Champions League, Matchday 3: PSG defeats Barcelona, five teams remain undefeated
Posted on 10/24/26 at 13:39
The third matchday of the Champions League 2026-27 left a significant impact in Paris: PSG defeated Barcelona 4-2 at the Parc des Princes, handing them their first loss of the season. Following the matches on Tuesday, October 20, and Wednesday, October 21, 2026, only five teams remain undefeated: PSG, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Real Betis.
- PSG scored three goals from the 72nd minute onward and defeated Barcelona 4-2, Barcelona's first loss of the season.
- PSG, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid, and Real Betis have 9 points and are the only teams with a perfect record, according to the ESPN standings.
- Matchday 4 will take place on Tuesday, November 3, and Wednesday, November 4, with games at 12:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET.
Why it matters: With five matchdays remaining, no team is mathematically qualified or eliminated. The top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, and teams 9-24 will play a preliminary playoff, so every point counts in a tight classification.
PSG-Barcelona: six goals and a decisive five-minute finish
PSG took a 1-0 lead into halftime with Doué's goal in the 38th minute, and Barcelona trailed for the first time this season. Xavi Espart tied the game at 55', but Lucas Hernández put the hosts back ahead with a header at 72'. Lamine Yamal equalized again at 79', although PSG closed out the game in five minutes: Vitinha scored with a shot from outside the area at 81', and Fabián Ruiz made it 4-2 at 86'.
According to ESPN and AP, goalkeeper Joan García prevented a more significant rout. Additionally, Dembélé was injured in the 20th minute and had to leave the game.
Other major matches of the day
Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal. Villarreal took a 0-2 lead at Anfield with goals from Mikautadze (4') and Sergi Cardona (29'). Mac Allister scored with a header at 36', Ronald Araujo tied the game with another header at 45+2', and Mac Allister (65') and Florian Wirtz (68') completed the comeback. Oluwaseyi narrowed the gap at 87'. Rio Ngumoha, 18, provided two assists, and Liverpool remains undefeated.
Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal. At the Allianz Arena, Eze put Arsenal ahead (25'), Alphonso Davies tied the game with an assist from Harry Kane (35'), Kane put Bayern ahead with a penalty (61'), and Declan Rice equalized at 82'. The draw ended Arsenal's streak of 14 consecutive wins in the Champions League group stage. Saka was injured in the 10th minute and had to leave the game.
Real Madrid 4-1 RB Leipzig. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring at 43' with his first goal for Madrid, and Arda Güler extended the lead at 52'. Mbappé scored his 12th goal of the season at 83', and Gomis narrowed the gap for Leipzig at 85'. Yan Diomande, a former Leipzig player, closed out the scoring with a volley at 87'. Madrid remains undefeated.
Como 4-1 Manchester United. Argentine Nico Paz scored a double (2' and 57'), and Douvikas (49') and Jacobo Ramón (76') completed the rout. Zirkzee scored a consolation goal at 90+1'. According to AP, United has now gone seven games without a win in all competitions.
Manchester City 5-1 AEK Athens. Phil Foden scored a hat-trick (34', 65', and 76'). Elliot Anderson scored his first goal for the club (12'), and Rayan Cherki made it 5-0 (57'). Pilios scored the Greek team's only goal at 52'. Haaland did not play and was left on the bench as a precaution.
Champions League standings
According to ESPN, PSG leads with a +9 goal difference, tied with Aston Villa in second place, followed by Liverpool and Real Madrid (+5 each) and Real Betis (+3), all with 9 points. Stuttgart and Arsenal have 7 points. With 6 points are Barcelona (8th), Como, Manchester City, Club Brugge, Sporting Portugal, and Borussia Dortmund. Bayern Munich is 14th with 5 points, Roma 15th with 4, and Atlético Madrid 16th, also with 4. Inter Milan (20th), Manchester United (21st), and Napoli (22nd) have 3 points, while Porto, Lille, and Slovan Bratislava are at the bottom of the standings without points.
