OK that’s all we have time for in tonight’s clockwatch. It’s been a busy one, frantic in fact, but it’s been an absolute pleasure to watch and bring you all the updates, as always.
I’ll sign off with a link to our roundup of the other, non-English ties of the evening, with Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and, of course, nine-goal Como, among the big winners of the night.
Take care and thanks again.
Related: Valverde’s late winner breaks AEK Athens hearts as Real Madrid twice come from behind
Erling Haaland chats to the broadcasters after his winning goal.
“He’s had an amazing start to his City career,” Haaland says when asked about Elliot Anderson, who provided him with a fine assist. “And that’s what you expect to be honest, but he’s been impressive and respect.”
“I think we need to step up a little bit,” he says on City’s general form. “Keep the ball, work together both offensively and defensively. You can always get better.”
Report: Ed Aarons was there to see Arsenal do the bare minimum to edge beyond Slavia Prague, staying unbeaten in this season’s Champions League, with Viktor Gyökeres stepping up for the Gunners.
Related: Viktor Gyökeres the difference as Arsenal claim nervy win against Slavia Prague
Report: Jamie Jackson has been at the RB Arena tonight to witness the inevitable … Erling Haaland scoring a crucial goal to bail Manchester City out of trouble.
Related: Erling Haaland settles thriller for Manchester City to end RB Leipzig resistance
Stay tuned for all the various match reports, plus a bit of reaction. The Champions League rarely fails to deliver and tonight has been no exception.
It’s not often a ding-dong 3-2 win for Manchester City against one of the Bundesliga big hitters in the Champions League gets overshadowed, but that Como result ought to attract the attention of headline writers everywhere.
The other story tonight is a narrow win for Arsenal over Slavia Prague, when many expected Mikel Arteta’s side to run in a few goals. The Gunners boss will argue the three points are all that matter, especially after a tough assignment at Anfield last weekend.
Full time scores
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Betis
Lens 1-9 Como
PSV 1-2 Club Brugge
Porto 4-1 Napoli
RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City
Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal
Viking 4-1 Sabah
That Como result will grab the headlines, and rightly so,
Como have made history tonight, that’s for sure.
Updated
Teenager Matteo Papaccioli makes it NINE goals for Como. It’s 9-1 in Lens. Utterly ridiculous.
And it’s 4-1 to Viking against Sabah after a comedy of defensive errors from the team from Azerbaijan.
Updated
Dortmund are clinging on a tad against Real Betis, but a win would cap a very good week for the Black and Yellows, after they secured a creditable draw away at Bayern Munich in Der Klassiker.
Dortmund are joint top in the Bundesliga and will move onto nine points in the Champions League group stage if they see this one through.
GOAL! Porto 4-1 Napoli (Aghehowam 90+1)
Samu Aghehowa slots home a penalty to crown a very good night for Porto, with Spanish defender Rafa Marín sent off for the foul that conceding the spot-kick.
Porto have their first Champions League win of the campaign and will join Napoli on three points after four games. Will Max Allegri soon be under pressure, given Napoli’s underwhelming start to the season?
GOAL! Slavia Prague 1-2 Arsenal (Nowak, 90+1)
David Raya had made a couple of good saves to keep Slavia at bay, but he’s helpless to prevent his one, as Arsenal concede a sloppy goal that stemmed from a long throw in. Wiktor Nowak profits, shooting into an empty net … although VAR are checking it.
It stands. A nervy finish awaits for the Gunners.
Updated
Around five minutes still to play in these games. We’ve had so many goals, will we be blessed by even more in added time?
Can Leipzig haul themselves off the proverbial canvas for one last haymaker in the direction of Manchester City? The scoreline tonight is harsh on the Bundesliga outfit, City have been wobbling at times, but the visitors have been clinical when presented with chances.
I wouldn’t bet against another goal, either way, in this game.
It’s now 3-1 Viking against the 10 men of Sabah – and it’s a good night for Norwegians across the board. Henrik Falchener has netted for Viking, after Haaland and Nusa struck in the Leipzig v City game.
Como are still 8-1 up against Lens, by the way. They’ve clearly taken their foot off the gas. Poor really.
GOAL! Porto 3-1 Napoli (Kiwior, 80)
Is that the game signed, sealed and delivered for Porto?
Napoli have been vulnerable from set-pieces, and it’s ex-Arsenal man Jakub Kiwior who punishes the Italian side here, a good header from Hwang In-Beom’s cross.
Forgive me for stating the obvious, but Elliot Anderson is just a wonderful midfield player you know. Worth every penny of that £116m fee.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 2-3 Manchester City (Haaland, 78)
Superb football from Manchester City, with a flowing move capped by Erling Haaland, who slides in at the back post to convert Elliot Anderson’s fine cross.
