The Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first leg produced drama like never before. The expected storylines were scrapped with surprising results while goals poured in with fans experiencing two seven goal thrillers. Despite Premier League teams dominating the League Phase with all but one of the five teams securing direct qualification to the Round of 16 stage, they suffered humiliating results in the first leg. Meanwhile, holders PSG and Bayern Munich registered big wins to stem their favourites tag in the competition this season.
One of those unwanted results involved
Liverpool suffered another 1-0 defeat in the Rams Park at Istanbul against Galatasaray with Mario Lemina scoring the only goal of the game in just the seventh minute. Ugurcan Cakir made sure the Reds didn't find his net to give his side another chance of slewing another European giant at home after defeating Juventus in the knockout playoffs. Liverpool have to turn the result around in the second leg at Anfield otherwise they will suffer another blow in their miserable season.
Already in a relegation battle in the Premier League, Tottenham's promising show in Europe also evaporated when they suffered a forgetful 5-2 loss at the hands of Atletico Madrid. Igor Tudor's decision to replace club's number one Guglielmo Vicario for 20-year-old Antonin Kinsky backfired as the goalkeeper committed two massive errors amid conceding three goals and was substituted inside 17 minutes in one of the horror Champions League debuts. Diego Simeone's men added two more, despite Spurs scoring twice, as they took an early foot to the quarterfinals.
There was goalkeeping chaos in the game between Paris Saint Germain and Chelsea when the game was finely poised at 2-2 and was looking to be a close encounter. However, in the 74th minute, the Blue's keeper Filip Jorgensen, also starting in place of the number one Robert Sanchez, misplaced a pass under pressure which led to Vitinha dinking it over him. It was 'Kvaradona' show afterwards as the Georgian star scored twice after assisting that goal off the bench to keep PSG in firm control ahead of the trip to London.
Michael Olise's double with Josep Stanisic, Serge Gnabry, Nicholas Jackson and Jamal Musiala goal a piece ensure Bayern Munich obliterated Atalanta 6-1 in Bergamo to thwart any chance of a miraculous comeback from the Italian side again in the return leg at Munich while Bodo Glimt continued their cinderella tale in the Champions League by smashing Sporting CP 3-0 at home with just one game away from a historic qualification to the last eight.
However, the headline making game happened in Santiago Bernabeu where to most's surprise, Real Madrid decimated Manchester City 3-0 in what was their 12th meeting in the competition since since the 2019-20 season. Federico Valverde scored a stunning first half hattrick and the scoreline could have weighed more heavy to Guardiola's men if Vinicius Jr penalty wasn't saved by Gianluigi Donnarumma while O'Riley's interception brought a stunning save from Thibaut Courtois at the other hand to leave them empty handed. Despite having an injury ravaged squad and suffering from inconsistent form lately, Los Blancos reminded once again that the record champions are a different unit in the Champions League with another stellar performance.
Here are the records set in the Champions League 2025-26 Round of 16 first leg:
Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool
Galatasaray have now stayed unbeaten in nine of their last 10 home games against English sides at home, winning five and drawing the rest, in the Champions League. They have also not conceded defeat in their last 11 games at home in the knockout stages of the competition while losing just twice in 22 matches.
Liverpool have now won just one of five previous Champions League meetings with the Turkish giants in Istanbul which is their joint-lowest against any opponents in the competition they faced five or more times, tied with Chelsea. They are yet to win this fixture on the road in the last three meetings.
It was Mohamed Salah's 81st appearance in the Champions League for the Reds making him the most capped player in the club's history in the competition, surpassing Jamie Carragher who earned 80. This was also Arne Slot's 100th game in charge for the side.
Mario Lemina scored the third fastest goal for Galatasaray in the Champions League and the fastest in the knockout stages for them. That also means Liverpool have conceded from a corner for the 10th time in all competitions with only Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and West Ham conceding more among Premier League sides.
His assist maker Victor Osimhen is the third most goal contributor in the Champions League this season behind Anthony Gordon and Kylian Mbappe with eight. His assist though is the first he registered in the competition on his 26th appearance.
Also Read | Can the Turkish Giants Knock Arne Slot’s Side Out of the Champions League after 1st leg heroics?
Atalanta 1-6 Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich have netted at least six goals in an away European knockout round match for the second time after beating Legia Warshaw 7-3 in the UEFA Cup first round in 1988. This was the fifth time they matched this tally in an away game in the Champions League, twice more than any other side. The Bavarians have also netted 15 first half goals across nine games in the Champions League this season, tied with Newcastle.
Michael Olise became just the second French playmaker in Champions League history to record at least seven goal involvements in successive seasons after the great Zinedine Zidane. Only Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe have been involved in more goals than him among Europe's top five leagues this season.
Serge Gnabry has recorded six goals in the Champions League, his highest tally in the competition. Meanwhile, Jamal Musiala's strike was his 100th goal involvement for Bayern Munich across all competition with that being his 67th strike for the German giants.
Atalanta haven't kept a clean sheet in the last 11 knockout stage games in the Champions League. They have lost seven out of their last eight games in the knockout stages in another dismal showing.
Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur
This was only the second victory for Atletico Madrid recorded in their last 11 Champions League meetings against English sides. However, The side maintained their insane record of not losing a single game at home in the knockout stage of the competition under their legendary coach Diego Simeone.
This was the first time Atletico pumped in five goals in a Champions League knockout stage and the fifth time in the competition overall. Spurs have conceded five goals for the second time this season after their 5-3 loss against PSG in the League Phase. They have lost six successive games in all competitions.
It was the second earliest a team has scored four goals in a Champions League match inside 22 minutes since Real Madrid did against Dinamo Zagreb in 2011 where they scored four within 20 minutes. They netted four goals in the first half of a Champions League match for the first time in their history, becoming only the second Spanish team to achieve this in a knockout match, after rivals Barcelona.
Marcos Llorente has scored his fourth goal this season, all coming in the Champions League, in his 50th appearance at the competition. It was his ninth goal in Europe's premier competition with five of them coming against Premier League teams.
Newcastle 1-1 Barcelona
Newcastle's longest-ever unbeaten streak in the Champions League stretched to six games with three wins and three draws. They have also stayed unbeaten in 31 of 33 European ties played at St James's Park.
The Magpies have also scored for the 13th successive game in the competition since last failing to score in the 2-0 loss to Dortmund back in November 2023. Barnes has scored 14 goals in all competitions this season.
Since Hansi Flick's taking charge of Barcelona in 2024, no team has recorded more goals than them in the Champions League with 66 with an average of 2.95 goals per game. Yamal's penalty was the 23rd goal the side scored this season with the fourth best goals per game.
Leverkusen 1-1 Arsenal
This is the first time Arsenal faced a German team other than Bayern Munich in the knockout stage of the Champions League. However, they remain winless in such fixtures and have been eliminated in each of the previous occasions.
Arsenal were the only team to have not trail at any point this season in the Champions League until they conceded to Leverkusen at the start of the half-time.
Noni Madueke became the first Arsenal substitute to win a penalty in a Champions League game since Emmanuel Eboue in March 2010 against Porto.
Kai Havertz has scored all four of his penalties in European competitions, scoring from the spot at the BayArena both for and against Leverkusen.
Alex Grimaldo became only the second defender in the competition history to be involved in a goal against three different English teams after Jordi Alba for Barcelona in the 2018-19 season.
Leverkusen is now unbeaten in four straight Champions League games this season. They also came close to keeping four clean sheets in a row for the first time in the competition until their former player Kai Havertz equalised for Arsenal from the spot.
Bodo Glimt 3-0 Sporting CP
Bodo Glimt have become only the fifth team from outside Europe's top five leagues to win five consecutive games in Champions League history. They are the first team to do so since Ajax in 2021. The Norwegian team also equalled the Champions League record for most consecutive games played with the same starting eleven played with five, set by Auxerre in 2002-03 season.
Ole Didrik Blomberg strike saw him become the fourth Bodo player to record five or more goal involvements in the Champions League alongside Sondre Fet, Jens Petter Hauge and Kasper Hogh. Only Bayern Munich having more players with more goal contributions in the competition.
Hogh has now netted five Champions League goals this season, the joint-most by a Danish player in a single campaign, level with Nicklas Bendtner in 2009-10 and Rasmus Hojlund in 2023-24. His eight goal involvement is the highest by any player for a Norwegian side in the competition.
This was the fourth meeting against a Norwegian team for Sporting CP in Europe in an away game. This is the first ever knockout stage meeting between teams from Norway and Portugal in the competition and first in any major UEFA competitions since 2003-04.
PSG 5-2 Chelsea
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been directly involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in his last five games in the Champions League, netting in both his substitute appearances in the competition this season. The winger is the first player to be involved in three goals in a single Champions League match coming off the bench in the 2025/26 season.
Barcola's opener marked his first Champions League goal since February 2025 against Brest in the knockout playoffs, ending a run of 17 appearances without scoring in the competition. It was his 100th start in a PSG shirt and the 30th in the competition.
Desire Doue has also been directly involved in four goals with two goals and two assists in his last three Champions League games, either scoring or assisting in three consecutive games in the competition for the first time.
Enzo Fernandez scored and registered an assist in a single Champions League game for the first time. He is only second to Bruno Fernandes in terms of Premier League midfielders to have the most goal involvement in all competitions with 44 (21 goals and 23 assists).
PSG have now conceded 10 first half goals in 11 Champions League games since winning the competition last year. Only Qarabag has conceded more than them in this period with 15. On the other hand, the Blues have conceded five goals during the last 15 minutes of the first half with no sides leaking more in the Champions League in this period this season.
Real Madrid 3-0 Manchester City
Federico Valverde is only the second player to score a first-half hat-trick against an English opponent in the Champions League. The other was Lionel Messi for Barcelona against Arsenal in April 2010.
The Uruguayan ended a run of 27 games without a Champions League goal with the last one also coming against City back in April 2024. He scored as many goals in the first half of that game as he had managed in 75 appearances in the competition before.
Real Madrid have now scored in 39 straight knockout games of the Champions League at home with their last failure coming in the 2-0 defeat to Barcelona in 2011, coincidentally managed by Pep Guardiola.
