Paris Saint-Germain’s turbulent UEFA Champions League campaign took another damaging turn on Wednesday night as they suffered a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid at home. The defeat, sealed by a last-minute winner, leaves PSG struggling in the group stage and currently in the elimination zone.
PSG had taken the lead through Warren Zaïre-Emery’s early goal, but Atlético responded swiftly with Nahuel Molina equalizing in the first half. As the game seemed destined for a draw, Atlético’s Ángel Correa struck three minutes into added time to hand his side the win. With just four points from four matches, PSG now sit in 25th place in the 36-team league, six points adrift of their Ligue 1 rivals Monaco and Brest, while Atlético moved up to six points, escaping the danger zone.
PSG now face tough upcoming fixtures away to Bayern Munich and RB Salzburg, and once again, they were left lamenting missed opportunities. PSG midfielder Vitinha summed up the frustration: “We tried and tried, right up to the last minute. Unfortunately, we conceded a goal on their last chance. Would things be easier with a real centre-forward? Well, you never know. That’s our game plan. We’ll get better at it.”
Bayern Munich responded to their disappointing 4-1 loss at Barcelona with a 1-0 victory over Benfica. Jamal Musiala was the hero, scoring the game’s only goal in the 67th minute with a powerful header from close range. Bayern dominated the match but struggled to find the breakthrough until Musiala’s header. The win lifts Bayern into 17th place, level on points with Benfica, who remain in 19th and failed to threaten in attack.
Barcelona secured a dominant 5-2 win over Red Star Belgrade in Serbia, with Robert Lewandowski scoring twice. Lewandowski netted his 17th and 18th goals of the season, further cementing his reputation as one of Europe’s top forwards. His brace helped Barça extend their winning streak to seven matches in all competitions. Red Star’s Silas briefly leveled the score after Iñigo Martínez’s header, but Lewandowski restored the lead before halftime, adding another after the break, with Raphinha and Fermín López completing the rout. The victory moved Barcelona to sixth in the standings.
Brest continued their impressive debut in the Champions League with a 2-1 victory over Sparta Prague. Edimilson Fernandes gave them the lead, and Kaan Kairinen’s own goal doubled their advantage before Sparta’s Victor Olatunji pulled one back in stoppage time.
Atalanta remained unbeaten in this year’s competition with a 2-0 win over Stuttgart. Second-half goals from Ademola Lookman and Nicolò Zaniolo sealed the victory, with Lookman scoring the opener in the 51st minute and Zaniolo adding a second two minutes from time. The win extended Atalanta’s unbeaten streak to eight matches, while Stuttgart’s impressive home record was ended.
RB Salzburg secured their first victory of the campaign with a 3-1 win over Feyenoord, who were reduced to 10 men after Chris-Kévin Nadje’s red card. Karim Konate scored twice, once before and once after the break, and Daouda Guindo added a third after Feyenoord had pulled one back through Anis Hadj-Moussa.
Finally, Shakhtar Donetsk claimed their first win of the group stage with a 2-1 victory over Young Boys in a ‘home’ tie played in Gelsenkirchen. The Swiss side’s struggles continued as they remain winless after four matches, currently languishing at the bottom of the group.
As the group stage heats up, several teams face pivotal matches to secure their progression, with PSG now at a crossroads and Bayern, Barcelona, and others continuing their push for knockout-stage qualification.
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