It was an awesome driving run from the England midfielder to set it all up. Haaland, formerly of the Red Bull stable, has hit Leipzig where it hurts.
Updated
Sabah are now down to 10 men against Viking, against whom they trail 2-1, despite taking the lead. A win here would take the Norwegians to four points from four games, which would be a fair effort.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Betis (Karetsas, 72)
Oh that’s an error from the Betis keeper I’m afraid. Álvaro Valles will feel he should have saved that shot from Dortmund substitute Karetsas – not that the Yellow Wall will care as BVB celebrate restoring their lead.
Can they hold onto it? Betis were good value for the draw, and I’d expect them to come again.
I feel like the Como nonsense is distracting from the serious business of the other games, many of which are still on a knife-edge going into the final stages.
Leipzig and City are locked at 2-2, and that’s one to really keep an eye on.
Como have scored an eighth goal, would you believe. Baturina joins the fun. This is getting ridiculously out of hand, actually. Lens 1-8 (EIGHT) Como.
Updated
GOAL! Porto 2-1 Napoli (Veiga, 73)
Gabri Veiga scores for Porto. Could the Portuguese side be heading for their first win of the group stage? That one means a heck of a lot.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-1 Real Betis (Ruibal, 67)
A big goal for Betis in the Westfalenstadion! Aitor Ruibal hasn’t been on the pitch for very long but he’s levelled things up for the Spanish outfit, who continue to impress in the Champions League this season.
That Lens goal v Como:
(For Oscar, see Ruben Aguilar)
Lens have scored! Sound the alarm! It’s 7-1 now.
And in the Viking v Sabah game, the Norwegian side have taken the lead to make it 2-1, with Zlatko Tripic scoring the rebound after his initial penalty was saved.
GOAL! PSV 1-2 Club Brugge (Forbs, 65)
Brugge are back in front against PSV – another team to quickly respond to losing their lead. Carlos Forbs, formerly of Wolves, has got the goal this time.
Updated
Liverpool and Real Madrid’s 8-0 victories over Beşiktaş and Malmö respectively stand as the Champions League’s biggest winning margins. Both records now could be in danger.
7-0 to Como. Although this one will be checked for offside. Fabregas has taken some big players off but the substitute Mattia Liberali, 19, has scored … and yes it will count. There’s still 27 minutes plus added time remaining in this game. Surely you now head for the exit if you’re a Lens fan?
Updated
Antonio Nusa is some footballer, by the way. If you’re looking for your next major import to the Premier League from the Leipzig talent factory – a la Benjamin Sesko, Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku et al – the Norwegian winger is a very solid bet.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 2-2 Manchester City (Nusa, 61)
What a game this is! City’s lead does not last long this time as Leipzig work it to Antonio Nusa on the left side of the box, and he does not disappoint with a low left-footed finish.
Enzo Maresca’s side look suddenly porous at the back and Leipzig have what they deserve … again.
Updated
6-0 to Como. I can’t keep up. Douvikas completes his hat-trick, and takes his UCL season’s tally to six in the process. This could be a cricket score. It’s already a tennis score.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 1-2 Manchester City (Fernández, 58)
City have restored their lead in no time! Ndiaye teases home a superb cross that was begging to be met … and Enzo Fernández is the man! He powers home a clinical headed finish.
Updated
Honestly, Como are making a mockery of this competition – or maybe just of Lens. It’s now 5-0 to Fabregas’s fantastic team, Marc-Oliver Kempf getting in on the act. A classic case of getting in on the act, actually.
GOAL! PSV 1-1 Club Brugge (Sano, 54)
This has been another really enjoyable game, from the bits I’ve seen, and PSV have found a fortunate equaliser via Japanese international midfielder Kodai Sano. He squeezed home after an almighty deflection.
GOAL! Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Real Betis (Silva, 49)
After a watchable but goalless first half, the breakthrough at Signal Iduna Park arrives for the home side, with Fabio Silva scoring a poacher’s goal after Jobe Bellingham’s shot was blocked in the box.
Real Betis’s perfect Champions League record this season is now at serious risk. As it stands, only PSG and Real Madrid will have four wins under their belts.
Updated
This is probably a case of speaking way too soon, but it’s been refreshing not to see too many fastidious VAR checks for handball or other types of dubious penalty shout. The early rounds of this Champions League group stage were riddled with such occurrences.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 1-1 Manchester City (Baku, 49)
That was coming! Another rapid Leipzig breaks sees the white shirts flood forward and this time Donnarumma is at fault. Somehow he’s let a cross from Ridle Baku in at the near post … talk about from hero to zero!
