Champions League PIX: Big wins for City, Barca; Atletico stunned

IMAGES from the UEFA Champions League matches played on Wednesday.

Spectacular Haaland leads Man City past Sparta Prague 5-0 in Champions League

Erling Haaland back-heeled home a stunning strike, the first of two goals on the night for Manchester City's goal-scoring machine, as City cruised past Sparta Prague 5-0 on Wednesday to remain unbeaten in their Champions League campaign.

Phil Foden, John Stones and Matheus Nunes also scored for Pep Guardiola's side who climbed to third in Europe's elite club competition with seven points after three games, while Sparta have four points.

City are now unbeaten in 26 successive Champions League matches, the longest unbeaten streak by any club in the competition's history, breaking the record of 25 by Manchester United from 2007-2009.

Haaland was the star of the show, bringing the blue-clad City fans out of their seats at Etihad Stadium when he scored in spectacular fashion in the 58th minute, leaping high to backheel home Savinho's cross from out of the air.

The 24-year-old Norwegian completed his brace with a more traditional finish in the 68th minute, easily slotting home a pass from Savinho to put his scoring tally at 44 Champions League goals in 42 games.

Haaland climbed level with Didier Drogba in 16th spot on the all-time scoring list in the European competition, although Drogba took 92 games to reach the mark.

Foden got the 2023 Champions League winners on the scoreboard in the third minute when he latched on to a pass from Manuel Akanji and slotted the ball into the bottom corner.

Stones padded City's lead in the 64th minute when he leapt to head home from a superb cross from Nunes.

Both Foden and Stones were instrumental in City's 2-1 Premier League victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, with Foden delivering the corner which led to Stones's stoppage-time winner.

City were awarded a penalty in the 88th minute, for a foul by Angelo Preciado, and Nunes fired his shot past keeper Peter Vindahl Jensen.

While Czech champions Sparta had a few chances on the counter-attack in the first half, City pummelled the visitors with 22 shots to their five on the night, with 10 of them on target.

Raphinha treble guides Barcelona to thrashing of Bayern Munich

Barcelona captain Raphinha scored a hat-trick to lead them to a commanding 4-1 home victory over Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, ending a near decade-long winless run against the German powerhouses.

Raphinha's inspired night started when he gave Barca the lead a little over a minute after kickoff as he received a fine pass through by midfielder Fermin Lopez, beat the offside trap before rounding the onrushing Manuel Neuer and tapping into the empty net.

Harry Kane levelled the score with a volley in the 18th minute but Robert Lewandowski put the home side back in front in the 36th minute after a mistake by Bayern's defence and Raphinha extended Barca's lead with two goals from quick counter-attacks either side of halftime.

Barca are ninth in the Champions League standings on six points from three games while Bayern are 23rd on three points after a second consecutive defeat.

Nunez earns Liverpool narrow win at Leipzig

Liverpool's Darwin Nunez took full advantage of a rare start with the winner in his side's 1-0 victory at RB Leipzig as their 100% start in the Champions League continued on Wednesday.

With Diogo Jota ruled out because of injury, Uruguayan Nunez got his chance and delivered in the 27th minute by poking home Mohamed Salah's header.

Nunez, who has been used predominantly as a substitute this season, also had a clear penalty turned down as he gave manager Arne Slot plenty to think about.

Liverpool's sixth away win out of six in all competitions this season maintain an excellent start to the Slot reign with the Dutchman winning a club record 11 of his first games since replacing Anfield favourite Juergen Klopp.

Liverpool are second in the 36-team Champions League group phase with nine points, sandwiched between Premier League rivals Aston Villa who also have nine and Manchester City (seven).

Leipzig twice had goals disallowed and Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher made two important saves as the Bundesliga club's wait for a first point goes on.

Leipzig looked fired up from the start and were the better side with Lois Openda having a superb effort ruled out for offside moments before Liverpool went ahead.

Salah rose to meet a cross and his header wrong-footed keeper Peter Gulacsi, appearing to be going inside the post before Nunez made absolutely sure with the final touch.

The goal sparked Liverpool into life and Nunez could not believe he was not awarded a penalty when he was clipped in the area by Willi Orban.

Alexis Mac Allister struck the crossbar with a dipping shot for Liverpool after the break but Slot's side were unable to extend their advantage and almost paid the price.