| # | Team | PJ | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 9 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +9 | 9 |
| 3 | Liverpool | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 9 |
| 4 | Real Madrid | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +5 | 9 |
| 5 | Real Betis | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | +3 | 9 |
| 6 | VfB Stuttgart | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +5 | 7 |
| 7 | Arsenal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | +4 | 7 |
| 8 | Barcelona | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 9 | Como | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +5 | 6 |
| 10 | Manchester City | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +4 | 6 |
| 11 | Club Brugge | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 12 | Sporting Portugal | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +3 | 6 |
| 13 | Borussia Dortmund | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 6 |
| 14 | Bayern Munich | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | +5 | 5 |
| 15 | AS Roma | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +3 | 4 |
| 16 | Atlético Madrid | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 17 | Shakhtar Donetsk | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | +1 | 4 |
| 18 | PSV Eindhoven | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 19 | Villarreal | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 20 | Inter Milan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 21 | Manchester United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
| 22 | Napoli | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 3 |
| 23 | Galatasaray | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 24 | LASK Linz | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 25 | Sabah FK | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -3 | 3 |
| 26 | Feyenoord | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 3 |
| 27 | Lens | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -4 | 3 |
| 28 | Bodo/Glimt | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 3 |
| 29 | AEK Athens | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 3 |
| 30 | RB Leipzig | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 3 |
| 31 | Fenerbahce | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | -6 | 2 |
| 32 | Slavia Prague | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -3 | 1 |
| 33 | Viking FK | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 1 |
| 34 | FC Porto | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -4 | 0 |
| 35 | Lille | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 0 |
| 36 | Slovan Bratislava | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | -12 | 0 |
Green: direct to round of 16 (1-8). Yellow: preliminary playoff (9-24). Red: elimination zone (25-36). Standings after matchday 3.
Complete results from matchday 3
Tuesday, October 20
- PSG 4-2 Barcelona
- Liverpool 4-3 Villarreal
- Manchester City 5-1 AEK Athens
- Napoli 4-3 Bodo/Glimt (McTominay's double and Bjørtuft's own goal at 88')
- AS Roma 4-0 Slovan Bratislava
- VfB Stuttgart 1-1 Atlético de Madrid (Hjulmand, from Atlético, expelled at 64')
- FC Porto 0-1 PSV Eindhoven
- Fenerbahce 2-2 Slavia Prague
- Sabah 1-2 Borussia Dortmund (Serhou Guirassy's double)
Wednesday, October 21
- Bayern Munich 2-2 Arsenal
- Real Madrid 4-1 RB Leipzig
- Como 4-1 Manchester United
- Inter Milan 1-0 Shakhtar Donetsk (Bastoni expelled at 68'; Carlos Augusto's goal at 77')
- Aston Villa 3-1 Viking
- Real Betis 1-0 Feyenoord (Isco's penalty at 59')
- Club Brugge 3-0 Lens
- Lille 2-4 Galatasaray (Osimhen scored the fourth)
- Sporting Portugal 2-3 LASK (Luis Suárez, from Colombia, scored both for Sporting)
The Next Matchday
Matchday 4 will take place on Tuesday, November 3, and Wednesday, November 4, with games at 12:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. ET (daylight saving time begins on November 1).
- Tuesday, November 3: Atlético de Madrid-Bayern Munich, Barcelona-Aston Villa, Villarreal-PSG, Manchester United-Roma, and Feyenoord-Inter Milan.
- Wednesday, November 4: AEK Athens-Real Madrid (12:45 p.m.), Fenerbahce-Liverpool (12:45 p.m.), RB Leipzig-Manchester City, Slavia Prague-Arsenal, Porto-Napoli, Dortmund-Betis, and Lens-Como.
The calendar continues with matchday 5 (Tuesday, November 24, and Wednesday, November 25), matchday 6 (Tuesday, December 8, and Wednesday, December 9), matchday 7 (Tuesday, January 19, and Wednesday, January 20, 2027), and matchday 8, on Wednesday, January 27, 2027, with all 18 games played simultaneously.
In the United States, ViX and TUDN have the Spanish-language rights. DAZN broadcasts some exclusive games each matchday, so it's best to check the programming guide before each date.
Sources: ESPN: Champions League standings; ESPN: PSG-Barcelona; ESPN: Liverpool-Villarreal; ESPN: Bayern-Arsenal; ESPN: Real Madrid-Leipzig; ESPN: Como-Manchester United; ESPN: calendar. Data consulted on October 22, 2026.