Champions League games of the league phase: Which was your favourite?

The league phase of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League has come to a conclusion, with the format once again throwing up plenty of intriguing twists and turns as 36 teams battled it out.

We pick out eight games that particularly grabbed the attention. Vote for your favourite!

Matchday 1: Juventus 4-4 Dortmund

The first night of the league phase spawned a classic in Turin with all eight goals coming in the second half. Karim Adeyemi and Felix Nmecha gave Niko Kovač's side the lead twice from outside the box but Kenan Yıldız's stunner and Dušan Vlahović's clinical finish quickly levelled both times. Yan Couto's drive and Ramy Bensebaini's penalty appeared to seal victory for Dortmund but, in added time, Vlahović pulled one back and Lloyd Kelly headed a dramatic equaliser.

Matchday 2: Monaco 2-2 Manchester City

Erling Haaland, making his 50th Champions League appearance, was bound to play a leading role in this contest but it would not be a winning one. The Norwegian marksman struck in the 15th minute but Jordan Teze drilled a wonderful equaliser three minutes later. Haaland's 52nd goal in the competition proper, a towering header back across goal, put Pep Guardiola's team back in front before the break yet they were pegged back in the dying moments by an Englishman, Eric Dier nervelessly converting his penalty to restore parity.

Matchday 3: Leverkusen 2-7 Paris

Nine goals, two penalties and two red cards – this one had almost everything. Willian Pacho headed the holders in front but by the time Aleix García equalised in the 38th minute, Alejandro Grimaldo had missed a penalty for the hosts and both sides were down to ten men – Leverkusen's Robert Andrich and Paris' Illia Zabarnyi both dismissed. Luis Enrique's men still had time to score three times before half-time, Désiré Doué grabbing two of them, and they were similarly clinical after the interval with Nuno Mendes, Ousmane Dembélé and Vitinha all getting in on the action.

Matchday 4: Club Brugge 3-3 Barcelona

Three goals in the opening 17 minutes set the tone in Belgium with Ferran Torres' equaliser sandwiched between efforts from Nicolo Tresoldi and Carlos Forbs for Club Brugge. Lamine Yamal impudently finished a wonderful move to level just past the hour but Forbs' equally cute conversion nudged Nicky Hayen's men back ahead two minutes later. Christos Tzolis' unfortunate own goal proved to be the final scoring act of a pulsating contest.

Matchday 5: Olympiacos 3-4 Real Madrid

Kylian Mbappé scored four times and Los Blancos needed all of that firepower to claim the points in Piraeus. Chiquinho rounded off a fine move to give the hosts an early advantage but Mbappé then hit a seven-minute hat-trick – the second fastest in Champions League history – to put Xavi Alonso's men on top. Mehdi Taremi nodded the hosts back into contention after the break and even Mbappé's fourth could not truly tame José Luis Mendilibar's charges, who set up a grandstand finish thanks to Ayoub El Kaabi's 81st-minute header.

Matchday 6: Villarreal 2-3 Copenhagen

The visitors struck early and late to earn a landmark first win for a Danish club away from home against a Spanish team in European Cup/Champions League history. Mohamed Elyounoussi set the tone inside two minutes by turning in Marcos Lopez's delicious cross; however, Santiago Comesaña responded at an identical point in the second half. Elias Achouri instantly restored Copenhagen's lead only for Tani Oluwaseyi to level again and it stayed that way until the 90th minute when substitute Andreas Cornelius swept in a famous winner for Jacob Neestrup's side.

Matchday 7: Qarabağ 3-2 Frankfurt

Clubs from Azerbaijan had failed to record victory over German opposition in UEFA competition in all 14 previous attempts, yet Qarabağ bucked the trend in dramatic fashion. Camilo Duran's early opener for Qarabağ was quickly cancelled out by Can Uzun and it stayed that way until a dramatic final 12 minutes. Fares Chaibi rolled in a penalty to edge Frankfurt in front, but the visitors' elimination was confirmed after a remarkable turnaround in which Duran notched his second and Bahlul Mustafazade buried a winner deep into added time.

Matchday 8: Benfica 4-2 Real Madrid

Superlative drama saw Benfica clinch a knockout phase play-off place, goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin heading home in the 98th minute to lift the Portuguese team into 24th place. The Eagles looked set to miss out despite recovering from a 1-0 deficit to lead 3-1 courtesy of two goals from Andreas Schjelderup, either side of Vangelis Pavlidis' penalty. Kylian Mbappé's second of the game – his 13th league phase goal – pushed them out of the top 24 and there they remained until José Mourinho ordered Trubin forward and, against opponents suddenly down to nine men, the Ukrainian shot-stopper delivered the telling blow.