Pep Guardiola’s 100th match as Manchester City manager in the Champions League ended with a bitter taste. The coach opted for a heavily rotated lineup against Bayer Leverkusen and paid the price with a 2–0 home defeat. The Germans took advantage of the disorganized “B team” and struck first with a powerful left-footed shot from Alejandro Grimaldo in the 23rd minute.
After the break, Patrik Schick doubled the lead in the 54th minute, sealing a match in which not even the introduction of Erling Haaland in the 65th minute was enough to change the momentum. What was meant to be a celebratory night commemorating Guardiola’s 100th match in the competition instead turned into a warning signal. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund experienced the opposite side of the European night and capitalized on City’s stumble to boost their own campaign.
The BVB crushed Villarreal 4–0 with a dominant and convincing performance. Serhou Guirassy opened the scoring in first-half stoppage time and scored again from the penalty spot in the 54th minute before former Salzburg forward Karim Adeyemi extended the lead in the 58th. In stoppage time, Daniel Svensson added the fourth goal, sealing a perfect night for Dortmund and ending a run of three competitive matches without a win. Marcel Sabitzer, crucial in midfield, was substituted in the 77th minute with the job already done and with the sense that the team is regaining momentum at the right moment.
Across Europe, the rest of the matchday offered drama and contrasting fortunes. Newcastle United suffered their second defeat, falling 2–1 to Olympique Marseille, while Galatasaray also lost for the second time, this time at home, 1–0 against Union Saint-Gilloise, in a match where forward Raúl Florucz featured. In contrast, Juventus battled to secure a 3–2 victory away to Bodö/Glimt, and Napoli defended their home turf with a solid 2–0 win over Qarabag Agdam.
In a duel between two teams without points, Benfica defeated Ajax 2–0 in Amsterdam. Slavia Prague, meanwhile, earned a goalless draw against Athletic Bilbao in a tight and cautious match, closing out a European round filled with surprises, setbacks, and clear indications of which teams are approaching the decisive stage in top form.
