Archive October 1, 2025

PSG beat Barcelona for winning start to Champions League defence

In a gripping Champions League match, Paris St Germain rallied from a goal down to defeat Barcelona 2-1. The defending champions came back from a set of injuries to claim a valuable victory away from home.

Barcelona put a strong start to their Wednesday game, and Ferran Torres slid in the 19th minute to beat the offside trap and slot past PSG goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier with a precise pass from Marcus Rashford across the box.

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Despite missing Marquinhos and their starting attacking trio of Ousmane Dembele, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and Desire Doue, PSG reacted tenaciously.

Nuno Mendes won the match in the 38th minute by making a stunning run down the left, beating three defenders before setting up Senny Mayulu, 19, who bravely finished in the bottom corner.

In the 83rd minute, PSG finally scored a deserved winner from a quick counter, with Achraf Hakimi crossing for Goncalo Ramos to fire home from close range.

Barcelona captain Freddie de Jong told Movistar+, “You have to be disappointed at the end when you concede in the final minute of the game to lose at home.”

“They]PSG] were generally better in the second half and in the final stages. Better starting is our goal. They were better in the second half, after all, but it went back and forth.

Ferran Torres scores Barcelona’s opener against PSG [Albert Gea/Reuters]

Man City and Juventus were held to victory, but Newcastle and Arsenal won.

After Eric Dier converted a penalty in the 90th minute for the hosts, Manchester City had to settle for a draw of 2-2 with Monaco.

After Renato Veiga’s late equalizer, Villarreal and Juventus tied the game at 1-1.

After 12 minutes, Gabriel Martinelli scored the winning goal, and Bukayo Sako added a pair of goals in injury time to earn the win.

Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, said, “We want to be creative and we know the quality of the team.”

Everyone can tell from each and every player on the pitch that you want to keep your place. “Everyone can see the quality and depth in the squad now.

Odegaard praised Arsenal’s second-place finish in the English Premier League for three straight seasons, which included being knocked out of the Champions League in the finals last year, adding: “We have used everything that happened to us in a good way and have also introduced a few new players… hopefully this is going to be our year.”

Nick Woltemade is making an effort to erase Alexander Isak from Newcastle fans.

The 93 million-dollar signing made his third goal for Newcastle in four starts to give them a 4-0 victory over Union Saint-Gilloise.

The German international was acquired to fill Isak’s contentious move to Liverpool. And he has immediately impacted people.

Sandro Tonali’s goal-directed shot past Kjell Scherpen was his 17th-minute goal at Lotto Park, which gave Newcastle the perfect start. He was also appreciated for putting the right foot in the right place at the right moment, according to him.

Following his goal against Arsenal on Sunday, Woltemade has now scored in back-to-back games. The early signs of his potential replacement after his transfer from Stuttgart are encouraging, but he still needs to demonstrate that he can. Isak scored 54 goals in 78 Premier League starts for Newcastle.

Anthony Gordon scored twice from the penalty spot to give Newcastle the lead at halftime, and Harvey Barnes added a fourth.

Arsenal Extend Perfect Start In Champions League With Olympiakos Win

As a result of Gabriel Martinelli’s outstanding Champions League debut, the Brazilian forward led Arsenal to a 2-0 victory against Olympiakos on Wednesday.

Arsenal defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 to keep their 100 percent league record in place after sealing victory at Athletic Bilbao in their Champions League opener.

In the closing moments, Bukayo Saka scored the points and Martinelli scored in the opening period.

On October 1, 2025, Arsenal’s English midfielder #07 Bukayo Saka scored the team’s second goal in the UEFA Champions League, league match between Arsenal and Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium in north London. Adrian Dennis/AFP photo

Although the north Londoners struggled to perform at their best, they did manage to record a seventh win out of nine games this year.

READ MORE: Ramos Snatches Late Champions League Success For Holders PSG At Barca

In their final 13 matches, Mikel Arteta’s men have recorded their 10th clean sheet, improving their impressive home record in the Champions League.

As part of their bid to close the two-point deficit with Premier League leaders Liverpool, the Gunners will play again on Saturday against West Ham.

Arteta, who faced Jose Luis Mendilibar, one of his childhood coaches, took a welcome trip down memory lane with Olympiakos.

Arteta, age 14, was a youth athlete for the Athletic Bilbao program under Mendilibar, who is now the Olympiakos’ coach.

Arteta continues to use the lessons he learned from his football education in Spain to benefit his mentor at Arsenal.

As a result of Martin Odegaard’s return to the starting lineup following a shoulder injury, England trio Saka, Declan Rice, and Eberechi Eze were all called off by Arteta.

Sublime Odegaard &nbsp

Arsenal should have taken the lead within 90 seconds thanks to Arteta’s squad rotation, which had the desired effect.

Myles Lewis-Skelly ran unchallenged across the unmarked Martinelli, who fired wide from six yards in the direction of the Olympiakos penalty area.

In the 12th minute, Martinelli made amends for his error.

Leandro Trossard, a Belgian midfielder at Arsenal’s #19 league match against the Olympiacos at the Emirates Stadium in north London on October 1, 2025, shoots but falls short. Adrian Dennis/AFP photo

A pin-point pass from Odegaard to Viktor Gyokeres cut through the Olympiakos defense.

Gyokeres snipped his marker away and fired a fierce strike that could have saved Martinelli from close range.

Odegaard’s importance to the Gunners was highlighted by the sublime ball that launched the comeback in a 2-1 win over Newcastle on Sunday.

Arsenal deserved more for a lively start than Martinelli’s third goal this season, but they were fortunate to hold on for good.

For a volley that forced a superb save from David Raya, former Wolves winger Daniel Podence eluded the Arsenal rearguard.

Gyokeres was being prepped for a more dangerous raid by Odegaard, but the striker’s shot went over.

After the break, Leandro Trossard, who had a chance to double the lead, was denied by the Olympiakos keeper who had pushed him in from close range.

Olympiakos were only denied an equalizer by a tight offside decision that ruled out Chiquinho’s finish despite only scoring once in their previous six Champions League matches.

In stoppage time, Saka came off the bench to add a flattering gloss to the scoreline before Tzolakis made a brilliant double save to stop Odegaard.

Saka was found by Odegaard for a powerful shot that should have been îndreptated at Tzolakis, who made it squirm through his legs into the net.