Official UEFA Champions League Podcast

It was a night to remember in Norway as Bodø/Glimt recorded a 3-1 victory against Inter in their knockout phase play-offs first leg. We get reaction from goalscorer Jens Petter Hauge. Elsewhere, Newcastle shone against Qarabag, winning 6-1 in Azerbaijan. We hear from four-goal hero and player of the match, Anthony Gordon. Plus, get reaction to the night’s other matches as Club Brugge and Atletico played out an epic 3-3 draw, while Leverkusen won 2-0 at Olympiacos.

The knockout phase picked up where the League phase left off with 15 goals across Tuesday’s four matches. The surprise of the night saw Galatasaray recover from 2-1 down at half-time to beat Juventus 5-2 in Istanbul to put the Turkish side in pole position going into next week’s second leg in Turin. We hear from their UEFA Player of the Match, Gabriel Sara. Elsewhere holders Paris and 15-time winners Real Madrid fought their way to narrow first leg away wins. Paris had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to overcome fellow French side Monaco while Madrid edged their way to a 1-0 win against Benfica thanks to a superb Vinicius Jnr second half strike. We hear from Paris’ match-winner Désiré Doué. In the night’s other match, 1997 champions Borussia Dortmund recorded a comfortable 2-0 home win over Atalanta - Player of the Match Serhou Guirassy was the difference-maker with a goal and an assist and we hear from the in-form Guinean striker. We analyse all of the action and look ahead to Wednesday’s knockout phase play-off first legs, including our featured commentary Bodo / Glimt v Inter.

The final night of the League Phase ended in sensational fashion as Benfica goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, scored a stoppage time header against Real Madrid to squeeze his side into the top 24 on goal difference only – we discuss the last gasp drama and hear from the heroic shot-stopper. In the race for the top 8, Sporting and Chelsea scored late winners to qualify, whilst Barcelona and Manchester City also secured victories to progress straight to the Round of 16 – we hear from Joao Pedro, Marcus Rashford and Rayan Cherki. In our featured commentary game holders Paris and Newcastle played out a hard fought 1-1 draw, a result which saw both sides just miss out on a top 8 finish – we hear from Newcastle’s Player of the Match, Dan Burn. As well as Benfica’s heroics, Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos and Club Brugge all registered crucial victories to seal a place in the top 24 and the knockout phase of this season’s competition. The unlucky clubs to drop out were Marseille, PSV and Athletic Club. Elsewhere, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool and Spurs all won to seal the top four spots respectively, and the benefit of home second legs in the Round of 16. It was relentless from the first minute to the last and we’ll discuss all of the stories as they developed on a fascinating final night of the League Phase.

The goals were flowing once again on the penultimate night of League Phase action with 29 goals across the nine matches. At the top of the table, Bayern secured their passage through to the last 16 with a comfortable 2-0 home win over Union SG - Harry Kane with both goals and we hear from the Englishman. There were impressive 3-0 wins for both Liverpool and Newcastle, against Marseille and PSV respectively, to move both clubs into the coveted top 8 with just one round to go – we hear from Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Newcastle goalscorer Harvey Barnes. Elsewhere Barcelona, Chelsea and Juventus also recorded crucial victories to keep their top 8 hopes alive, whilst Galatasaray and Atleti played out a 1-1 draw and Athletic Club won 3-2 in Atalanta. We hear from Hansi Flick, Moises Caicedo and Victor Osimhen. However, the shock of the night came in Baku where Qarabag scored a stoppage time winner to beat Frankfurt 3-2 and move into the top 24 and in sight of the knockout phase play-offs – we hear from their delighted captain Abdellah Zoubir. We review all the action and look ahead to what’s sure to be a dramatic Matchday 8 as the League Phase concludes with all 18 matches kicking off simultaneously.

The League Phase rolled into 2026 in style with 32 goals across Tuesday’s nine matches. Arsenal made it seven out of seven in Milan, beating Inter 3-1 to solidify top spot and confirm their passage into the last 16 - we hear from their delighted manager Mikel Arteta as well as UEFA Player of the Match and scorer of two goals Gabriel Jesus. In Madrid, Real hit six to see off Monaco and move up to second in the league standings, with Mbappe, Bellingham and Vinicius Jnr all on the scoresheet. The shock of the evening took place in Norway where Bodø / Glimt beat ten-man Manchester City 3-1 - we get reaction from their Coach Kjetil Knutsen and Player Of the Match Jens Petter Hauge. Another surprise result took place in Lisbon where holders Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-1 by Sporting thanks to a last-minute winner from Colombian striker Luis Suárez. Elsewhere there were important wins for Spurs, Olympiacos, Club Brugge and Ajax, while Copenhagen and Napoli drew 1-1 to leave both sides on the cusp of the top 24. We review all of the action as well as look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 7 encounters.

