Haaland Continues to Break Records as PSG Dominates in Champions League

Erling Haaland etched his name further into Champions League history, while Paris Saint-Germain signaled their title defense with a dominant display. In a night filled with high-scoring matches and impressive individual performances, these two stories stood out.

Erling Haaland's insatiable appetite for goals saw him achieve another milestone in Manchester City's 2-0 victory over Villarreal. The Norwegian striker's early goal, his 53rd in the Champions League, propelled him into the top 10 all-time scorers in the competition, surpassing Thierry Henry. At just 25 years old, Haaland has reached this milestone in a record-breaking 51 appearances, underscoring his unparalleled efficiency in front of goal.

Haaland's goal-scoring streak now extends to 12 consecutive matches for club and country, highlighting his consistent form this season. His 24 goals in 14 appearances this season demonstrate his importance to Manchester City's ambitions in both domestic and European competitions. The goal against Villareal was his 53rd Champions League goal. This moves him past Thierry Henry into ninth place on the all-time list.

While Haaland continues his ascent, he still has a significant gap to close on the competition's all-time leading scorers, Cristiano Ronaldo (140 goals) and Lionel Messi (129 goals). However, his current scoring rate suggests that he could challenge those records in the future.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the reigning Champions League champions, showcased their firepower with a resounding 7-2 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. The Parisian club's attacking prowess was on full display, with an impressive scoring spree that left their opponents reeling.

This victory also allowed PSG to break an incredible Champions League record. Willian Pacho's goal in the match was PSG's 39th Champions League goal in 2025, setting a new record for the most goals scored by a team in a calendar year. The previous record was held by Manchester United, who scored 38 goals in 2002. With three more Champions League matches to play before the end of the year, PSG has the opportunity to extend this record even further.

Desire Doue was the star of the show for PSG, bagging a hat-trick in the match. The defending champions' dominant performance underscores their status as a major contender for the title once again. PSG's statistics in the Champions League this season are impressive, averaging 2.2 goals per game and conceding just 0.88 goals.

Elsewhere in the Champions League, other notable results included Barcelona's 6-1 thrashing of Olympiakos and PSV Eindhoven's 6-2 victory over Italian champions Napoli. Arsenal also impressed with a 4-0 win against Atletico Madrid.