Champions League Roundup, Matchday 8
Matchday 8 of the 2025/26 Champions League season featured exciting games, unexpected outcomes, and outstanding player performances. This Champions League roundup offers a review of the matches from this stage.
Royale Union SG 1-0 Atalanta
Atalanta had to settle for a spot in the knockout-phase play-offs for the second consecutive UEFA Champions League (UCL) season after losing 1-0 to Royale Union Saint-Gilloise. Despite their victory, Union Saint-Gilloise ended up 27th in the group stage standings and were eliminated from the tournament in their first appearance in the main competition.
PSV 1-2 Bayern Munich
PSV Eindhoven have been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League after losing 2-1 to Bayern Munich, a team that had already secured a place in the Round of 16. This victory ended Bayern’s three-game winless run against Dutch teams, while extending PSV’s winless streak against Bundesliga clubs to six matches (2 draws, 4 losses).
PSG 1-1 Newcastle
Paris Saint-Germain suffered the consequences of an ill-timed three-match winless streak in the UEFA Champions League, resulting in both them and Newcastle United failing to secure a spot in the top eight after a 1-1 draw in Paris. Both teams had to settle for a spot in the knockout-phase play-offs.
Pafos 4-1 Slavia Prague
In the first-ever UEFA Champions League main draw match between a Cypriot and a Czech team, Pafos defeated Slavia Prague 4-1, narrowly missing out on securing a play-off spot against their already eliminated rivals.
Napoli 2-3 Chelsea
João Pedro scored twice to secure a 3-2 win for Chelsea against SSC Napoli, ensuring the Blues advanced to the UEFA Champions League last 16, eliminating the home side from the UCL and ending their 25-game unbeaten streak at home across all competitions (18 wins, 7 draws).
Monaco 0-0 Juventus
AS Monaco progressed to the UEFA Champions League knockout phase play-offs following a 0-0 draw against Juventus at the Stade Louis II. Juventus, who had a small chance of qualifying directly for the Round of 16 at the start of the evening, also ended up securing a place in the play-offs.
Manchester City 2-0 Galatasaray
Manchester City guaranteed a spot in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League by defeating Galatasaray 2-0, halting the Turkish team’s three-game unbeaten streak against English teams. Despite the result, the away side secured a place in the play-offs.
Liverpool 6-0 Qarabag
Liverpool secured their spot in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) round of 16 with a dominant 6-0 home win against Qarabağ FK, increasing the Horsemen’s streak without a win against English teams to nine games (1 draw, 8 losses). Qarabağ qualified for the play-offs, as they finished in 22nd place.
Frankfurt 0-2 Tottenham
Randal Kolo Muani scored in a 2-0 victory away from home against his former team Eintracht Frankfurt, as Spurs secure an automatic spot in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League. Meanwhile, the hosts are left to contemplate a disappointing 33rd-place finish, having earned only four points from their eight matches.
Dortmund 0-2 Inter
Inter Milan just fell short of securing a place in the top eight of the UEFA Champions League group stage, even though they won 2-0 against Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund faced the same outcome and will join Inter in the play-off round.
Club Brugge 3-0 Marseille
Club Brugge defeated Olympique Marseille 3-0 in Belgium, securing their spot in the knockout play-off round and eliminating Marseille.
Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid
Real Madrid will have to compete in the play-offs of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) following a 4-2 loss to SL Benfica, which caused them to fall to ninth place in the group stage. Goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin’s goal in the 98th minute secured the Portuguese team a spot in the play-offs, as they finished 24th position in the standings.
Leverkusen 3-0 Villarreal
Bayer Leverkusen earned a spot in the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-offs after a commanding 3-0 win against Villarreal at the BayArena, marking Villarreal’s fourth consecutive loss across all competitions. Villarreal was eliminated from the competition in a disastrous manner, ending up tied for last place in the league stage and only ranking above the very bottom team, Kairat Almaty, due to goal difference.
Barcelona 4-1 FC Copenhagen
Barcelona’s 4-1 victory over Copenhagen in the UEFA Champions League at Camp Nou marked their 10th consecutive home win across all competitions, securing their spot in the last 16. This result also means that Copenhagen have been eliminated from the tournament.
Atletico Madrid 1-2 Bodø/Glimt
Bodø/Glimt remarkably earned their spot in the UEFA Champions League play-off round on their first appearance in the group stage, rallying from behind to defeat Atlético Madrid 2-1 at the Metropolitano, preventing the Spanish team from securing automatic qualification for the round of 16.
Athletic Bilbao 2-3 Sporting
Athletic’s hopes of advancing from the group stage of the UEFA Champions League (UCL) came to an end following their 3-2 loss to Sporting CP, who secured a top-eight spot and a direct place in the Round of 16 in a dramatic fashion.
Arsenal 3-2 Kairat Almaty
Arsenal set a new club record by winning their eighth consecutive European match with a 3-2 triumph over Kairat Almaty in the UEFA Champions League, finishing the group stage with a perfect winning record.
Ajax 1-2 Olympiacos
Olympiacos advanced beyond the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2013/14 season, securing a spot in the play-offs after defeating Ajax 2-1 in their first head-to-head encounter this century, resulting in the Dutch team being eliminated from the tournament.
