- - Champions League winners and losers: Carlos Forbs' coming out party exposes Barcelona's biggest flaw

Luis Miguel EchegarayNovember 6, 2025 at 12:09 AM

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Club Brugge winger Carlos Forbs scored twice and had an assist in a breakout performance against Barcelona on Wednesday. (Rene Nijhuis/MB Media via Getty Images)

The Champions League in November is always difficult to assess due to its halt-start schedule. After coming back from one international break in late October, another one arrives next week so it must be frustrating for clubs to find any kind of rhythm in the competition.

But, as far as the top three teams in the League Phase table are concerned, this sporadic calendar hasn't been a problem. Bayern Munich (2-1 vs PSG), Arsenal (3-0 vs. Slavia Prague) and Internazionale ( 2-1 vs. Kairat) remain perfect in the competition whilst Manchester City (4-1 vs. Borussia Dortmund), Newcastle United (2-0 vs. Athletic Club) and Tottenham Hotspur (4-0 vs. Copenhagen) continue to climb.

Liverpool (1-0 against Real Madrid) showed a renewed sense of intent, history was made in Cyprus (F.C. Pafos winning 1-0 against Villarreal) whilst the Spanish side, Benfica, Olympiacos and Ajax remain winless. The defending champion PSG also endured a lot of injuries in its aforementioned loss in Paris.

Finally, there was wild entertainment in Belgium as Club Brugge drew 3-3 against Barcelona. Even after six goals, Brugge thought it scored the winner in stoppage time thanks to a last-gasp attempt from Romeo Vermant, but after a VAR recommendation for the official to review, it was clear the 21-year-old Belgian had fouled Wojciech Szczęsny after he had attempted to take the ball from the Barcelona goalkeeper. Heartache for Brugge, relief for Barça.

Here are the biggest winners and losers from this week’s action in the UEFA Champions League.

Winners

Carlos Forbs: A magnificent evening for the 21-year-old winger from Club Brugge was perhaps a glimpse of a future star. The Portuguese Forbs, who once scored 25 goals and made 13 assists in a season for Man City’s U-21s, was an absolute nightmare against Barcelona in a thrilling 3-3 draw where he scored a brace and made a great assist to seal a point for the Belgian side, which remains unbeaten at home.

CARLOS FORBS IS ON FIRE 🔥The Portuguese forward instantly restores Club Brugge's lead 👏 pic.twitter.com/RVhoNfdfBD

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) November 5, 2025

Phil Foden: Thanks to a wonderful brace (his first in the competition) in Man City’s 4-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund, I think it’s fair to say that the 25-year-old attacker is back. Foden was brilliant on Wednesday, showing all aspects of his qualities as the creative pivot for Pep Guardiola’s team. As the international break beckons, Thomas Tuchel surely can’t ignore him.

Newcastle United: The Premier League campaign has been somewhat of a yo-yo for the Magpies but as far as the Champions League is concerned, Eddie Howe’s men have been very good. Their only loss came on the first matchday (2-1 vs. Barcelona) and since then, Newcastle has not looked back. In fact, it hasn’t conceded a goal since the Barça loss. On Wednesday at St. James’ Park, the home side won 2-0 against Athletic Club de Bilbao, making it three straight wins in the tournament.

Bayern Munich: Luis Díaz played the hero and villain as the Colombian became the second player in tournament history (Antoine Griezmann) to score a brace and see a red card (after a horrible tackle on Achraf Hakimi) but the overall story here is the dominant performance of Vincent Kompany’s team. It’s not easy to beat PSG, especially at Parc des Princes, and the Germans did it with 10 men for an entire half. The 2-1 victory was Bayern’s 16th straight win in all competitions. This is a magnificent side and undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the competition.

F.C. Pafos: It was a historic Wednesday evening for the team from Cyprus as its 1-0 victory over Villarreal sealed its first win in the Champions League. The club was founded in 2014 and has done so much over the years to redefine its infrastructure, recruitment and philosophy. In its first season in the competition — and playing away from its stadium as it didn’t meet UEFA regulations — it has lost only once, and that was to Bayern Munich. It has some Arsenal influence as it is managed by former Gunner assistant Juan Carlos Carcedo and this summer, it signed David Luiz.

Victor Osimhen: The Nigerian star is in the form of his career. On Wednesday, the Galatasaray striker scored a hat-trick against Ajax and became the first African player to accomplish the feat for the Turkish side. He also became the second African player to score three goals in one match in the Champions League since Yakubu Ayegbeni for Maccabi Haifa in 2002.

Losers

Barcelona: When it comes to identity and who Barća is on the pitch, Hansi Flick’s side is so top heavy. As a result, it leaves itself so vulnerable. Against Brugge, it scored three goals from 21 attempts and showed once again so much creative threat. But defensively? Barcelona continues to show so much indiscipline, specifically due to its high line. The Catalan side was very fortunate to come away from Belgium with a point. I have mentioned it in the past but if Barcelona wants to win the Champions League, it has to improve heavily without the ball.

Trent Alexander-Arnold: It was a bad week for the Real Madrid right-back, who had to deal with a tremendous amount of hostility upon his return to Anfield. First, there was his mural near the stadium on Sybil Road, which was vandalized with the words “rat” followed by a short appearance against his former side, prompting boos and other expletives from the Kop End. He returned to the Spanish capital with a 1-0 loss and only 14 minutes of action.

Luis Enrique: It was a rough night for PSG’s manager on Tuesday. Not only did his team lose to Bayern Munich, but he also lost key players to injuries. First, it was Ousmane Dembélé, who lasted only 23 minutes before coming off after having a goal disallowed. Naturally, the PSG manager was frustrated as injuries continue to be a problem for the Ballon d’Or winner. Dembélé had only returned on Oct. 20 after a hamstring problem that had ruled him out since September. Then, and more seriously, Achraf Hakimi came off due to a terrible, wild tackle by Luis Díaz. The Moroccan star, in tears, had to be helped off the pitch as it was clear that his ankle was heavily rolled over. On the other side of the pitch, Nuno Mendes also suffered a sprain to his left knee so he will also miss time. Add Desire Doué’s absence, which began last weekend, and it’s clear the Spanish manager has multiple issues to deal with. Losing 2-1 at home against Bayern added even more frustration.

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Source: “AOL Sports”