Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona
SPANISH GIANTS BARCELONA needed to come from behind three times to earn a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Teenage winger Lamine Yamal was back to his best for Hansi Flick’s side to help them earn a point in a gripping clash in Belgium.
Barca’s defence was shredded on multiple occasions by the hosts as Brugge winger Carlos Forbs struck twice and set one up for Nicolo Tresoldi.
Ferran Torres, Yamal and a Christos Tzolis own goal saved Barcelona from what would have been a humiliating defeat, even though they have several players out injured.
Barcelona have been in shaky form in recent weeks, including a Clasico defeat by rivals Real Madrid in La Liga.
The hosts took an early lead at the Jan Breydel stadium through Tresoldi, who was set up by the electric Forbs, who previously spent a period on loan at Wolves.
With Forbs rampaging in behind Barcelona’s high defensive line, Brugge set an early blueprint for how they could consistently hurt the Catalans.
Flick’s side hit back quickly through Torres, who produced a clever finish after Fermin Lopez played him in.
Midfielder Lopez struck the woodwork before Forbs netted Brugge’s second in a relentless battle between two sides determined to attack.
The Portuguese winger played a one-two with Tzolis, to burst into space behind Barca’s defence once more before finishing with aplomb past Wojciech Szczesny.
Barca defender Jules Kounde crashed a shot against the bar at the other end as last year’s semi-finals sought a leveller.
Yamal, who was once again his side’s key player after some recent flat displays, created a fine chance for Torres to score before the break but the striker nudged the ball past goalkeeper Nordin Jackers and wide.
Szczesny saved well from Joaquin Seys at the near post as Brugge continued to attack in the second half, showing no intention of trying to protect their lead.
Eric Garcia almost scored from long range but became the third Barca player to hit the frame of the goal, as his effort slapped against the crossbar.
Barcelona eventually pulled level with a brilliant goal, as Yamal combined with Lopez superbly to break through.
Lopez backheeled the ball into the teenager’s path and Yamal flicked it past Jackers and into the bottom corner.
Forbs wasted a fine chance to put his team ahead again but given another chance minutes later, took it with a stylish finish.
Hans Vanaken played him through on goal and he delicately dinked it past Szczesny for his second and Brugge’s third.
Forbs was awarded a penalty when he went down after a collision with Barca’s Alejandro Balde in the box but it was cancelled after a VAR review showed he had actually bumped into the Spaniard.
Jackers produced a superb save to tip away a Yamal effort bound for the top corner, but could do nothing about Barca’s equaliser, which arrived in similar fashion.
Yamal’s curling effort from the right deflected off Tzolis’s head and beat the goalkeeper.
Brugges thought they had won it in stoppage time when veteran goalkeeper Szczesny tried to turn in his area but lost the ball as Romeo Vermant slid in on him.
Vermant rolled the ball into the empty net but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, after the Belgian forward was ruled to have fouled the relieved Szczesny.
Newcastle 2-0 Athletic Bilbao
newcastle-uk-5th-nov-2025-dan-burn-of-newcastle-united-celebrates-scoring-his-sides-first-goal-during-the-uefa-champions-league-league-stage-match-between-newcastle-united-fc-and-athletic-club-aDan Burn celebrates. Alamy Stock PhotoAlamy Stock Photo
Newcastle secured a third successive Champions League win as Dan Burn’s thunderous header inspired a cathartic 2-0 victory against Athletic Bilbao.
Burn struck in eye-catching style in the first half at St James’ Park and Joelinton netted after the interval to wrap up Newcastle’s fifth successive home win in all competitions.
Newcastle’s dismal 3-1 defeat at lowly West Ham on Sunday left the Magpies languishing in 13th place in the Premier League and prompted a painful bout of soul-searching on Tyneside.
But although they have struggled domestically, Eddie Howe’s side have three wins from four games in the Champions League this season, with their only loss coming in the opening match against Barcelona.
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Ahead of trips to Marseille and Bayer Leverkusen in their next two league phase fixtures, sixth-placed Newcastle are firmly in the hunt to secure the top-eight place that guarantees automatic qualification for the last 16.
Howe will hope Newcastle’s European success serves as a springboard for a winning run in the Premier League, starting at Brentford on Sunday.
Mired in mid-table in La Liga after losing to Basque rivals Real Sociedad last weekend, injury-hit Bilbao were toothless without brothers Inaki and Nico Williams.
Unai Gomez wasted an early chance to lift the visitors when he headed Alex Berenguer’s corner straight at Nick Pope and Newcastle made the most of that escape.
Newcastle’s lacklustre loss at West Ham had sparked accusations that Howe’s team are developing a habit of playing down to the level of their opponents.
Burn added to that perception this week when he said “everybody knows we will turn up” against Bilbao.
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The England centre-back was true to his word as he put Newcastle ahead in the 11th minute.
Kieran Trippier’s free-kick picked out Burn in space in the penalty area and he punished Bilbao’s slack marking with a superb header that curled into the far corner from 10 yards.
Even legendary Newcastle striker Alan Shearer, watching with a broad grin in the stands, would have been proud of such a sublime finish.
Bilbao briefly mounted a determined response to that blow and twice came close to drawing level as sloppy Newcastle conceded possession too easily.
Gomez raced clear of the flat-footed Newcastle defence and fired against the near post.
With Newcastle on the ropes, Adama Boiro lashed a ferocious strike off the woodwork from 18 yards.
Howe’s men squandered a chance to increase their lead when Nick Woltemade climbed highest for a header that whistled wide from Harvey Barnes’ cross.
Newcastle suffered a blow when England winger Anthony Gordon limped off with a recurrence of a hip injury late in the first half.
But they ignored that setback to double their advantage in the 49th minute.
Barnes cleverly worked space on the left side of the Bilbao area and lofted a cross into the six-yard box, where Joelinton thumped his header past Unai Simon for his first goal in nine games.
Nico Serrano’s stunning long-range drive nearly caught out Pope, but the Newcastle keeper recovered to preserve a comfortable clean-sheet.
Uefa Champions League league phase, results on Wednesday:
Qarabag (AZE) 2 (Andrade 29, Jankovic 39-pen) Chelsea (ENG) 2 (Estevao 16, Garnacho 53)
Pafos (CYP) 1 (Luckassen 46) Villarreal (ESP) 0
Ajax (NED) 0 Galatasaray (TUR) 3 (Osimhen 59, 66-pen, 78-pen)
Club Brugge (BEL) 3 (Tresoldi 6, Forbs 17, 63) Barcelona (ESP) 3 (Torres 8, Yamal 61, Tzolis 77-og)
Inter Milan (ITA) 2 (Martinez 45, Augusto 67) Kairat Almaty (KAZ) 1 (Arad 55)
Marseille (FRA) 0 Atalanta (ITA) 1 (Samardzic 90)
Manchester City (ENG) 4 (Foden 22, 57, Haaland 29, Cherki 90+1) Borussia Dortmund (GER) 1 (Anton 72)
Newcastle (ENG) 2 (Burn 11, Joelinton 49) Athletic Bilbao (ESP) 0
Benfica (POR) 0 Bayer Leverkusen (GER) 1 (Schick 65)
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