A Totally Honest Review of Wednesday’s Champions League Chaos

A Totally Honest Review of Wednesday’s Champions League Chaos

The Champions League is back, and with it came some sensational fixtures.

After Tuesday’s drama, which included two Mbappe penalties, a shock win by Qarabag, and a breathless 4-4 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus, Wednesday’s matches did not disappoint.

Bayern still enjoy being at-home bullies, PSG started their defence of the title with a 4-0 battering—putting them top of the table—and Liverpool, once again, left it late.

If the first 12 games of matchday one have taught us anything, it is that this season's Champions League will be full of drama, suspense, and all-around excitement.

Here at Football Park, we bring you the breakdown of all of Wednesday's matches—where brilliance met chaos, and chaos usually won.

Olympiacos vs Pafos

Starting with the first matchup of the night, this match may have looked like a drab affair, and in many ways, that would be right.

But for the small club of Pafos, formed just 11 years ago, this was a monumental occasion as not only did they play in their first ever Champions League match, they earned a hard-fought point away at one of the most daunting stadiums in the world.

The city itself—spelt Paphos—sits at a population of just 37,000.

This is a huge accomplishment, and people will be keeping an eye on them in the near future. Lead writer Louis Wheelden tipped them as this season’s Champions League surprise package in Football Park’s staff predictions piece.

Pafos draw on competition debut 👏#UCL pic.twitter.com/AGj8saRVBZ

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 17, 2025

Slavia Praha vs Bodo/Glimt

Two clubs that both made the upgrade from Europa League to Champions League, this match between two of the smaller clubs of the competition did not disappoint.

With Slavia 2-0 up in the 75th minute, it looked like smooth sailing for the Czech club, who appeared ready to win their first group stage Champions League match in 17 years.

But last year's Europa League Semi-Finalists had other ideas. In their first-ever Champions League match, they came from behind and scored in the 78th and 90th minutes to earn a point from the match.

Neither club has gone down well in too many pundits' rankings, but it will be a good idea to keep an eye out for the future.

📈 Three debutants have played in the UEFA Champions League this week and they are all unbeaten!

🇧🇪 Union Saint-Gilloise ✅
🇳🇴 Bodø/Glimt 🤝
🇨🇾 Pafos 🤝

Absolutely fantastic! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Pjw1Wl1eqm

— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) September 17, 2025

Bayern vs Chelsea

Two heavyweights of world football clashed horns, but it would be the man from London who would prevail.

Man, you say? This is a football match, not tennis.

Well, whilst you are right, it would be Chelsea’s old foe Harry Kane who would take the match by the scruff of its neck, scoring two goals in typical ‘HurriKane’ fashion, a penalty and capitalising on a poor defensive error.

Many predicted Bayern as a finalist for this year's edition, yours truly included, and by the way they have started, it will be hard to bet against them.

We know every Premier League fan is happy that Harry Kane left… pic.twitter.com/MTVBwuZ31f

— FC Bayern (@FCBayernEN) September 17, 2025

PSG vs Atalanta

What else can we say about PSG at this point? They are a formidable team that is relentless in attack, beautiful in midfield, and annoyingly well-drilled at the back. There truly is no team able to beat them at this point—albeit a 3–0 slip-up in the Club World Cup final.

Having decimated Inter Milan 5-0 in last year's final, it seems that the French side enjoys the taste of Italian teams. Call it payback for the battle of Pavia in 1525 or the 2006 World Cup final, either way, Italian clubs might want to start saying their prayers. Because if you meet this Paris side in the knockouts, you’d better guard your back, your front, and anywhere else they can see.

This version of PSG is dangerous: show them even a sliver of softness and they’ll rip right through it.

« Merci » 🤩

MVP 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/2IbX05V2Yz

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 17, 2025

Ajax vs Inter

Two clubs, two very different chapters in football’s story. No match is more poignant to explain this than by looking at the 1972 European Cup final. Ajax, led by the visionary Rinus Michels, put their boot firmly on the throat of defensive football, unleashing the fluid brilliance of Total Football on a stage where rigidity had once ruled.

That day, the match would end 2-0, leaving Ajax victorious with a second consecutive European Cup. Last night's encounter would end with the same scoreline, but with a different victor.

Both sides stand as giants whose heydays lie firmly in the past. Both sides are reeling from last season's results, one which saw a 5-0 destruction in the Champions League final, the other saw a nine-point bottle which resulted in the loss of a league title.

Last night, all that washed away on the pitch. Marcus Thuram continued his father's legacy, scoring two goals to put the Dutch side to bed.

But Inter still have a lot to work on, a 5-4 loss to Juventus is still fresh in their minds, and they will need to do a lot to put the last 6 months behind them.

Marcus Thuram has been on fire for Inter Milan this season 🔥 pic.twitter.com/tTNuUNoO7u

— LiveScore (@livescore) September 17, 2025

Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid

A matchup that has stayed prevalent on our screens over the last few years. Everybody remembered Alvaro Morata’s 121st-minute goal at Anfield to knock the holders out in 2020.

Just like that match, last night's matchup finished 3-2, this time, in favour of the home team.

But it nearly did not. Marcos Llorente—a man who relishes a night at Anfield so much he named his dog after the stadium—scored twice as Atletico pulled back a 2-0 deficit.

But, as they’ve done so often this season, Liverpool found a way back, Virgil van Dijk rising highest in the 92nd minute to head home the winner.

If we were to cancel out every Liverpool goal scored after the 82nd minute, the Merseyside club would have drawn every match this season.

But that is the way of champions, and with the current glint in their eye, it looks like they will be gunning for it all.

Virgil van Dijk. CLUTCH 😤

A 92nd-minute winner and another famous European night at Anfield 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/j0r0vSrLhw

— B/R Football (@brfootball) September 17, 2025