Matchday 6 concluded with compelling matches across Europe. Manchester City and Real Madrid played out another classic encounter, with the visitors edging it thanks Erling Haaland’s first half penalty. They’re now assured of a place in either the knockout phase play-offs or round of 16, something also secured by Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night following their goalless draw with Athletic Club. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle were also held, while Juventus, Benfica, Copenhagen and Ajax picked up eye-catching wins on the final night of UEFA Champions League action in 2025. Arsenal end the year in top-spot thanks to their 3-0 victory over Brugge, as they maintain their perfect record in the league phase.

Many of Europe’s biggest clubs made their move as Matchday 6 got underway. There were no draws in any of Tuesday’s nine games with wins for Bayern, Barcelona, Liverpool, Atletico, Tottenham, Marseille, Olympiacos, Atalanta and Monaco – leaving the League Phase table fascinatingly poised. In our featured commentary in Milan, Liverpool struck late to sink Inter, thanks to a Dominik Szoboszlai penalty. Elsewhere in Italy, Atalanta came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 and move up to third in the table, their in-form midfielder Charles De Ketelaere once again the match-winner. And in Germany, Bayern booked their passage through to the knockout phase with a 3-1 win over Sporting, inspired once again by 17-year-old sensation Lennart Karl – we hear from their goalscoring defender Jonathan Tah. There were dramatic 3-2 away wins for Atleti and Marseille at PSV and Union SG respectively – we get reaction from Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi. Marcus Rashford shares his thoughts after Barcelona recovered from an early set back to see off Frankfurt 2-1 at Camp Nou. Xavi Simons talks about his first Champions League goal for Spurs as they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners at home to Slavia Praha. And there were crucial 1-0 wins for Olympiacos at Kairat Almaty and Monaco at home to Galatasaray. We’ll unpack all of Tuesday’s action and look ahead to 9 more huge matches on Wednesday, including the small matter of Real Madrid v Manchester City in the Spanish capital.

The goals continued to flow on Matchday 5 with an incredible 42 goals across Wednesday’s 9 matches. The top two met in North London with the home side coming out on top in a pulsating encounter. Julien Timber opened the scoring for the Gunners before Bayern’s 17-year-old midfielder Lennart Karl equalised. However, second half goals from Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli secured a statement 3-1 win for Arsenal to put them top of the League Phase table and the only side with a 100% record. Elsewhere there were staggering scorelines across Europe: defending champions Paris beat Spurs 5-3 at the Parc des Princes; PSV fired four past Liverpool at Anfield; Mbappe scored all four of Real Madrid’s goals as they won 4-3 at Olympiacos; Atalanta and Sporting both registered comfortable 3-0 wins against Frankfurt and Club Brugge respectively; Atleti left it late to beat Inter in Madrid; and in the early kick offs Copenhagen edged past Kairat 3-2 and Cypriot side Pafos earned another point, drawing 2-2 with Monaco to move into the much coveted 24th place in the League Phase table. We’ll review all of Wednesday’s action and get reaction from Arsenal’s Declan Rice & Noni Madueke, PSV’s Ivan Perišić, Sporting’s Francisco Trincao and Atalanta’s Charles De Ketelaere.

There was drama across Europe as Matchday 5 started with a bang in the Champions League. At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea turned on the style to overcome 10-man Barcelona 3-0, thanks to a superb performance from teenage sensation Estêvão. In Norway, Juve edged a five-goal thriller thanks to an injury time winner from Jonathan David – we hear from their Player of the Match, Kenan Yildaz. However, the shock of the night came in Manchester as Leverkusen beat the 2023 champions 2-0, and we hear from the scorer of their superb opener Alejandro Grimaldo. Benfica registered their first win of the League Phase, seeing off Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, and we get reaction from their manager Jose Mourinho as well as Swedish defender Samuel Dahl. And Napoli secured a crucial home win against Qarabag, inspired once again by their Scottish goalscoring midfielder Scott McTominay. Elsewhere there were win crucial wins for Dortmund, Marseille and Union SG and Slavia Praha and Athletic Club played out a 0-0 draw. We’ll review all of Tuesday’s action as well as look ahead to a huge Wednesday in Europe’s top club competition, with the top two coming head-to-head in north London as Arsenal host Bayern.

