LAST UPDATE | 9 Dec 2025

Barcelona 2-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

UNLIKELY GOALSCORING HERO Jules Kounde bagged two headers to help Barcelona beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 in the Champions League and bolster the club’s chances of a top eight league phase finish.

Ansgar Knauff sent the visitors into a surprise lead but French defender Kounde’s brace early in the second half put last season’s semi-finalists in control.

In the club’s first Champions League match back at Camp Nou since 2022, they gained revenge against a Frankfurt side who humiliated them in the Europa League in that same year.

The Bundesliga team packed the Camp Nou with their own fans and knocked Barca out of that competition at one of their lowest ebbs under Xavi Hernandez.

With a domestic treble and a run to the final four of the Champions League, Xavi’s successor Hansi Flick has changed the mood around Barca, but this season the team have struggled at times.

Defeats by Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain left Barca in a difficult position in Europe, but by beating Frankfurt they are still hopeful of avoiding the play-off round.

Barcelona controlled the opening period, pinning the visitors, who lost 6-0 against RB Leipzig on Saturday in the Bundesliga, back in their own territory.

Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski put the ball in the net but it was ruled out for an offside earlier in the move.

Despite their dominant start, the Catalans fell behind after 21 minutes, caught out by a rapid Frankfurt counter-attack.

Lamine Yamal dribbled into trouble and Nathaniel Brown surged forward from the back before dropping a ball in behind Barca’s high defensive line for Knauff to charge on to.

Gerard Martin tried and failed to intercept it with a flick of the leg and the German striker held off Alejandro Balde before finishing neatly.

Frankfurt defenders scrambled to block a Fermin Lopez effort, as Barca struggled to create clear openings.

Teenage star Yamal could not find a way past Brown in one of his more erratic outings for Barca.

Ellyes Skhiri slammed a shot just over the bar as Frankfurt missed a good chance to extend their lead before half-time, and it came to cost them.

Barcelona came out all guns blazing in the second half and were helped by the introduction of on-loan Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford.

The England international teed up Raphinha, who blazed over, before whipping in a cross for Kounde to head home in the 50th minute.

The French defender, who has particularly struggled this season, was Barcelona’s hero against Frankfurt as he grabbed his second of the night three minutes later.

Yamal slung in a high, looping cross which Kounde nodded back across goal and in at the far post.

Unable to procure a third goal to kill off the game, Barca had to sweat through the final stages but Frankfurt did not come close to finding an equaliser.

Bayern Munich 3-1 Sporting 

Lennart Karl celebrates his goal. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Revitalised striker Serge Gnabry and teenage forward Lennart Karl helped inspire Bayern Munich to a come-from-behind 3-1 home win over Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday.

With Bayern trailing to a Joshua Kimmich own-goal midway through the second half and staring down the barrel of a second-successive European loss, Gnabry and Karl scored in quick succession to wrestle the match in Bayern’s favour.

Gnabry set up defender Jonathan Tah for a late goal to ensure Bayern claimed all three points and rose to second in the league phase standings, behind Arsenal on goal difference.

Karl, 17, became the youngest player to score in three consecutive Champions League games.

Despite the loss, the Portuguese champions sit ninth in the 36-team table with two games remaining.

The first 24 sides make it through to the knockout rounds, with the top eight qualifying for the last 16 directly.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany made seven changes to his starting XI, recalling Harry Kane, Gnabry, Karl, Manuel Neuer and Tah who were rested on Saturday against Stuttgart with Sporting’s visit in mind.

Bayern have scored more goals than any other club in Europe’s top-five leagues this season and went agonisingly close in the opening half.

Karl’s fifth-minute goal was ruled out for offside and Kane hit the post on the half-hour mark. Kane, Karl and Gnabry all forced Rui Silva into acrobatic stops before the break.

Sporting’s best chance in the opening half came when Geny Catamo laid on a precise cross which Tah almost guided into his own net, forcing Neuer into a reflex save.

Some more Bayern friendly fire put Sporting in front early in the second period, with Neuer this time helpless as Kimmich deflected a Joao Simoes cross in with 54 minutes gone.

The goal jolted Bayern into gear and the German side soon struck back to take the lead with two goals in four minutes.

Unmarked at the back post, Gnabry tapped in a Michael Olise corner to level things up. Karl latched onto a Konrad Laimer pass before blasting in on the turn from a tight angle.

With 13 minutes remaining, Kimmich and Tah made good on their defensive errors by combining for Bayern’s third, with a little help from Gnabry.

Kimmich looped in a dipping cross to Gnabry, who headed centrally for Tah to poke home.

With three minutes remaining, Kompany withdrew Gnabry and brought Alphonso Davies onto the pitch, the Canada captain playing his first match since tearing his ACL in March.