Ousmane Dembele made a spectacular comeback from injury as Paris Saint-Germain crushed Bayer Leverkusen 7-2 in a breathtaking Champions League encounter on Tuesday night.
The Ballon d’Or winner, sidelined since early September with a hamstring injury, wasted no time making an impact — scoring just three minutes after coming off the bench for his first appearance in six weeks. His strike, PSG’s sixth of the night, sealed a devastating performance that left Leverkusen stunned at the BayArena.
Desire Doué netted twice, while Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nuno Mendes, and Vitinha also found the back of the net in a display of total dominance from Luis Enrique’s side.
Leverkusen’s Aleix Garcia scored both goals for the hosts, but their night unraveled after captain Robert Andrich was sent off for elbowing Doué. PSG’s Illia Zabarnyi was also dismissed shortly afterward, conceding a second penalty as both teams were reduced to ten men before halftime.
“We are a team that always wants to win everything. This season, we want to win everything again,” said PSG boss Luis Enrique. “It won’t be easy, but we have the confidence from last year — and we’re hungry for this title again.”
Leverkusen manager Kasper Hjulmand admitted his team lost composure during a disastrous spell before halftime.
“We were level but wanted too much,” he told Amazon Prime. “We opened up too much and made mistakes. We played against the best team in the world right now — they’re incredibly strong.”
The emphatic result underscored PSG’s ambition to defend their European crown, showing both flair and resilience despite a season plagued by injuries.
Haaland Extends Scoring Streak as Man City Ease Past Villarreal
In Spain, Erling Haaland continued his astonishing run of form as Manchester City beat Villarreal 2-0 at the Estadio de la Cerámica.
The Norwegian striker opened the scoring in the 17th minute, smashing home after a clever assist from Rico Lewis. Bernardo Silva doubled the lead before halftime to seal a routine win and end City’s year-long wait for an away victory in Europe.
Haaland has now scored in 12 consecutive games for club and country, amassing 22 goals in that span. Despite resting Phil Foden, manager Pep Guardiola’s side looked composed and clinical throughout.
Villarreal threatened late on, with Renato Veiga’s header striking the post, but City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma produced several key saves to maintain the clean sheet. The only concern for Guardiola came when Nico Gonzalez limped off injured, joining Rodri on the sidelines.
Arsenal Cruise to 4-0 Victory Over Atlético Madrid
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal delivered a commanding performance, dismantling Atlético Madrid 4-0 to claim their 100th Champions League win.
After dominating the first half without scoring, the Gunners broke through after the restart when Gabriel Magalhães headed in Declan Rice’s pinpoint free-kick. Moments later, Gabriel Martinelli made it 2-0 with a neat finish, before Viktor Gyökeres added a quick-fire brace to complete a six-minute blitz that left Diego Simeone’s side reeling.
Atlético briefly threatened when Julián Álvarez hit the crossbar, but once Arsenal opened the scoring, there was no way back. The win preserved Mikel Arteta’s side’s perfect record in this season’s competition — they are yet to concede a goal.
Arteta later praised his squad’s composure and intensity, making several substitutions late on to rest key players ahead of their Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Sunday.
Elsewhere in Europe
- Newcastle United defeated Benfica 3-0
- Inter Milan crushed Union Saint-Gilloise 4-0
- Barcelona demolished Olympiacos 6-0, with Fermín López netting a brilliant hat-trick
It was a thrilling night across Europe — one that showcased the dominance of football’s elite and the return to form of several continental heavyweights.