The UEFA Champions League table continued to take shape on Wednesday as Inter maintained their perfect start to the competition with a 2-1 victory over Kairat Almaty. Galatasaray enhanced their hopes of a top 8 finish thanks to a hat-trick from Victor Osimhen against Ajax as he earned the UEFA Player of the Match award for a third game in a row. Manchester City end the matchday in 4th after their 4-1 win against Dortmund. There were also wins for Atalanta, Leverkusen and Newcastle, while Pafos recorded their first Champions League victory against Villarreal.

Matchday 4 treated us to two heavyweight European encounters. At Anfield, six-time winners Liverpool edged out 15-time champions Real Madrid 1-0, thanks to a bullet second half header from Alexis Mac Allister – we hear from the goal-scorer as well Los Blancos midfielder Jude Bellingham. Meanwhile in Paris, the defending champions went down 2-1 to table toppers Bayern, their Colombian winger Luis Diaz the match-winner with both goals before being sent off. Arsenal joined Bayern at the top of the table with four wins out of four, seeing off Slavia Praha 3-0 in the Czech Republic, with a brace from Mikel Merino and a penalty from Bukayo Saka. We hear from the Gunners manager, Mikel Arteta as well as midfielder Christian Norgaard on 15-year-old Max Dowman becoming the competition’s youngest ever player. Elsewhere, Arsenal’s North London neighbours Tottenham beat visitors Copenhagen 4-0, thanks to a superb solo goal from defender Micky van de Ven – we hear from the Dutchman. Napoli were held 0-0 by Frankfurt and there were 1-1 draws for Juventus and Sporting in Turin and Olympiacos and PSV in Greece. Plus there were crucial wins for Atleti and Monaco against Union SG and Bodø/Glimt respectively. We review all of Tuesday’s action and look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 4 encounters, including a reunion for Manchester City striker Erling Haaland with his former club Borussia Dortmund.

There were statement victories across Europe as Matchday 3 concluded. Jude Bellingham scored the only goal of the game at the Bernabeu as the 15-time champions Real Madrid beat Juventus 1-0. Madrid midfielder Arda Guler reflects on the match that saw Los Blancos maintain their perfect start to the League Phase. Bayern also have three wins from three after a 4-0 win over Club Brugge. Chelsea and Liverpool both scored five in victories over Ajax and Frankfurt respectively. We hear from Reds striker Hugo Ekitike, who shares what it was like scoring against his former club in Germany. Elsewhere, Victor Osimhen got two goals in a 3-1 win for Galatasaray over Bodo/Glimt – he reflects on his performance on the show. Athletic Club and Sporting also picked up an important three points.

Matchday 3 started in style with a phenomenal 43 goals across the 9 matches. In Germany, defending champions Paris struck seven against Leverkusen, with Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé back amongst the goals. Barca and PSV hit six - the Spaniards seeing off ten-man Olympiacos thanks to a hat-trick from Fermin Lopez, and the Dutch side coming from behind to dispatch Italian champions Napoli in Eindhoven. Arsenal, Dortmund and Inter all scored four to register convincing wins. We hear from the Gunners manager Mikel Arteta and defender Gabriel after they inflicted a rare 4-0 defeat on Diego Simeone’s Atletico side. There were also crucial victories for Newcastle and Manchester City against Benfica and Villarreal respectively. We hear from City defender Rico Lewis after Erling Haaland scored yet again to make it 53 Champions League goals in just 51 matches. We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 3 encounters, including our featured commentary game between European heavyweights Real Madrid and Juventus.

Matchday 2 of this season’s UEFA Champions League concluded in style! In Spain, Paris left it late to beat Barcelona as Goncalo Ramos secured a 2-1 victory. We hear from the Portuguese match winner. Monaco and Villarreal both scored in the 90th minute to draw their matches against Manchester City and Juventus. Arsenal and Qarabag are on 6 points after two games after wins over Olympiacos and Copenhagen respectively. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta chats through his team's performance. Rasmus Hojlund found the back of the net twice as Napoli beat Sporting 2-1, whilst Newcastle and Borussia Dortmund each scored 4 times on their way to victory. Newcastle Player of the Match Anthony Elanga and Hojlund himself reflect on their side’s wins on the podcast.

There were 33 goals across 9 matches on Tuesday but just 1 separated Galatasaray and Liverpool on Matchday 2. Atleti, Bayern and Real Madrid both secured impressive wins, as did Inter, Marseille & Atalanta. Chelsea welcomed former manager Jose Mourinho back to Stamford Bridge by beating his Benfica side 1-0, while Bodø Glimt held Tottenham 2-2 in their first Champions League home game. In the podcast, we hear from Atalanta manager Ivan Juric, Chelsea’s Enzo Maresca and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappé.

