Matchday 3 of the Champions League produced a record 71 goals across two nights, with standout performances from teams like PSG, Barcelona and Arsenal. Paris Saint-Germain routed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2, Barcelona thrashed Olympiakos 6-1, and Arsenal dominated Atletico Madrid 4-0. The high-scoring action highlighted youth talents and Premier League strength.
The third matchday of the 2024-25 Champions League league phase set a new benchmark with 71 goals scored, including 43 on Tuesday alone. This outburst of attacking football led to significant shifts in team standings and power rankings, with PSG, Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven among the top performers.
Key Matches and Performances
PSG, the defending champions, secured a 7-2 victory away at Bayer Leverkusen despite playing with 10 men after Illia Zabarnyi's red card late in the first half. They scored six goals after the sending-off, with Desire Doue netting twice before halftime—a nonchalant finish for the second goal and a curled effort for the fourth. Ousmane Dembele, returning from injury, scored three minutes after substituting in the second half. Other goals came from Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes and Vitinha. Dembele urged focus, saying, "Scoring seven goals is important, we have to keep it up." Kvaratskhelia added, "It isn't easy to score seven against Leverkusen but we won."
Barcelona overwhelmed Olympiakos 6-1, showcasing their La Masia academy. Fermín López, 22, scored a hat-trick, while 17-year-old Pedro "Dro" Fernández provided an assist on his Champions League debut.
Arsenal made a statement with a 4-0 home win over Atletico Madrid, maintaining their perfect start. Gabriel's header was their 10th set-piece goal of the season, and Viktor Gyokeres scored a brace amid criticism for his form.
PSV Eindhoven stunned Napoli 6-2 at home, coming from behind to lead 2-1 at halftime. Dennis Man scored twice, including a drilled left-footed effort for the fourth goal. A late red card to Lorenzo Lucca aided their demolition of the Italian champions.
Bayern Munich beat Club Brugge 4-0, with 17-year-old Lennart Karl scoring a solo goal on his Champions League debut to become the club's youngest scorer. Harry Kane reached 20 goals in 12 games this season, and Luis Díaz netted his first Champions League goal for Bayern.
Premier League teams dominated, with Liverpool winning 5-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt, Newcastle 3-0 over Benfica, Chelsea 5-1 against Ajax, and Manchester City 2-0 at Villarreal—Erling Haaland extending his streak to 12 matches. Tottenham drew 0-0 at Monaco. Real Madrid edged Juventus 1-0 via Jude Bellingham's goal.
Arne Slot, Liverpool's manager, noted their pressing: "We got some energy out of the moments we could press them." Power rankings place Real Madrid first, with Arsenal close to PSG and Real Madrid; Newcastle jumped significantly.
