UEFA Champions League
VALENCIA SEND AJAX PACKING FROM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Ajax’s hopes of another fairytale run in the Champions League were dashed on Tuesday as a 1-0 defeat at home to Valencia sent them crashing out and the Spaniards through to the last 16.
Rodrigo Moreno’s 24th-minute strike proved the winner at the Johan Cruyff Arena and enough to flip the top three in Group H, with Valencia advancing in first place along with Chelsea, who beat bottom club Lille 2-1.
Ajax were arguably the story of the competition last season when their youthful team went all the way to the semi-finals but there will be no repeat this year.
Gabriel Paulista was sent off in injury-time but even against 10 men, they could not find the equaliser they needed.
Instead, Valencia not only progress but have earned themselves the best chance of a kind draw when the knock-out stage is decided in Nyon on Dec 16.
It seemed unlikely after they missed a series of golden opportunities to beat Chelsea earlier this month but a 2-2 draw still left them with a chance, even if the odds were not in their favour.
They knew they either had to beat Ajax, against whom they had lost 3-0 at home in October, or at least match the result of Chelsea, who always seemed likely to win against Lille at Stamford Bridge.
Ajax, meanwhile, began the night two points clear at the top of the group and needed only a draw to go through.
Valencia coach Albert Celades, who made his La Liga debut as a player under Cruyff, was now in the dugout of the stadium named after the iconic Dutchman and this will be a major boost for his side, who are eighth in La Liga after a rocky start to the season on and off the pitch.
Ajax sit three points clear at the top of the Eredivisie but last year’s heroics in the Champions League, and their heartbreaking defeat to Tottenham, meant they had European ambitions too.
Rodrigo headed wide from a corner early on but after a frantic start, the game settled, with Ajax dominating possession and Valencia trying to counter-attack.
Against the run of play, Valencia took the lead as Rodrigo’s bending run in behind was picked out by a Ferran Torres pass. Rodrigo controlled with his left and fired the ball with his right into the roof of the net.
Ajax had to wait until the end of the half for their best chance as Donny van de Beek latched onto Hakim Ziyech’s pass and lifted the ball over Jaume Domenech, only for Jose Gaya to make a brilliant clearance off the line.
Rodrigo might have made it two at the other end but it was Ajax that were pushing for an equaliser after the restart as Valencia retreated.
Ziyech should have levelled but fluffed his finish at the near post before 20-year-old Noa Lang hooked over from inside the box.
Lille pulled a goal back away at Chelsea to give Ajax further hope and they were almost gifted an equaliser by Valencia’s Daniel Wass, who chesting the ball away from his own goalkeeper.
Ziyech went close with a shot towards the near post and, three minutes into injury-time, Gabriel was sent off for thrusting his head into Dusan Tadic.
It left Valencia to defend two minutes, and a corner, with 10 men but Ajax could not find a way through.
-AFP
Galatasaray made the most of a litany of errors by Norwegian visitors Bodo/Glimt as they cruised to a 3-1 home win in the Champions League on Wednesday, with striker Victor Osimhen netting twice for the Turkish side in the first half.
UEFA Champions League – Galatasaray v Bodo/Glimt – RAMS Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 22, 2025 Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen celebrates scoring their second goal REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Osimhen wasted no time giving the home side an early lead, sweeping a sumptuous first-time finish past Nikita Haikin in the third minute as the Norwegian side was quickly punished for giving the ball away cheaply in midfield.
Osimhen doubled his tally in the 33rd minute after another error. Under pressure as he ran infield, Bodo left-back Fredrik Bjorkan inexplicably passed the ball straight to Osimhen in a central position, and the forward gratefully tucked the ball away.
UEFA Champions League – Galatasaray v Bodo/Glimt – RAMS Park, Istanbul, Turkey – October 22, 2025 Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen in action REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Bodo created some decent chances of their own but were made to pay again on the hour mark as centre-back Haitam Aleesami was robbed just outside his penalty area by Osimhen, and Yunus Akgun was able to score at the second attempt to make it 3-0.
Osimhen had plenty of opportunities to complete his hat-trick but he was thwarted by keeper Haikin, and Bodo substitute Andreas Helmersen was able to head home a close-range consolation goal in the 76th minute as his side finished strongly.
With seven games kicking off later on Wednesday, the win leaves Galatasaray on six points from three games, while Bodo/Glimt have two points ahead of their home clash with Monaco of France in two weeks. Galatasaray are next away at Dutch side Ajax Amsterdam.