Kelleher made great saves to deny Benjamin Sesko after a mistake by Ibrahima Konate before tipping away a deflected effort by Xavi Simons who later hobbled off.

David double helps Lille stun hosts Atletico

Lille's Jonathan David scored twice as the French side stunned hosts Atletico Madrid with a 3-1 comeback Champions League win on Wednesday to make it two wins from their last two matches while piling more pressure on the struggling Spanish team.

Lille, who have their keeper and man-of-the-match Lucas Chevalier to thank for the win, have now beaten their second Madrid team in consecutive matchdays after also stunning holders Real Madrid 1-0 earlier in October.

The win moved Lille to six points, while Atletico are on three with just one win from their three games so far.

"We had a complicated start because we conceded a goal that was avoidable," said Lille coach Bruno Genesio.

"In the last 15 minutes of the first half we felt we had renewed energy. We had a chance to level just before the break and I was confident we would not concede a second goal and that we would have opportunities to draw level."

"All my players were very decisive," he said. "We have taken a step towards qualification, because between nine and 10 points, we can dream of progressing to the round of 16."

His team found themselves on the back foot at the start as the Spaniards went in search of an early goal.

They got it in the eighth minute with Julian Alvarez intercepting a weak back pass from Lille defender Ousmane Toure and slotting in to give them the lead.

There was more bad news for Lille when they had to take off injured midfielder Remy Cabella in the 16th minute, bringing in Edon Zhegrova.

Atletico had only themselves to blame for not going into the break with a far bigger advantage or even killing off the game, with Alexander Sorloth wasting three golden scoring opportunities in the first half after being denied by Chevalier.

Lille's best chance in the first half came only in stoppage time with Zhegrova firing over the bar but the introduction of the Kosovo international would later prove crucial.

Zhegrova whipped in a superb left-footed shot into the top far corner in the 61st to draw the visitors level.

Atletico almost bounced back instantly when Antoine Griezmann found himself unmarked in front of goal but his volley flew well over the bar.

Instead it was the French side who scored again to seal their comeback courtesy of a 74th-minute penalty by David, who had also scored the winner against Real.

With Chevalier pulling off another superb save to keep them in the lead late in the game, Canada international David sealed their win with his second goal of the evening as his deflected effort found the net in the 89th minute.

Last-gasp Thuram goal earns Inter 1-0 win at Young Boys

Substitute Marcus Thuram scored in stoppage time to give Inter Milan a 1-0 win at Swiss champions Young Boys in the Champions League on Wednesday after the Italian side had missed a penalty early in the second half.

Inter, finalists in 2023, struggled against the hosts' solid defence until Federico Dimarco teed up Thuram with a brilliant cross from the left and the France forward sealed the win from point-blank range.

Inter, who beat Red Star Belgrade 4-0 at home after earning a precious goalless draw at Manchester City in their competition opener, moved up to seventh place with seven points from three games.

Marko Arnautovic could have given Inter the lead from the spot in the 48th minute but Young Boys goalkeeper David von Ballmoos dived to deny his low strike before blocking a follow-up from Denzel Dumfries.

Visiting Inter had more possession from the start but the hosts showed more intent in an intense first half, creating numerous chances as they pressed high.

Inter defender Benjamin Pavard cleared Alan Virginius's header just in front of diving goalkeeper Yann Sommer in the 22nd minute, before Young Boys went on to threaten Inter's goal in a similar way through Lukasz Lakomy minutes later.

The determined Swiss side had a 10th attempt before Inter registered their first, when Von Ballmoos pulled off a great save to deny Inter defender Yann Bisseck from close range after the half-hour mark.

Inter looked more comfortable towards the break as they gradually took control but the excitement in the visiting sector was dampened after the restart when Arnautovic missed a chance to take the lead from the spot.

Young Boys continued to confidently seek their chances and Joel Monteiro dribbled past Inter's defence to hit the post from the edge of the box on the hour mark.

Dangerous up front, the hosts also looked to have learned their lesson from heavy defeats against Aston Villa (3-0) and Barcelona (5-0), and their well-organised back line persisted as Inter's desperate attempts for a winner increased.

Lautaro Martinez had a chance from a distance before fellow substitute Piotr Zielinski misfired from near the penalty spot, sending the ball well above the bar.

Thuram, however, found a way past Von Ballmoos, after coming on for Mehdi Taremi in the 76th minute.

