Goncalo Ramos struck in the 90th minute to give Paris Saint-Germain a dramatic 2-1 win over Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday, sending a strong message in their title defense.
Despite missing key attackers Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG came from behind at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys to secure a vital away victory over one of their main rivals for the trophy.
Ferran Torres had given Barcelona the lead in the 19th minute, but Senny Mayulu leveled for the visitors before halftime. Substitute Lee Kang-in nearly put PSG ahead, striking the post late on, but Ramos ultimately sealed the win after being set up by Achraf Hakimi.
“It doesn’t matter who plays — attitude and effort are non-negotiable,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique after the match.
The win makes it two out of two for PSG, who are aiming to become just the second team after Real Madrid to retain the Champions League in its current format.
Barcelona, meanwhile, were also missing key names like Raphinha and started Robert Lewandowski on the bench. Coach Hansi Flick admitted PSG were the better team on the night. “We are disappointed, the fans are disappointed. We have to accept that we were beaten, but work on getting better,” he said.
Haaland scores twice but Man City held by Monaco
Erling Haaland continued his impressive Champions League scoring run with two goals in Manchester City`s 2-2 draw away to Monaco. The Norwegian striker has now netted 52 goals in just 50 Champions League appearances.
City appeared on course for a win until a 90th-minute penalty, converted by Eric Dier, denied them all three points.
“It isn’t good enough,” Haaland said. “We have to try to win the next game. It is the only thing we can do.”
Hojlund stars for Napoli in win over Sporting Lisbon
Rasmus Hojlund is enjoying a resurgence with Napoli after a difficult spell at Manchester United. The Danish forward scored twice to give the Italian side a 2-1 win over Sporting Lisbon, making it three goals in five appearances for his new club.
Both goals were set up by former Manchester City playmaker Kevin De Bruyne.
Arsenal maintain perfect record with win over Olympiakos
Arsenal continued their strong start in Europe with a 2-0 win over Olympiakos, thanks to goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka. The Gunners have now kept six clean sheets in nine matches this season and remain unbeaten in the group stage.
Woltemade shines again as Newcastle rout Union SG
Nick Woltemade is quickly becoming a fan favorite at Newcastle, scoring his third goal in four starts during a 4-0 win over Union Saint-Gilloise. Signed from Stuttgart to replace Alexander Isak, the young striker is showing early signs of promise.
Anthony Gordon netted two penalties and Harvey Barnes added a late fourth in a dominant display.
Juventus held to 2-2 draw by Villarreal
Juventus were involved in another entertaining European clash, drawing 2-2 away at Villarreal. Renato Veiga, who was on loan at Juve last season, scored a late equalizer for the Spanish side.
The result follows their 4-4 thriller with Borussia Dortmund in the previous round.
Other results:
Dortmund 4-1 Athletic Bilbao – A convincing win for the Bundesliga side.
Leverkusen 1-1 PSV Eindhoven – Xabi Alonso’s side drop points at home.
Qarabag 2-0 Copenhagen – Qarabag maintain a perfect start, with goals from Abdellah Zoubir and Emmanuel Addai.