Official Uefa Champions League Podcast

It was a stunning start to the inaugural night of Knockout Phase play-off football with the first four matches treating us to 14 goals.  It was another Champions League classic between Manchester City and Real Madrid with the holders snatching a dramatic first leg lead with almost the last kick of a five goal thriller. We hear from the match-winner, Jude Bellingham, as well as Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. Elsewhere, Paris and Dortmund both put one foot in the last 16 after convincing 3-0 away wins against Brest and Sporting respectively, whilst Juventus edged PSV 2-1 in Turin. We hear from Paris boss Luis Enrique and midfielder Vitinha, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac and look ahead to Wednesday’s featured match, Celtic v Bayern, with the help of Brendan Rodgers.

A historic night of Champions League football saw the first ever League Phase draw to a dramatic conclusion. All 36 teams kicked off at the same time – with 27 of them still with something to play for. At the top, Liverpool pipped Barcelona to first place despite losing in Eindhoven. It was Arsenal, Inter, Atleti, Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa who also secured a top 8 spot and automatic progression to the last 16. Nine clubs battled it out for the final six knockout phase play-off positions and it was PSV, Paris, Benfica, Man City, Sporting and Club Brugge who were ultimately successful. And elsewhere there were important wins for Real Madrid, Bayern, Dortmund and Benfica. We hear from Pep Guardiola, Cody Gakpo, Nathan Tella, Unai Emery, Jacob Ramsey, Mikel Arteta and Jude Bellingham.

On another night of high drama in the UEFA Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain come from 2-0 down to beat Manchester City 4-2 in the French capital. The result leaves City in the elimination places heading into Matchday 8. Meanwhile, Feyenoord beat Bayern 3-0 in Rotterdam and Arsenal beat Dinamo by the same scoreline in North London. There were also victories for AC Milan, Celtic, Inter, Real Madrid, Shakhtar and Leipzig. We hear from City boss Pep Guardiola, Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez, Leipzig match winner Yussuf Poulsen, and Arsenal’s Declan Rice after scoring his first Champions League goal.

New year but same old drama in the UEFA Champions League as it rained goals on Matchday 7.  Raphinha was the hero for Barcelona as they edged Benfica in a dramatic nine goal thriller in Lisbon to deny Liverpool being crowned League Phase winners after the English club made it 7 wins from 7 against Lille at Anfield. 10-man Atletico left it late to overcome Leverkusen 2-1 in Madrid thanks to a Julian Alvarez double. Elsewhere there were wins for Monaco, Atalanta, PSV, Stuttgart and Bologna as 33 goals were netted across Tuesday's nine matches.  We hear from Liverpool's Mo Salah and Arne Slot, Barcelona Head Coach Hansi Flick, Benfica's hat-trick hero Vangelis Pavlidis, Atalanta midfielder Charles De Ketelaere and Villa defender Tyrone Mings. Plus Pep Guardiola looks ahead to Manchester City's crucial clash with Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday evening.

It took a while to fire into life but part two of Matchday 6 didn’t disappoint. The battle of the entertainers in Dortmund delivered with Barcelona running out 3-2 winners, with all five goals coming in the second half. Juventus saw off a struggling Manchester City side 2-0 in Turin, whilst there were also important wins for Milan, Arsenal, Feyenoord, Atleti, Lille and Stuttgart, who hit five against eliminated Young Boys. We hear from City manager Pep Guardiola, Arsenal duo Bakayo Saka & Myles Lewis-Skelly and Lille match-winner Hakon Arnar Haraldsson.

Real Madrid secured a narrow win against Atalanta in Bergamo as Matchday 6 of the UEFA Champions League began. Elsewhere, Bayern Munchen and Paris secured statements victories away from home, while Liverpool retained their 100% record with a 1-0 win at Girona. Leverkusen, Aston Villa, Brest and Club Brugge also picked up 3 points, as Dinamo and Celtic played out a goalless draw.  We hear from Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman, Madrid talisman Jude Bellingham and Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans. Meanwhile, defender Andy Robertson and boss Arne Slot take us inside the Liverpool camp as the team strengthened their place at the top of the league phase table. Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola also looks ahead to his side’s match against Juventus on Wednesday.