He should have done a lot better with that, it was simple fare for elite goalkeepers, usually gobbled up.
It’s an absolute procession for Como in Lens as Da Cunha drills home from Nico Paz’s pass to make it 4-0. This Italian team have come to play in this season’s Champions League. Lens are done.
What a save from Donnarumma to deny Christoph Baumgartner. That shot was bound for the top right corner before the Italian sprung high and got an important fingertip to it.
Leipzig are growing a little frustrated that their attacking efforts have had no reward thus far.
Manchester City are lucky to be ahead in Leipzig, and you sense they will have to step up in the second half to avoid another winless 90 minutes. They cannot seem to get Erling Haaland in the game, chances for any of their forwards in fact have been scant.
Arsenal’s opponents are more lightweight than Leipzig, but still the Gunners’ sharpness going forward has been notable, despite Mikel Arteta resting the likes of Kai Havertz, Martin Ødegaard and Christos Tzolis so far.
The second halves are mostly under way around Europe. Let’s get into the updates again.
Here are the reports from the earlier games.
Related: Muriqi caps Fenerbahce comeback to make Liverpool pay for defensive lapses
Related: Valverde’s late winner breaks AEK Athens hearts as Real Madrid twice come from behind
Half-time scores
Borussia Dortmund 0-0 Real Betis
Lens 0-3 Como
PSV 0-1 Club Brugge
Porto 1-1 Napoli
RB Leipzig 0-1 Manchester City
Slavia Prague 0-2 Arsenal
Viking 1-1 Sabah
And right there, after a hectic 45 minutes typing, I shall take the shortest of breaks! Plenty more fun to be had in the second halves.
Updated
The half-time whistles are starting to sound. We’ll round up all the scores soon.
GOAL! Porto 1-1 Napoli (McTominay, 43)
Napoli had wasted a couple of chances to get level in Porto but Scott McTominay – who else? – has found an equaliser a few minutes before half-time. A great reactive rebound effort from the former Manchester United man.
Updated
Paz paid tribute to Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel with a t-shirt showing the player’s image, after scoring his goal. Paz grew up on Tenerife and was part of the club’s academy for two years as a boy.
3-0 to Como in Lens. Nico Paz. Cesc Fabregas is clearly the greatest football coach to have ever graced our good game.
GOAL! RB Leipzig 0-1 Manchester City (Lukeba OG, 37)
City haven’t been at their scintillating best against Leipzig so far, but they’ve been handed the lead by an awful own goal by Castello Lukeba. There were a million things he could have done with Nico O’Reilly’s cutback … other than to bundle it into his own net.
Updated
GOAL! Slavia Prague 0-2 Arsenal (Gyökeres, 38)
Just when I thought I may be wrong about Arsenal in my earlier post, with the Slavia defence seemingly holding up well, Viktor Gyökeres slides one into the far corner after nice interplay with Mikel Merino. Two-nil and it will probably be more before long.
Updated
Douvikas is now out on his own as the top-scorer in this season’s Champions League so far, with five goals.
Tresoldi of Club Brugge is there on four alongside a tranche of star names, including Ballon D’Or’s Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Dortmund hitman Guirassy and Roma’s Donyell Malen.
We’ll keep tabs on that.
Como have doubled their lead at Lens! Douvikas nets his second of the evening for Cesc Fabregas’s side, who are seriously enjoying life in the Champions League, aren’t they? (0-2)
This isn’t Champions League-related, but a quick check of how West Ham are faring in their first game after sacking Nuno Espírito Santo and appointing Scott Parker … and they are 3-0 down at Cardiff City.
Jack Moylan has bagged a hat-trick for the Bluebirds. Perhaps there will be no quick fix for the Hammers.
Updated
Viking have levelled at home to Sabah, with Erik Botheim scoring an improvised volley. It’s 1-1 in Norway.
GOAL! PSV 0-1 Club Brugge (Tresoldi, 25)
Club Brugge have broken the deadlock in Eindhoven, and it’s their star striker Nicolò Tresoldi with a timely header. The young forward has been scoring by the boatload this season so it’s no surprise to see his name on the scoresheet.
Updated
It’s still goalless between Borussia Dortmund and Real Betis but that appears to be the most open and even contest of this batch of fixtures, based on the opening exchanges. Both teams have squandered big chances, and there’s been that disallowed Antony strike. (0-0)
RB Leipzig have been able to put together some very fast counterattacks to trouble Manchester City in the opening 20 minutes in Germany. That City midfield looks a little light tonight, with Elliot Anderson being asked to cover a lot of ground.
