Official UEFA Champions League Podcast

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.