Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) both produced dominant performances in the UEFA Champions League, with emphatic victories that set the stage for their respective upcoming league challenges.
Barcelona crushed Olympiakos 6-1, with Fermin López scoring a memorable hat-trick and Marcus Rashford adding a brace. The match saw a high-intensity start, with López opening the scoring in the 7th minute. Rashford doubled the advantage before Olympiakos fought back through a penalty by Ayoub El Kaabi. However, a controversial red card for Santiago Hezze shifted the momentum in Barcelona’s favor. Lamine Yamal converted from the penalty spot, and López completed his hat-trick to seal the rout.
PSG’s 7-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen was another dominant display, though not without its drama. The match was marked by two red cards, with both teams playing with ten men for a significant portion of the game. PSG took an early lead through Willian Pacho, and despite Bayer Leverkusen having a penalty opportunity, the French side maintained their advantage. After the sending-off of Leverkusen’s Robert Andrich, PSG surged, with goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Ousmane Dembélé, and Vitinha finishing off the hosts in a thrilling second half.
In the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven triumphed 6-2 over Napoli in a thrilling encounter. After going behind to a Scott McTominay strike, PSV turned the game around with a quick-fire double and never looked back. Dennis Man was the star of the show, scoring twice and playing a pivotal role in their convincing win. Despite a late Napoli goal, PSV wrapped up the points with a couple more goals in the dying stages.
Arsenal maintained their perfect start to the campaign with a resounding 4-0 victory over Atlético Madrid. Viktor Gyökeres scored twice, continuing his fine form, while the Gunners showed their attacking power in a dominant display. In other notable results, Borussia Dortmund overcame a late scare to beat FC Copenhagen 4-2, and Inter Milan comfortably dispatched Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0, maintaining their 100% record.
In less high-profile fixtures, Kairat Almaty and Pafos drew 0-0 in a goalless encounter, with Pafos’ João Correia sent off early. Despite an own goal by Kairat’s goalkeeper, the match ended without further incident.
