Champions

By  JAMES ROBSONWednesday April 8, 2026 Arsenal are one step away from a second successive Champions League semifinal after Kai Havertz struck late to secure a hard-earned 1-0 victory over Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday. At Estadio Jose Alvalade, Havertz came off the bench to score in stoppage time and put Mikel Arteta’s side firmly in command of the quarterfinal tie before next week’s second leg at the Emirates. The substitute fired past goalkeeper Rui Silva from close range to give Arsenal the advantage ahead of next week’s…

Wednesday April 8, 2026 Kylian Mbappe (bottom) scored in the second half to give Real Madrid a lifeline in the Champions League battle with Bayern Munich © Thomas COEX / AFP Bayern Munich left the Santiago Bernabeu with a precious 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Tuesday, a result that moves the German giants a big step closer to the Champions League semifinals. Luis Diaz and Harry Kane struck for Bayern, while Kylian Mbappe answered for Madrid in a match that produced chances at both ends — though Bayern, the record…

Thursday March 19, 2026 Barcelona blitzed Newcastle United 7-2 at Camp Nou on Wednesday, charging into the Champions League quarterfinals with an 8-3 aggregate triumph. A week after a 1-1 stalemate on Tyneside, the hosts tore the tie apart after the interval, with Fermin Lopez, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha spearheading a merciless onslaught. Before that surge, the opening 45 minutes were frantic before 60,000 fans, producing five goals and opportunities at both ends. In the sixth minute Raphinha slotted Barcelona ahead…

By GRAHAM DUNBARThursday March 19, 2026 On a fevered Champions League night Wednesday, Barcelona ran riot with seven goals and Liverpool powered in four, transforming knife-edge ties into emphatic victories and sealing places in the quarterfinals. Atletico Madrid withstood a ferocious Tottenham rally to complete a Spanish sweep over English opposition this week — Spain 3, England 0 — in the round of 16. Bayern Munich enjoyed the smoothest passage, brushing aside Atalanta 4-1 on Wednesday and 10-2 on aggregate to line up a…

Champions League: Bayern and Atletico seize control as Liverpool and Barcelona face uphill second legs Bayern Munich and Atletico Madrid took command of their Champions League round-of-16 ties with emphatic first-leg wins Tuesday, while Liverpool and Barcelona were left with narrow margins and nagging regrets heading into decisive returns next week. On a high-scoring night across Europe, Bayern thrashed Atalanta 6-1 in Bergamo despite starting without top scorer Harry Kane. Atletico punished Tottenham’s goalkeeping gamble to…

Lamine Yamal’s star turn powered Barcelona past Copenhagen 4-1 on Wednesday, clinching a top-eight finish in the Champions League’s new league phase and an automatic berth in the round of 16. The 18-year-old winger set up Robert Lewandowski’s equalizer and then struck the go-ahead goal before Raphinha and Marcus Rashford added late finishes to cap a dominant second half. Barcelona, winners in 14 of their last 15 matches in all competitions, finished fifth in the 36-team table to avoid February’s playoff round. Final:…

Jules Kounde’s towering brace turned a tense night Barcelona’s way, lifting the Catalans to a 2-1 comeback win over Eintracht Frankfurt and shoring up their UEFA Champions League league-phase campaign. The French defender headed in twice within three second-half minutes at Montjuic, rescuing Barcelona after Ansgar Knauff’s 21st-minute strike had put Eintracht ahead against the run of play. The victory nudges Barcelona to 13th in the 36-team league table—still short of the top-eight cutoff for direct passage to the round…

Champions League roundup: Barcelona crush Olympiakos after controversy; Man City too smooth for Villarreal; Arsenal blitzes Atletico On a night when Europe’s heavyweights reminded the continent why they are feared, Barcelona ran up a 6-1 scoreline against Olympiakos that hid a complicated, combustible middle act. Manchester City did what Manchester City does—two clinical strikes, then a long spell of control over Villarreal. And in London, Arsenal pressed the accelerator and didn’t let up, burying Atletico Madrid under four…

In a hard-fought clash on a Wednesday night of UEFA Champions League action, Inter Milan snatched a narrow 1-0 triumph over Arsenal, thanks to a coolly taken penalty by Hakan Calhanoglu. Meanwhile, Atletico Madrid secured a last-gasp victory, edging past Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 with a 93rd-minute strike. With this victory, the Italian title-holders maintain their undefeated streak, firmly positioned at fifth place. At the midpoint of the freshly introduced league format, they boast a…

The Champions League served up some dramatic surprises this week as two European titans, Real Madrid and Manchester City, were humbled on Tuesday.Real Madrid, last year's champions, took a beating on home turf with a 3-1 loss to AC Milan. Meanwhile, Erling Haaland missed a crucial penalty as Manchester City, after initially securing a lead four minutes in, crumbled to a 4-1 defeat against Sporting Lisbon. Adding an interesting twist, Lisbon's coach is set to switch allegiance to City’s neighbors soon.Liverpool, on the other…