Real Madrid faced some concerns, but it beat Greek Olympiacos, 4-3, away from home, in the fifth round of the first stage of the Champions League. The victory was marked by a festive night for Mbappe, who scored four goals for the madridista team, and important contributions from Vinicius Junior, who was responsible for two assists. Cecchinho, Taremi and El Kaabi scored for the home team.
Olympiacos opened the scoring in the seventh minute of the match with a wonderful goal from Portuguese Chiquinho. However, in a seven-minute period – from 21 to 28 – Mbappe scored a hat-trick to give Real the lead on the scoreboard.
Taremi reduced the gap at the beginning of the second stage, but the Frenchman increased it minutes later. In the final half, Olympiacos fell behind again and made the Spanish giants need to hold on to secure the victory that placed the team in fifth place in the standings.
Arsenal defeats Bayern Munich and advances
The day witnessed other important matches full of goals. Paris Saint-Germain, the current champion, beat Tottenham 5-3 at home, as midfielder Vitinha, who scored three goals, reached 12 points and rose to second place in the competition. Arsenal beat the mighty Bayern Munich 3-1 in London – goals from Gabriel Martinelli, Madueke and Temper – and snatched the top spot from the Bavarian team by reaching 15 points. Liverpool, in turn, lost 4-1 at home to PSV Eindhoven. In Spain, Atletico Madrid beat Inter Milan 2-1.
The top eight in the league stage qualify directly to the round of 16, while those in ninth to twenty-fourth place compete for the remaining places in a playoff match.