in by the byline and squared to Jordan Larsson, who finished from inside the six. Then came a long spell of “Aspirins” possession without truly sharp end-product, while almost every Danish foray meant something. Leverkusen were rescued by set-pieces: on 82 Alejandro Grimaldo produced a textbook free-kick — under the bar, no chance.
The finale popped like confetti. On 86, substitute Robert Silva put “Copenhagen” back in front, but not for good: on 90+1 an own goal saved the visitors — 2–2. New “Bayer” head coach Kasper Hjulmand still has zero in the loss column: he opened with a 3–1 over “Eintracht”, now a UCL draw. Fittingly, Hjulmand's European campaign began on an almost “home” pitch: his Denmark national team played key matches here, and “Nordsjaelland” first reached the UCL group stage here in 2012/13. Next up for Leverkusen is a trip to PSV; “Copenhagen” fly to Baku to face the week's headline shock — “Qarabag”.
Belgian Swing: “Club Brugge” Swept “Monaco”, Mignolet Saved a Penalty and Then Went Off Injured
The 4–1 result for “Club Brugge” was essentially forged before the break: from 35 to 45 the hosts unleashed a storm — 3–0 in ten minutes. The early signs, though, were worrying: on 10 Simon Mignolet fouled in the box — penalty against him. He saved it himself, celebrated so emotionally he earned a yellow, and by 19 had to come off with groin pain. UCL debutant Nordin Jackers came on — and barely had work to do: the first-half shot count of 17–1 for the Belgians said plenty.
After the interval “Monaco” did score — through Ansu Fati — but that was all the gas they had. The travel chaos didn't help: the plane's air-con failed, the flight was postponed, prep unraveled. Aleksandr Golovin was out — an injury likely to sideline him for about a month. “Club Brugge” are striding through autumn: they smashed “Rangers” 9–1 on aggregate in the qualifying play-off, and now “Monaco” caught the heat. The home European record impresses — only two losses in their last 18. Next the Belgians go to “Atalanta” in Bergamo; “Monaco” risk sitting on zero after meeting “City”.
Frankfurt Blowout: “Eintracht” Rolled Over “Galatasaray” — and Reminded That Money Won't Play for You
Frankfurt gave the Istanbul side a clinic in structure and tempo — 5–1. The start was deceptive: “Galatasaray” scored on 8, but from there the ricochets of fortune all flew into their own net. Before the break everything happened at once: two own goals (37 and 45+4) and Can Uzun's strike on 45+2 — the “German Turk” long eyed by Bundesliga clubs. In the second half “Eintracht” never let go and finished the visitors with two more.
Context makes the score louder: in Turkey “Gala” ran the first five rounds at five-for-five with a 15–1 goal difference. The summer was loud too: around €150 million spent on transfers, a hefty chunk on Victor Osimhen — who missed the UCL through injury. This win let “Eintracht” wash away the taste of a recent Bundesliga setback that handed “Bayer” their first win of the season. Next come noisy nights: “Galatasaray” host “Liverpool”, while the Frankfurt side fly to “Atlético”.
Three Minutes of Pain for “Kairat” in Lisbon: A Teenage Keeper's Heroics and a Hard Grown-Up Debut
“Sporting” won 4–1, but the night's almanac is about the visitors' keeper. With both first-choice goalkeepers injured, the Almaty club entrusted the gloves to 18-year-old Sherkhan Kalmurza — and on 22 he kicked away Morten Hjulmand's penalty. Again: until last Sunday the kid had never played senior football, and today he's saving a spot-kick in the Champions League. Before half-time Kalmurza made three saves, beaten only by Francisco Trincão's thump — fingertips short.
After the break the guests were burned in three minutes: from 65 to 68 “Sporting” scored three and shut the door. “Kairat” answered with their first-ever UCL goal — by Brazilian Edmilson — but there wasn't enough fuel for a comeback. One pretty stat-line: Kalmurza became the second-youngest goalkeeper to save a penalty in the UCL (18 years and 95 days). Only Mile Svilar was younger in 2017 — he saved Anthony Martial's effort at Old Trafford. In the list of youngest debutant keepers, the Kazakh now edges ahead of Iker Casillas and Igor Akinfeev. Forward Dastan Satpayev nearly rewrote Ansu Fati's page: the Spaniard scored against “Inter” in December 2019 at 17 years and 40 days to become the UCL's youngest scorer; Satpayev had a 17-years-38-days window today — the chance came, but went.
And one more record — logistical. “Kairat's” trip to Lisbon took nearly 12 hours: head coach Rafael Urazbakhtin timed it with a stopwatch — 11:45 with a refuel. Next round brings Almaty a historic home night against “Real Madrid”. “Sporting” fly to Naples to face “Napoli”, who leave this week with more questions than answers.
Group Picture: Who's Climbing, Who's Below
The current summit belongs to “Eintracht”: an eye-catching dismantling of “Galatasaray” instantly pushes Frankfurt into the lead and raises the bar of expectation. On the other side sit heavyweights we usually see higher: “Chelsea”, “Napoli”, “Newcastle”, “Atalanta” are so far outside the playoff zone, forced to play against the clock and their nerves. “Man City” are tidy, fluid and cold-blooded; “Barça” proved they can win a bruising game even without Yamal. “Club Brugge” carry the aura of hosts, while “Copenhagen” show that typical Scandinavian character — they don't switch off the press or set-piece edge even when the ball belongs to the other team.
The Night's Takeaways: Key Numbers and Accents
- “City” by the numbers: 23–1 in shots, with the decisive finishes from Haaland and Doku. Erling is the fastest to 50 UCL goals (49 matches) and already in the competition's all-time top ten.
- “Barcelona” won 2–1 in Newcastle without Lamine Yamal — thanks to a Marcus Rashford brace; the autumn unbeaten run continues.
- “Copenhagen” vs “Bayer” finished 2–2: Grimaldo bent a free-kick into the top corner, Silva scored off the bench, and the “Aspirins” were saved at 90+1 by an own goal.
- “Club Brugge” dismantled “Monaco” 4–1; it was 3–0 and 17–1 in shots by half-time. Simon Mignolet conceded a penalty and saved it himself, then came off injured on 19. For the Monégasques — an Ansu Fati goal and a lengthy absence for Aleksandr Golovin.
- “Eintracht” crushed “Galatasaray” 5–1, helped by two own goals and a Can Uzun strike. The Turks spent around €150m in the summer, but it hasn't translated in the UCL yet: roughly half went on Osimhen, who's injured.
- “Sporting” — “Kairat” 4–1: young Sherkhan Kalmurza saved a penalty and became the second-youngest keeper to do so in the UCL; the hosts rattled in three goals in three minutes (65–68), while the visitors had a historic first from Edmilson.
Up Next — Hotter
The coming week will plant new markers. In England, “City” test themselves at the Emirates against “Arsenal”, then head to “Monaco” in Europe. “Napoli” will have explaining to do against “Sporting”. “Barça” welcome “PSG” — a continental-weight fixture. “Newcastle” travel to “Union”, where the opponent may have more passion than experience. “Eintracht” visit “Atlético” — a stress test of everything that worked so well versus “Galatasaray”. “Kairat” get their loudest night — “Real Madrid” in town, a full house and a lesson you want to live through, not just memorize.
The Champions League restores its familiar magic: every match reads like a chapter, every night like a separate volume. And the autumn print run seems only to be beginning.