City have failed to win their past three games in 90 minutes, remember. (0-0)
Updated
“VAR in Europe drives me crazy,” exclaims Steve McManaman on TNT Sports, before changing tack and saying “good lad, well done” after a check for a handball in the Lens v Como goal is waved away. It would have been a framkly ludicrous penalty decision.
Arsenal are peppering the Slavia Prague goal in these early stages. After getting that goal, the Gunners should find plenty of joy, with the hosts forced to push out and play a bit. I should be utterly stunned if Arsenal don’t score at least three or four.
Antony thinks he’s scored for Real Betis at Dortmund after being found by Troy Parrott… VAR has a long old check of it. No goal. The former Manchester United player’s goal drought goes on.
I’m afraid I don’t have the bandwidth to stay across Viking v Sabah with detailed updates, but the visitors have opened the scoring via Gabonese forward Orphé Mbina. (0-1)
GOAL! Porto 1-0 Napoli (Bednarek, 11)
Porto are winless so far in this season’s Champions League but they are ahead inside 11 minutes at home to Napoli. A simple header from Jan Bednarek from a corner gets the home fans going at the Estádio do Dragão.
Updated
Madueke looks like a player reborn this season, doesn’t he? Surely he will feature in Thomas Tuchel’s England squad later this month? The winger has found a clinical touch in front of goal, which was so often a criticism levelled at him.
GOAL! Slavia Prague 0-1 Arsenal (Madueke, 9)
Arsenal follow suit after some less-than-impressive Slavia Prague defending. A long ball downfield is not defended, before Noni Madueke is slipped in by Viktor Gyökeres… and slips it past the goalkeeper.
Updated
GOAL! Lens 0-1 Como (Douvikas, 7)
And there is the first goal! Como are making a mockery of their ‘Champions League debutants’ tag this season. Anastasios Douvikas has turned in after a well-worked short corner was eventually nodded down in the box.
Updated
Serhou Guirassy has a sensational scoring record in the Champions League for Borussia Dortmund and he might have done better with an early chance, failing to latch on to Julian Ryerson’s cross from the right.
We’re still goalless across the board after around 6 minutes.
It’s a night for Premier League teams to be taking on teams managed by their former players. After Dirk Kuyt downed Liverpool earlier on, can Martin Demichelis do something similar to his old side Manchester City? The former Argentina centre-back is in charge of RB Leipzig these days.
KICK OFF
Whistles are sounded around Europe to signal the start of tonight’s late action! We’ll bring you all the goals as they go in …
All the grounds have held a minute’s silence in memory of Jesús de Miguel, the Tenerife striker who tragically died at the age of 30 after he suffered a cardiac arrest following an on-field collision.
Updated
Mikel Arteta has been speaking to TNT Sports before kick-off in Prague.
“We need everybody, everybody has a big impact on the team,” he says on his decision to rotate his lineup. “We know the patterns we’re going to have tonight against this opponent.”
On whether William Saliba could feature off the bench, he says: “Let’s see how the game pans out. He’s only had a couple of sessions with us, let’s be patient.”
I know I just posted the table, but honestly making sense of the maelstrom that is the middle of that table is impossible after four games. The key figures are 16 points, which was enough to qualify for the top eight last season; and 9 points, which may just about get you into the top 24, and thus the playoff round.
It was 11 points for the top 24 in 2024/25, mind you. Manchester United – beware.
Here’s how we now stand:
Full-time scores in earlier games
AEK Athens 2-3 Real Madrid
Fenerbahce 3-2 Liverpool
Two really entertaining affairs in which the less-fancied host looked set to clinch a result against the odds – until Fede Valverde scored in stoppage time to seal three points for Real Madrid, preserving their perfect start to this Champions League group stage, and breaking Athenian hearts. Only the Spanish giants and PSG have won four from four now.
Liverpool had three consecutive wins before tonight, but despite leading twice against Fenerbahce, they were pegged back and then stunned by Vedat Muriqi’s winner. It’s a famous night for former Liverpool favourite Dirk Kuyt, now in charge of Fenerbahce.
If the later games can be anything like these two in terms of entertainment value we’re all in for a cracking couple of hours. Strangely, Real Betis have the chance to join Real Madrid and PSG on top of the pile, if they win in Dortmund.
In more logical news, Kylian Mbappé has found the net for Real Madrid, so Mourinho’s men could still dig themselves out of an almighty Champions League hole.
Not many would have put money on neither Liverpool nor Madrid winning their games this evening, mind. Less than 10 minutes remaining in both.
