Champions League Matchday 3: Como Stun United as Rice Rescues Arsenal

Wednesday's nine matches complete Champions League Matchday 3

Champions League Matchday 3 concluded on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, with 34 goals across nine fixtures and several important developments in the league phase. Como produced the evening's biggest surprise by defeating Manchester United 4–1, while Arsenal secured a 2–2 draw away to Bayern Munich through a late Declan Rice equaliser. Real Madrid maintained their perfect European start with a 4–1 victory against RB Leipzig, and Aston Villa recorded a third consecutive win by beating Viking 3–1. Elsewhere, Galatasaray defeated Lille 4–2, Club Brugge beat Lens 3–0 and Inter secured a narrow 1–0 victory against Shakhtar Donetsk. Real Betis edged Feyenoord 1–0, while LASK produced another notable result by winning 3–2 away to Sporting CP.

Nico Paz inspires Como's remarkable victory against Manchester United

Como delivered an outstanding attacking performance to defeat Manchester United 4–1. Nicolás Paz opened the scoring after only two minutes with a curling effort before creating the second goal for Tasos Douvikas early in the second half. Paz then scored again following an impressive individual run, extending Como's advantage to three goals. Jacobo Ramón added a fourth with a powerful header, while Joshua Zirkzee scored United's consolation in stoppage time. Paz was named UEFA's Player of the Match after contributing two goals and an assist. The result represented a significant achievement for Cesc Fàbregas's side and increased the pressure on Manchester United following another disappointing European performance.

Rice denies Bayern after Kane extends scoring streak

Arsenal recovered from a difficult second-half position to draw 2–2 at Bayern Munich. Eberechi Eze opened the scoring for the visitors before Alphonso Davies equalised after a precise pass from Harry Kane. Kane subsequently converted a penalty following a handball by Jurriën Timber, extending his Champions League scoring sequence to ten consecutive appearances. Bayern appeared to be heading towards victory, but Declan Rice equalised in the 82nd minute after combining with Viktor Gyökeres. The result preserved Arsenal's unbeaten start to the current European campaign, although their sequence of 14 consecutive league-phase victories came to an end. Bukayo Saka's early injury also created concern for Arsenal ahead of their next fixtures.

Real Madrid, Aston Villa and Betis remain perfect

Real Madrid continued their impressive start by defeating RB Leipzig 4–1 at the Santiago Bernabéu. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring before Arda Güler doubled the advantage after half-time. Kylian Mbappé added a third, and Yan Diomande completed the victory after Tidiam Gomis had briefly reduced Leipzig's deficit. Aston Villa also collected their third victory, beating Viking 3–1 through goals involving Ross Barkley, Emiliano Buendía and an own goal by Henrik Heggheim. Real Betis maintained their perfect record with a 1–0 win against Feyenoord, secured by an Isco penalty. The three clubs joined PSG and Liverpool among the teams with maximum points after three matches.

What do the results mean for the league phase?

The completion of Matchday 3 provides a clearer picture of the early Champions League standings. Five teams have won all three matches: Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Aston Villa and Real Betis. Arsenal remain unbeaten after their draw in Munich, while Bayern have collected five points from their opening three fixtures. Como's victory against Manchester United strengthens the Italian club's position and demonstrates its ability to compete against established European opponents. Inter also secured an important first victory despite finishing with ten players, while LASK's comeback at Sporting provided another reminder of the competition's unpredictability. With five league-phase matches still to play, the standings remain open, but the results have already created meaningful separation between teams with strong starts and those facing growing pressure.