Chelsea's Estevao (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring their second goal during the UEFA Champions League league-phase football match between Chelsea and Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, London, U.K., Nov. 25, 2025. (AFP Photo)Major squad rotations, costly defensive errors and a dazzling solo strike from Chelsea’s 18-year-old prodigy define a night of setbacks for European heavyweights
Chelsea’s rising star Estevão delivered a standout performance on Tuesday as Barcelona and Manchester City endured damaging defeats on a turbulent Champions League night marked by sweeping lineup changes and critical lapses at both ends of the pitch.
At Stamford Bridge, Chelsea produced one of their most complete performances of the campaign, comfortably dismantling 10-man Barcelona 3–0 to secure a third league-phase win and strengthen their push toward the competition’s summit. Barcelona’s evening unravelled early, beginning with Jules Koundé’s own goal in the 27th minute after a chaotic goalmouth scramble. Matters worsened just before halftime when defender Ronald Araújo received a second yellow card for a forceful challenge on Marc Cucurella, leaving the visitors to play the remainder of the match a man down.
Chelsea capitalized with authority. Five minutes into the second half, Estevão delivered the moment of the match—holding off two defenders before powering through to score a brilliant individual goal that electrified the home crowd. Liam Delap sealed the victory in the 73rd minute with a composed close-range finish, further tightening the pressure on Barcelona coach Hansi Flick, whose side has now lost four of its last ten matches across all competitions and sits mired in 15th place in the league-phase standings.
Manchester City, meanwhile, endured a frustrating evening in Germany as Pep Guardiola’s 100th Champions League match in charge yielded an unexpected 2–0 defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. Guardiola made ten changes from the team that lost to Newcastle over the weekend, including leaving Erling Haaland on the bench. The heavily rotated side never settled, and Leverkusen’s rapid counterattacks cut them open repeatedly.
Alejandro Grimaldo struck first with a precise low finish into the far corner in the 23rd minute, and Patrik Schick doubled the lead early in the second half with a towering header. The loss denied City an opportunity to move to the top of the standings, leaving the top three places unchanged ahead of matches involving Bayern Munich, Arsenal and Inter Milan.
Dortmund and Chelsea both climbed to ten points after their respective victories, joining Manchester City in a tightly bunched chasing pack, while Juventus made strides of their own. The Italian side edged Bodo/Glimt 3–2 in the Arctic Circle, needing a stoppage-time rebound goal from Jonathan David after the Norwegian hosts equalized late. Substitute Kenan Yıldız played a key role, influencing all three Juventus goals.
Elsewhere, Jose Mourinho celebrated his first Champions League triumph with Benfica, as Samuel Dahl’s thunderous sixth-minute volley set the tone for a controlled 2–0 win over struggling Ajax. The Dutch side, meeting Benfica in a clash between the bottom two teams in the pre-match standings, extended its woeful run with a fifth straight group-stage defeat.
Marseille overturned a deficit to beat Newcastle 2–1, driven by a quickfire brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the start of the second half. Borussia Dortmund returned to winning ways emphatically with a 4–0 rout of 10-man Villarreal thanks to a brace from Serhou Guirassy. Union Saint-Gilloise earned a hard-fought 1–0 victory over an injury-stricken Galatasaray side missing top scorer Victor Osimhen and reduced to ten men following Arda Ünyay’s dismissal.
Napoli secured a 2–0 win against Qarabağ, with Scott McTominay opening the scoring before a frightening moment in which a powerful shot struck Kevin Medina, who appeared briefly unconscious and was substituted as a precaution. Supporters at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium also held tributes marking the fifth anniversary of the club icon’s passing.
Athletic Bilbao’s 0–0 draw with Slavia Prague left both teams outside the qualification positions after five matches, rounding off a dramatic night in which European giants faltered and emerging contenders seized opportunity.
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