Young Boys, who are under interim coach Joel Magnin after the club dismissed coach Patrick Rahmen earlier this month following a woeful start to the season, sit second from bottom without a point.

They next travel to Shakhtar Donetsk on Nov. 6 when Inter host Arsenal.

Wasteful Atalanta held to 0-0 draw by stubborn Celtic

Atalanta spurned several chances as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by a defensively resilient Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Atalanta's first European match against a Scottish side was a largely one-sided encounter as the hosts had 23 total attempts with seven on target.

Celtic, coming off a 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in the previous round of matches, adopted a defensive approach from the outset and, with a mix of luck and discipline, managed to contain Atalanta.

The draw left both Atalanta and Celtic in the playoff positions in the standings, with Atalanta in 12th place with five points and Celtic in 18th with four points after three rounds.

The hosts dominated the first half, with Mario Pasalic nearly scoring with a header that hit the crossbar, while Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel made several crucial saves to keep them at bay.

Atalanta continued to control the game after the break, but became frustrated as time wore on and were unable to convert their dominance into three points.

"To come here and get a point is a good point," Schmeichel told TNT Sports.

"We took a more practical approach in this one, took less chances in our build-up due to their man-to-man system."

Milambo at the double as Feyenoord surprise Benfica

Teenager Antoni Milambo netted twice as Dutch side Feyenoord sprang a Champions League surprise on Wednesday with a 3-1 away victory at Portuguese giants Benfica.

Benfica went into the match on the back of six successive wins in all competitions but despite a frantic late effort at a comeback came unstuck as Feyenoord put in a confident performance and were deserved winners.

Ayase Ueda got the opener for the Dutch side before Milambo put the visitors were 2-0 up at halftime. Although the hosts pulled one back in the 66th minute through Kerem Akturkoglu, Milambo scored again in stoppage time to make sure of the points.

It was a second away triumph in the group phase for Feyenoord, who won at Spanish club Girona three weeks ago, while Benfica suffered a first loss in this season’s competition, after having thumped Atletico Madrid 4-0 in their last group match.

Dinamo earn rare away Champions League win at Salzburg

Sandro Kulenovic and Bruno Petkovic scored second-half goals as Dinamo Zagreb secured a 2-0 Champions League win at 10-man RB Salzburg on Wednesday, only their second ever away victory in the league phase of the competition.

Dinamo took the lead they deserved when Kulenovic side-footed home from 12 yards after being teed up from the right wing by Stefan Ristovski as the Salzburg defenders stood statuesque in the box.

The home side, who have now lost their opening three games, had their misery compounded by a red card for goalkeeper Alexander Schlager as he handled the ball outside of his box when he instinctively saved Petar Sucic's goalbound shot.

Ristovski was again the provider for Dinamo’s second as his pass found Petkovic and the latter rifled a shot into the bottom corner of the net to ensure his side have four points from their opening three matches.

Brest draw with Leverkusen to end winning starts

Brest and Bayer Leverkusen played out a 1-1 draw in the Champions League on Wednesday which ended both teams' two-game winning starts to the competition.

The German champions took early control and were rewarded with a 24th-minute lead when man-of-the-match Florian Wirtz completed a superb passing move with a low finish.

Leverkusen were without striker Victor Boniface, who is recovering from a car crash he was involved in as a passenger on Sunday. The Nigeria international suffered only minor injuries to his hand and foot.

"A Champions League away game, you could say you are ok with a point," said Leverkusen midfielder Jonas Hofmann. "We lost possession too quickly in the second half and Brest got more hope that there was something for them to get out of it."

Champions League newcomers, Brest have shown remarkable ability to adapt to the demands of Europe's premier club competition, and were again effective against Leverkusen as they successfully soaked up pressure for much of the first half.

Brest's 39th-minute equaliser was even more spectacular than the Leverkusen goal, with 31-year-old Pierre Lees-Melou powering home a sumptuous volley from the edge of the box to score on his maiden Champions League appearance.

Lees-Melou became the second oldest French player to net on his debut in the competition.

The French hosts were lucky not to concede a penalty for handball following a VAR review and Massadio Haidara almost turned a Wirtz cutback into his own goal.

Leverkusen then had Amine Adli, who had come on as a 63rd- minute substitute, taken off injured with a suspected ankle injury as the game got rougher, and the visitors' coach Xabi Alonso was booked for dissent.

Both teams are on seven points from three matches, two behind leaders Aston Villa.