Liverpool recorded a famous 2-0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield on Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League, their first win over the Spaniards for 15 years. Elsewhere, PSV came from 2-0 down to beat Shakhtar in the closing stages, while Benfica also completed a late turnaround against Monaco to edge a five goal thriller. There were also victories for Borussia Dortmund, Lille, Crvena Zvezda and Sturm Graz. We hear from victorious Liverpool duo, goalscorer Alexis Mac Allister and penalty hero goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher, as well as Real Madrid’s English midfielder Jude Bellingham. Plus, PSV’s Malik Tillman reacts after his late brace, Celtic captain Callum McGregor speaks after his side’s 1-1 draw with Club Brugge, and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins looks back on his team’s 0-0 draw with Juventus. 

On a night of high drama in the UEFA Champions League, we react to Bayern’s 1-0 victory over Paris, discuss Feyenoord’s recovery from 3-0 down to earn a draw at Manchester City, plus talk about Robert Lewandowski’s moment of history as Barcelona secure three points against Brest. Elsewhere, Inter went top of the league phase with victory over Leipzig, it was a night to remember for Atletico and Atalanta who score six, while Arsenal and Leverkusen hit five. We hear from Feyenoord’s Brian Priske, Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka, plus Tammy Abraham reacts to AC Milan’s 3-2 victory at Bratislava.

There were five away wins on Wednesday of Matchday Four. Barcelona secured a 5-2 victory at Crvena Zvezda, while Brest won 2-1 at Sparta Praha, Salzburg recorded a 3-1 away win at Feyenoord, Atalanta beat Stuttgart 2-0 in Germany, and Atletico scored a dramatic late winner in Paris. But at San Siro, Inter edged Arsenal 1-0 thanks to Hakan Çalhanoğlu’s first half penalty to take Nerazzurri to ten points in the league phase. We hear from Inter’s player of the match, as well as Atalanta goalscorer Ademola Lookman. We also react to Club Brugge’s 1-0 win over Aston Villa, hearing from Brugge boss Nicky Hayen, plus speak about Shakhtar’s 2-1 win over Young Boys.

Matchday 4 kicked off in style with some eye-catching results across Europe. Ruben Amorim said an emotional goodbye to Sporting with a thumping 4-1 win over Manchester City in his last home game in charge, thanks to a Viktor Gyökeres hat-trick. There was another hat-trick hero at Anfield as Luis Diaz inspired Liverpool to a comprehensive 4-0 win over Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side to continue their 100% start to the League Phase. However, the surprise of the night came at the Barnabeu where Milan beat Real Madrid 3-1 in the battle of the European giants. There were also wins for Celtic, Monaco, Dortmund, PSV and Dinamo Zagreb, while Lille and Juventus drew 1-1. We hear from Sporting match-winner Viktor Gyökeres, Liverpool manager Arne Slot, as well as Celtic’s Nicolas Kühn, PSV’s Malik Tillman and Dinamo’s Sandro Kulenovic.

Raphinha was the hat-trick hero in Barcelona's sensational 4-1 victory over Bayern München on another extraordinary league phase night. Elsewhere in Spain, Lille bagged a famous away win over Atletico, while Liverpool, Manchester City, Inter, Dinamo and Feyenoord also secured 3 points on Wednesday. We hear from Virgil van Dijk, Phil Foden, Thomas Muller and Celtic’s Brendan Rodgers, after his side earned a valuable point away to Atalanta. 

It was another enthralling night in the UEFA Champions League as Real Madrid came back from two goals down at home to overcome Borussia Dortmund 5-2 thanks to a stunning second half hat-trick from Vinicius Jnr. However, the early League Phase leaders are Aston Villa, after they continued their golden start in the competition, beating Bologna 2-0 at home to make it three wins – and three clean sheets – out of three. Elsewhere, the surprise of the night took place in Turin, where Stuttgart left it late to beat Juventus, while there were also crucial wins for Monaco, Milan, Arsenal, Girona and Sporting. We hear from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, Milan midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, Monaco winger Takumi Minamino and Aston Villa’s table topping manager Unai Emery. 