3-2 Fener. Goodness me. It’s bedlam in Istanbul. What’s happened to Liverpool in the past few minutes?
Scratch that, Fenerbahce get themselves quickly level – as they did in the first half. This time Gakpo is at fault, and Archie Brown profits for the Turkish side. (2-2)
And big big news in Athens … AEK have scored! Stavros Pilios smashes home after a quick counterattack. Good grief, could Real Madrid really lose to the lowly Greek outfit? (2-1)
A potentially big goal for Liverpool: Alexander Isak jumps straight off the substitutes’ bench to nod Andoni Iraola’s men ahead in Istanbul. Good play from fellow sub Cody Gakpo to stand up a delicious cross that was waiting to be headed home. (1-2)
No such luck for Real Madrid in Athens, although José Mourinho has brought on Endrick and Federico Valverde in search of a winner. (1-1)
A couple of Arsenal-related reads for you, as we count down to kick-off in the Czech capital. Can the Gunners reach 10 points from their first four games of the Champions League?
A win tonight would do just that.
(Saliba is on the bench tonight, by the way, after Arteta talked up a possible return.)
Related: Arsenal have everything they need to repeat as Premier League champions | Jonathan Wilson
Related: Arteta backs Saliba’s readiness to return for Arsenal at Slavia Prague
Speaking of AEK Athens … the Greek champions are holding Real Madrid 1-1 after roughly an hour. Jude Bellingham scored a STUNNING flick for Los Blancos – do check that out on the ol’ socials. And Liverpool are still locked at the same scoreline with Fenerbahce. The big boys not having everything their own way as it stands in those early games.
City have made five changes from the team Enzo Maresca picked at the weekend, which lost 1-0 at home to Brighton. Nico O’Reilly hasn’t been a regular this season so it will be interesting to see how he fares at left-back, especially from an England perspective with the youngster still favoured in that role by Thomas Tuchel, though under pressure from Newcastle’s Lewis Hall.
Phil Foden, who comes in for Jérémy Doku, will be another player keen to impress the England boss. Three of Foden’s four goals in all competitions this season came in a single Champions League game against AEK Athens last month.
Updated
Team news from selected games
RB Leipzig v Manchester City
RB Leipzig: Vandevoordt; Baku, Orban, Lukeba, Raum; Banzuzo, El Aynaoui, Baumgartner; Gruda, Nusa, Rômulo.
Man City: Donnarumma; Nunes, Khusanov, Guéhi, O’Reilly; Anderson, Fernández; Ndiaye, Cherki, Foden; Haaland.
Slavia Prague v Arsenal
Slavia: Domchak; Holes, Zima, Vicek; Nowak, Moses, Sadilek, Kublak; Ayaosi, Suleiman, Sturm.
Arsenal: Raya; White, Konsa, Gabriel, Hincapié; Zubimendi, Rice, Merino; Madueke, Eze, Gyökeres.
Other games
Elsewhere, the Como team lining up at Lens looking for their third victory in the Champions League includes the superstar attacker Nico Paz, with ex-Newcastle man Florian Thauvin the man to watch for Lens. Meanwhile in-form Dortmund include Jobe Bellingham and Fabio Silva in their lineup to take on Antony’s Real Betis at the Westfalenstadion.
Updated
It’s 1-1 at half-time in Istanbul after a deflected strike apiece for Fenerbahce and Liverpool.
Related: Fenerbahce v Liverpool: Champions League – live
Preamble
For all the valid arguments against the Champions League group phase using a ‘Swiss model’ – and there are many – it has at least produced an entertaining spectacle, with the bigger teams facing each other more regularly and the games, especially this season, producing lots of goals. Last night Manchester United discovered a new brand of chaos-ball to take centre stage, and take some heat off Michael Carrick, while Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain reminded us all why they are considered two of the favourites for the trophy, scoring nine goals between them.
Tonight, it’s the turn of Manchester City and Arsenal, who are away at RB Leipzig and Slavia Prague respectively, with both expected to win and win well. Even away from the English teams, there are some interesting ties: Borussia Dortmund v Real Betis and Porto v Napoli stand out as having the potential to thrill, and there’s also Lens v Como, PSV v Club Brugge and the titans of Viking meeting the giants of Sabah.
In the mean-time, Fenerbahce v Liverpool is ongoing – follow updates of that right here, as is AEK Athens v Real Madrid. We’ll follow those two games til their conclusion before getting stuck into the 8pm (GMT) games.
So that’s tonight’s football. Watch it – well, some of it. Or follow along on tonight’s clockwatch to keep tabs on pretty much all of it. We’ll bring you some of the team news headlines next.
