Champions League gameweek 7 winners and losers

The penultimate matchday of the Champions League concluded with key results for teams aiming for a place in the knockout stages, and for others, it gave them a chance to sneak inside the top 24 teams of the League Phase table.

The race for the top eight, meanwhile, is an extremely tight one but the good news for English teams is that five out of six are currently inside it.

Welcome to Luis Miguel Echegaray’s winners and losers from matchday seven in the Champions League.

Kane eyes career record

After Arsenal secured a top-two spot a day prior, Bayern Munich looked to echo the same sentiment on Wednesday.

Harry Kane ended his three-game drought in the tournament by scoring a brace for 10-man Bayern Munich against Union Saint-Gilloise in a 2-0 win meaning that unless anything farcical happens in the final matchday, the Bavarians should seal the second place in the table.

Kane, who also missed a penalty, now has 34 goals in all competitions this season. The fact that we’re still in January means that he will surely break his own record of 44 goals in a single campaign.

Meanwhile, Barcelona’s 3-2 victory over Slavia Prague meant that Hansi Flick’s team now has an opportunity to enter next week with a chance to finish inside the desired top eight, but Newcastle United will have something to say about that as the Magpies delivered a strong 3-0 victory against PSV Eindhoven at St. James’s Park.

The win placed them eighth, and now they have a great chance to earn a direct berth in the Round of 16.

Chelsea, who beat Pafos, also won, meaning that they’re one of seven teams with 13 points, chasing the Toon Army.

Back on Tuesday, meanwhile, Man City suffered a terrible loss in the Arctic Circle and there was goal-heavy redemption for Real Madrid.

And the winners are...

Liverpool: It was a very good night for Arne Slot’s side, who won against Marseille on Wednesday night at Stáde Velodrome.

Goals from Dominik Szoboszlai (a lovely free-kick), an own goal from Gerónimo Rulli and a goal by Cody Gakpo meant that the Reds ended the night in fourth place with 15 points.

A home win against Qarabag would seal a direct placement into the Round of 16.

In a season of inconsistency, Liverpool needed this victory.

Gabriel Jesus and Arsenal: On Tuesday, the Gunners earned a top-two spot in the table after a 3-1 victory over Internazionale at San Siro stadium, making it their seventh straight in the competition, which is the club’s longest winning streak in the Champions League.

Thanks to the win, Mikel Arteta’s side now move directly into the Round of 16 and will also have home advantage in the second leg of the knockout stages, a commodity they’ll have until the final – if they make it that far.

But the night also belonged to Gabriel Jesus, who scored a brace against Inter. It was an emotional moment for the Brazilian, who recently came back to the squad after an 11-month absence due to an ACL injury.

“It’s a dream night,” said the forward after the game, who, like many Brazilians, has a nostalgic connection to Inter due to the abundance of countrymen who have played for the Italian side in the past.

“When I was a kid. I watched a lot of Serie A, so to be here in this stadium and score here – I had tears in my eyes because I always dreamed of being here.”

His return is perfectly timed, and coupled with a goal from Viktor Gyökeres, Gabriel Jesus will add much-needed fuel to Arsenal’s attacking line.

It has been 20 years since Arsenal made an appearance in the Champions League final, a competition they have never won, but at this point, right now, it appears the unwanted record could end this season.

Vinicius Junior and Real Madrid: The Spanish giants finally earned a victory worthy of celebration as Los Blancos destroyed Monaco 6-1 at Santiago Bernabéu.

It was the second win under Álvaro Arbeloa after Xabi Alonso’s exit, as the home crowd, who have been extremely frustrated with the club, gave them a warm reception.

Kylian Mbappé scored a brace, and Vinicius Jr. delivered a wonderful goal plus two assists in the victory as the three points brought them to 15 points overall, which further solidified a top-eight finish and a direct route to the Round of 16.

For Vinicius, this was also about personal redemption and reconciliation with the fanbase, who booed and whistled him in the previous game against Levante.

Perhaps this is the beginning of a more collected Real Madrid and a happier version of Vinicius Jr.

Ladies and gentlemen, your losers...

Erling Haaland and Man City: Pep Guardiola’s side traveled to the Arctic Circle and suffered a frigid 3-1 loss to Norwegian underdogs Bodo/Glimt, making it two straight losses for the first time since November as they also lost 2-0 to Manchester United last weekend.

They’re the only Premier League side not inside the top eight.

At a larger glance, out of the last seven games in all competitions, City have only won twice, and one of those wins was against League One’s Exeter City in the FA Cup.

Needless to say, it’s not a great image for Man City, and to add insult to injury, Haaland - playing in his home country - once again failed to score on Tuesday night, making it seven matches without scoring a goal from open play.

His last goal was on January 7, a penalty against Brighton.

“I don't have the answers. I take full responsibility for not being able to score the goals I should do," Haaland said to TNT Sports in the UK after the game.

"I just apologize to everyone, every single Man City supporter and every single supporter that traveled today, because in the end it's embarrassing.”

To echo this sentiment, City’s squad aim to refund the ticket costs for the 374 fans who traveled to Norway.

"Covering the cost of these tickets for the fans who travelled to Bodo is the least we can do", said Bernardo Silva.

It’s a respectable gesture and appreciated by City’s supporters, but hopefully, for their sake, the team can finally pick up some sense of rhythm, especially after purchasing Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi.

Napoli: It’s been an extremely disappointing Champions League campaign for the Serie A defending champions.

A 1-1 draw against 10-man Copenhagen was disappointing, as they now have to beat Chelsea at home in the final matchday for a chance to make the playoffs.

Antonio Conte, for all the league titles he has amassed during his stellar managerial career, has a curiously average record in European competition and that trend seems to be continuing in 2025/26.

Gameweek 7 results in full