Official UEFA Champions League Podcast

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.