Champions League rains goals as Barcelona hit six, PSG, Arsenal run riot

On Tuesday, 21 October 2025, the UEFA Champions League saw an extraordinary night of action with a staggering 43 goals across nine matches. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) led the charge with seven goals, while Barcelona and PSV Eindhoven each scored six in commanding victories. Arsenal also made headlines, thrashing Atlético Madrid 4-0.

Manchester City secured a 2-0 win at Villarreal, with Erling Haaland among the scorers. However, PSG stole the spotlight with a 7-2 demolition of Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.

Gyökeres Breaks Drought

Inter Milan and Arsenal also maintained perfect records after three matches. Inter cruised to a 4-0 win at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels, with Denzel Dumfries and Lautaro Martínez scoring late in the first half, followed by a Hakan Çalhanoğlu penalty and a goal from Pio Esposito.

Arsenal, the Premier League leaders, dominated Atlético Madrid 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium, securing three consecutive clean sheets in Europe this season. Gabriel opened the scoring in the second half, followed by Gabriel Martinelli, and Viktor Gyökeres, who ended a seven-match goal drought with a brace. “Hopefully, this is the start of a beautiful sequence,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta of the Swedish striker.

Haaland Strikes Again

Haaland scored for Manchester City against Villarreal, with Bernardo Silva adding a second before half-time, taking Pep Guardiola’s side to seven points. Haaland’s remarkable form continues, with 15 goals in 11 appearances across all competitions this season. “Things are looking good; we’re playing better day by day,” Guardiola told Movistar.

Borussia Dortmund defeated FC Copenhagen 4-2, with Felix Nmecha scoring twice, Ramy Bensebaini converting a penalty, and Fábio Silva also on the scoresheet. Copenhagen replied with an own goal by Waldemar Anton and a late strike from Viktor Dadason, but they remain winless in the league phase.

Barcelona, after losing to PSG in their last outing, rebounded with a 6-1 thrashing of Olympiacos at Montjuïc. Fermín López starred with a hat-trick, Lamine Yamal scored a penalty, and Marcus Rashford netted twice. Ayoub El Kaabi’s penalty was Olympiacos’ only consolation, worsened by Santiago Hezze’s red card.

Newcastle United secured a 3-0 win over Benfica at St James’ Park, with Anthony Gordon scoring early and Harvey Barnes adding a second-half brace. José Mourinho’s Benfica remain the only team without points after three matches.

PSV Eindhoven stunned Italian champions Napoli with a 6-2 home win. Despite Scott McTominay giving Napoli an early lead, an Alessandro Buongiorno own goal and strikes from Ismael Saibari, Dennis Man (twice), Ricardo Pepi, and Couhaib Driouech sealed the rout. McTominay scored again for Napoli, who saw Lorenzo Lucca sent off.

For PSG, Désiré Doué netted twice in the first half, alongside goals from Willian Pacho and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Leverkusen’s Alejandro Grimaldo missed a penalty, while Aleix García scored from the spot. Both teams were reduced to ten men after Robert Andrich (Leverkusen) and Illia Zabarnyi (PSG) received red cards. Nuno Mendes added PSG’s fifth goal after the break, with García pulling one back for Leverkusen to make it 5-2. Ousmane Dembélé, returning from injury and making his first appearance since winning the Ballon d’Or, scored the sixth, and Vitinha sealed the rout late on.

The night’s only goalless match saw Kairat Almaty and Pafos of Cyprus draw 0-0 in Kazakhstan.