There was late drama across the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night, as Jhon Durán’s second half stunner handed Aston Villa a famous victory over Bayern. Meanwhile, Lille shocked defending Champions Real Madrid 1-0 courtesy of a Jonathan David penalty. There were also crucial victories for Juventus, Benfica, Feyenoord, Liverpool and Club Brugge. Among others we hear from Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez, Bayern striker Harry Kane, Liverpool goalscorer Alexis MacAllister and Lille’s Player of the Match Edon Zhegrova.

Borussia Dortmund put seven past Celtic to claim their second win of the league phase. There were also important wins for Arsenal against Paris, and Leverkusen against Milan. While Brest, Inter, Barcelona and Manchester City recorded impressive victories.  We hear from Arsenal goalscorer Kai Havertz, Brest hero Abdallah Sima and City boss Pep Guardiola. Plus, we look ahead to Wednesday’s action, hearing from Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins. 

Monaco marked their return to the UEFA Champions League with a statement 2-1 win over Barcelona. Leverkusen impressed as they scored four at Feyenoord to get their campaign off to the best possible start. Meanwhile, a superb David Raya double save from Mateo Retegui’s penalty ensured the game between Atalanta and Arsenal finished goalless. Benfica and Atletico de Madrid both secured 2-1 wins, whilst Brest also clinched victory against Sturm Graz in their very first European game. We hear from Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, Atalanta star Charles de Ketelaere, Barcelona boss Hansi Flick, Leverkusen wing-back Jeremie Frimpong and his head coach Xabi Alonso as well as Feyenoord coach Brian Priske.

Manchester City and Inter had to settle for a point to start their Champions League campaigns, after a competitive goalless draw in the North West of England. Elsewhere a late winner for Paris was enough to see past Girona, while last year's runners-up Borussia Dortmund secured an impressive victory at Club Brugge. There were statement wins from Celtic and Sparta Praha, who marked themselves as teams to watch as the League phase progresses. We hear from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, Celtic captain Callum McGregor, Dortmund’s double-goalscorer Jamie Gittens and Sparta coach Lars Friis. 

The new League Phase started in style as Bayern hit a record nine goals against Dinamo in Munich, with Harry Kane grabbing four – including a first ever hat-trick of Champions League penalties. In Milan, Liverpool recovered from conceding an early goal to run out comfortable 3-1 victors, with two set piece headers from centre-backs Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk. Elsewhere there were impressive home wins for defending champions Real Madrid, Juventus and Sporting whilst Aston Villa began their first Champions League campaign for 42 years with a convincing 3-0 win against Young Boys in Switzerland. We hear from four goal-hero Harry Kane, Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo, Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans, Sporting striker Viktor Gyökeres, Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham and the scorer of the League Phase’s first ever goal, Juve teenager Kenan Yıldız.

Real Madrid claimed their 15th UEFA Champions League title with a 2-0 victory over Borussia Dortmund at Wembley Stadium in London thanks to 2nd half goals from Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Jr. We soak up the atmosphere of the celebrations, hearing from Madrid’s English star Jude Bellingham, and reflect on another remarkable season in the Champions League.

Real Madrid will play Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League final! Los Blancos booked their spot in the London showpiece with a late comeback victory over Bayern. After Alphonso Davies gave the German side the lead in the tie, two Joselu strikes in the 88th and 91st minute triggered joyous scenes in the Bernabeu. We take you inside the celebrations and hear from Madrid star Jude Bellingham!

Borussia Dortmund upset the odds to beat Paris Saint Germain in both semi-final legs and reach the 2024 Champions League Final. The Germans took a slender 1-0 first leg lead to the French capital, and they replicated that scoreline to see off the 2020 Finalists 1-0 on the night and 2-0 on aggregate. In a superb defensive performance, it was centre back and UEFA Player of the Match Mats Hummels who scored the all-important goal for Dortmund on the night, and it was a lead they managed to hold onto until the end despite Paris hitting the woodwork four times during the match. We hear from Paris manager Luis Enrique and midfielder Vitinha as well as Marcel Sabitzer, Mats Hummels and manager Edin Terzic from the victorious Dortmund camp as the Germans reached their third Champions League Final and their second at Wembley. We also look ahead to Wednesday’s semi-final second leg between Real Madrid and Bayern, and hear from Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham with the tie fascinatingly poised at 2-2 after the first l