-Reuters
Victor Osimhen scores their second goal REUTERS/Umit Bektas
One of the few clouds hanging over Arsenal this season has been the lack of goals from the big-money centre forward Viktor Gyokeres but he erased some doubts with a timely return to form by scoring twice in a 4-0 defeat of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
Gyokeres, who Arsenal signed for 64 million pounds ($85.89 million) from Sporting, poached his side’s third and fourth goals to end a nine-game streak without netting for club and country.
The Swede was all smiles as he was substituted late on and manager Mikel Arteta said the 27-year-old fully deserved the ovation he received from the Arsenal fans.
“I think he deserved it because everything that we were seeing in terms of what he was bringing to the team and how much he was helping the team in many areas, apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks,” Arteta told reporters.
“There was no debate about that. It was about keeping that belief in himself, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely. I look at his teammates as well, in the picture and the video, they are all so happy for him.”
His opening goal was a messy affair as his weak shot dribbled into the net via a deflection while his second came from yet another Arsenal set piece with Gabriel heading a corner into the path of the Sweden international.
“He makes us a much better team. I think we’ve become much more unpredictable. He’s so physical, the way he presses the ball, holds the ball, that’s phenomenal,” Arteta said.
“He’s scored two very different ones today, and hopefully he starts to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
Gyokeres now has five for the season, including three in the Premier League, and was clearly relieved to be back on target.
“(It’s reward) for the team, but of course, me as well,” he said of the win that maintained Arsenal’s 100% start in the Champions League. “I do my best all the time, work hard and contribute with different stuff. It’ll come sooner or later.”
-Reuters
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Arsenal thrashed Atletico Madrid 4-0 thanks to a devastating second-half broadside at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday to secure a third successive Champions League victory.
What had been a compelling contest with little between the sides became an Arsenal rout with goals by Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and a brace from Viktor Gyokeres leaving Diego Simeone’s side shell-shocked.
Shortly after Julian Alvarez hit the crossbar for the visitors, Arsenal defender Gabriel broke the deadlock by heading in a Declan Rice free kick in the 57th minute.
Martinelli finished off a sweeping move seven minutes later and Gyokeres prodded in his first goal of the night via a deflection as Arsenal ran riot, the Swede ending a nine-game scoring drought for club and country.
Gyokeres bundled in his second as Atletico were again unable to deal with a set piece.
Victory extended Arsenal’s unbeaten run to nine games in all competitions and put them on nine points in the group phase, after three wins without conceding a goal, well on the way to qualifying for the knockout stages.
Atletico, on three points, will have to dust themselves down after their six-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to a juddering halt.
“It was a tough match. After the goal they opened up a bit and it was a little easier for us to find the spaces. Very happy with the result,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said.
“At this level in the Champions League you really need to step up and we certainly did that in every phase of the play.”
Simeone, who also tasted defeat in Liverpool last month, said his side had been punished for individual errors.
“It’s not down to bad luck, it’s down to mistakes,” the Argentine told reporters. “They made the most of our mistakes and all their big chances turned into goals.”
BRIMMING WITH CONFIDENCE
Brimming with confidence after climbing to the top of the Premier League, Arsenal began strongly and almost took the lead when Eberechi Eze’s shot deflected off David Hancko and hit the crossbar with Rice bouncing the rebound over the bar.
Myles Lewis-Skelly dragged a shot wide and Bukayo Saka was denied by a block from Atletico keeper Jan Oblak.
The visitors weathered the storm, though, and were almost gifted a goal when Arsenal keeper David Raya was caught in possession well out of his area and Alvarez had the goal at his mercy but placed his shot agonisingly wide from an angle.
When Alvarez curled a superb effort against Arsenal’s crossbar soon after the restart the outcome was very much in the balance but Atletico then caved in.
Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover would have been purring at the goal that opened the floodgates.
The threat of the Rice-Gabriel combination is hardly a secret but Atletico’s defence seemed transfixed as Rice’s curling free kick delivery was met by the Brazilian who had ghosted clear to glance a header past Oblak.
With Atletico stunned, Arsenal went for the kill and Lewis-Skelly slid in Martinelli to side-foot past Oblak, meaning he has scored in every Champions League game this season.
Gyokeres then got in on the act with two goals that were hardly masterpieces — but will have done him the power of good after a barren spell since his big-money move from Sporting.
“We value a lot of things that he does for the team and it was the biggest smile on his face today,” Arteta said.
“Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences.”
-Reuters
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