Matchday 1 concluded with a thrilling night of action across Europe! Marcus Rashford shone for Barcelona as his brace secured a 2-1 win over Newcastle. Head Coach Hansi Flick shares his thoughts on the forward’s Player of the Match performance, whilst we also hear from Newcastle winger Anthony Gordon. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored his 50th UEFA Champions League goal in a 2-0 victory over Napoli, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone in the competition’s history. City midfielder Phil Foden and boss Pep Guardiola reflect on the win. Sporting and Club Brugge both scored 4 goals in wins over Kairat Almaty and Monaco respectively, whilst Frankfurt began their league phase campaign with 3 points by beating Galatasaray 5-1. Elsewhere, Copenhagen and Leverkusen shared the spoils in an entertaining 2-2 draw. Copenhagen’s Player of the Match Jordan Larsson analyses the game at Parken.

Champions Paris Saint-Germain kicked off their title defence in style dispatching Atalanta 4-0 at the Parc des Princes, with goals from Marquinhos, Kvaratskhelia, Mendes and Ramos. At Anfield, Liverpool left it late again to grab all three points, with defender Virgil van Dijk heading in an injury time winner to seal a 3-2 victory over Atleti. While in Munich, Bayern saw off Chelsea 3-1, thanks to another brace from their top scorer Harry Kane. We hear from the UEFA Player of The Match in all three matches, Paris winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Bayern match-winner Harry Kane, as well as Reds defender Andy Robertson. Elsewhere, Inter overcame Ajax 2-0 in Amsterdam, Marcus Thuram with both goals, and we hear from one of the Italian side’s new signings, defender Manuel Akanji. While in the evening’s early kick offs, Bodø/Glimt came back from 2-0 down to earn a hard-fought point at Slavia Praha and Olympiakos were impressively held 0-0 at home by Cypriot Champions League debutants Pafos - we get reaction from their defender and POTM Derrick Luckassen. Plus. we look ahead to the final night of Matchday 1 action, with another six games taking place across Europe on Thursday evening, including our featured commentary match Newcastle v Barcelona and Man City v Napoli with the thoughts of Pep Guardiola.

The 2025/26 League Phase started in style on Tuesday evening with opening day victories for Real Madrid, Arsenal and Spurs plus first ever Champions League wins for Qarabag and Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise on their competition debut. In Madrid, the 15-time champions began their quest to re-claim the coveted trophy with a hard fought 2-1 win over Marseille - Kylian Mbappe the match-winner with both goals – we hear from the Frenchman. North London rivals Arsenal and Spurs both began their campaigns with victories – the Gunners winning 2-0 in Bilbao and Spurs seeing off Villareal 1-0 at home. We hear from Arsenal’s UEFA POTM Gabriel Martinelli as well as Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven. Elsewhere Juventus and Borussia Dortmund played out an incredible 4-4 draw in Turin, with all 8 goals coming in the second half, Qarabag came from 2-0 down to earn a stunning 3-2 win against Benfica in Lisbon, but arguably the performance of the night took place in Eindhoven where Champions League debutants Union Saint-Gilloise secured a historic 3-1 win against PSV – we hear from their first ever goal-scorer in the competition, Promise David. We also look ahead to Wednesday’s Matchday 1 encounters, including our featured commentary game between Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, hearing from the Reds’ manager Arne Slot.

Paris Saint-Germain have been crowned champions of Europe for the very first time after a historic 5-0 victory over Inter Milan, the biggest ever win in the final of this competition. Two goals from UEFA Player of the Match Désiré Doué, and one each for Achraf Hakimi, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and teenager Senny Mayulu put a seal on a perfect Paris performance in Munich. We look back on an absorbing final, including an exuberant trophy lift and jubilant reaction from Paris midfielder Vitinha and manager Luis Enrique. We also look back on the 2024/25 Champions League season as a whole, a revamped campaign that has truly delivered at every stage.

This is Off Pitch: The UEFA Champions League with a beat. Where UCL coverage meets the timeline’s conversations–fuelled by music. Join Culture Cams, Formz and Nieve aka Stunt Pegg as they preview the Champions League final between Inter and PSG with the help of their own in-house band Out N Bad. This week, the team is joined by rapper Aitch. #UCLOffPitch #UCL #championsleague Watch more at: https://www.uefa.tv/ Subscribe to UEFA on YouTube at: https://bit.ly/UEFA_YT Follow us on Facebook at: https://bit.ly/FB_UEFA Visit our Website at: https://www.uefa.com/