Chelsea Crushes 10-Man Barcelona 3-0, Man City Falls to Leverkusen/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ Chelsea routed a 10-man Barcelona 3-0 with a standout goal from 18-year-old Estevão. Manchester City, under Pep Guardiola, suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen after heavy squad rotation. Big clubs across Europe stumbled or surged in a dramatic night of Champions League action.
Champions League Recap Quick Look
- Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Estevão stars; Koundé own goal; Araújo red card.
- Man City 0-2 Leverkusen: Guardiola’s rotated side punished in his 100th UCL game.
- Dortmund 4-0 Villarreal: Guirassy nets twice; Dortmund climbs group rankings.
- Juventus 3-2 Bodo/Glimt: David scores stoppage-time winner in Arctic thriller.
- Marseille 2-1 Newcastle: Aubameyang leads comeback with quick-fire brace.
- Benfica 2-0 Ajax: Mourinho earns first UCL win at Benfica.
- Union SG 1-0 Galatasaray: Promise David delivers; Osimhen injured; red card for Ünyay.
- Napoli 2-0 Qarabag: McTominay scores; Medina injured by powerful shot.
- Bilbao 0-0 Slavia Prague: Goalless draw leaves both outside qualifying spots.
Chelsea Crushes 10-Man Barcelona 3-0, Man City Falls to Leverkusen
Deep Look
A night of high drama, tactical gambles, and stunning goals saw European giants Barcelona and Manchester City suffer damaging defeats in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.
In his 100th Champions League game as Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola’s gamble to rest key players backfired as Bayer Leverkusen punished a rotated City squad in a 2-0 upset win. Meanwhile, Chelsea capitalized on a Barcelona implosion at Stamford Bridge, sealing a comfortable 3-0 win over the 10-man Catalan side.
Chelsea 3, Barcelona 0 — Estevão Shines as Barça Collapses
Chelsea put on a dominant display against a disjointed Barcelona side, with 18-year-old sensation Estevão stealing the spotlight in a match marred by discipline issues and defensive errors from the visitors.
- Jules Koundé’s own goal in the 27th minute opened the floodgates for Chelsea.
- Moments before halftime, Ronald Araújo received a second yellow, reducing Barcelona to 10 men.
- In the second half, Estevão dazzled with a solo goal, beating two defenders before finishing coolly in the 55th minute.
- Liam Delap sealed the win in the 73rd minute with a sharp finish from close range.
Barcelona’s defeat marked their second loss in the group stage and their fourth in 10 matches across all competitions — placing further pressure on manager Hansi Flick, who is under increasing scrutiny for his tactical decisions and lack of consistency.
Manchester City 0, Bayer Leverkusen 2 — Pep’s Rotation Gamble Fails
Guardiola made 10 changes to his starting lineup — resting stars including Erling Haaland — following Saturday’s Premier League loss to Newcastle. But the decision proved costly as Leverkusen exploited City’s vulnerability in transition.
- Alejandro Grimaldo scored in the 23rd minute with a low shot into the far corner.
- Patrik Schick doubled the lead in the 54th minute with a towering header.
“It feels wonderful. We gave everything until the last second,” said Schick.
Despite the loss, City remains in a strong position to qualify but missed a chance to move top of the group, leaving Bayern Munich, Arsenal, and Inter Milan — all set to play Wednesday — in control.
Group Stage Shifts: Chelsea Rises, Barcelona Drops
- Chelsea moved into fifth overall in the Champions League standings with 10 points.
- Barcelona slipped to 15th, facing an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stage.
- Borussia Dortmund surged into fourth after their 4-0 rout of Villarreal.
- Juventus improved to 21st, winning a dramatic 3-2 clash in the Arctic Circle against Bodo/Glimt.
Elsewhere in Europe: Mourinho, Aubameyang, Juventus Deliver
Benfica 2, Ajax 0 — Mourinho Breaks the Drought
Jose Mourinho finally secured his first UCL win with Benfica as they defeated winless Ajax in Amsterdam.
- Samuel Dahl volleyed in the opener in the 6th minute.
- Leandro Barreiro scored in stoppage time to seal the win.
- Ajax has now lost all five group matches and only won once in their last 10 games.
Marseille 2, Newcastle 1 — Aubameyang’s Double
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice in four minutes to lift Marseille past Newcastle in a comeback victory.
Dortmund 4, Villarreal 0 — Guirassy at the Double
Serhou Guirassy netted twice against a 10-man Villarreal side, helping Dortmund snap a three-game winless streak.
Juventus 3, Bodo/Glimt 2 — David Delivers Late Winner
Canadian striker Jonathan David scored a stoppage-time winner as Juventus edged Bodo/Glimt after squandering a 2-0 lead.
Union Saint-Gilloise 1, Galatasaray 0
Promise David scored the only goal to give the Belgian side victory over injury-plagued Galatasaray, who were without top scorer Victor Osimhen and ended the match with 10 men.
Napoli, McTominay, and More
- Scott McTominay opened the scoring as Napoli beat Qarabag 2-0.
- The match was marred by a concerning incident in which Qarabag defender Kevin Medina was knocked unconscious by a McTominay shot.
- Napoli fans marked the fifth anniversary of Diego Maradona’s death, creating an emotional backdrop to the victory.
Slavia Prague 0, Athletic Bilbao 0
Both sides were held to a goalless draw, leaving them outside of qualification spots after five games.
What’s Next?
As the Champions League group stage nears its climax, clubs are battling for survival, seeding, and momentum.
- Wednesday features pivotal matches for Bayern, Inter Milan, and Arsenal.
- Barcelona faces must-win situations in their remaining fixtures.
- Chelsea’s youth movement, led by Estevão, is gaining momentum at just the right time.
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