Nine UEFA Champions League oddities you missed this week - including speedy VAR, where to find goals, and the wrong kind of history
Updated 23/10/2025 at 14:59 GMT+1
Here at TNT Sports we know that for fans it can be tricky to keep up with everything that is happening when the UEFA Champions League is on, even with the wonders of the internet. So we rounded up nine things that you may have missed over the past couple of days' worth of action. This includes one of the fastest VAR reviews ever seen and some history being made for all the wrong reasons.
Highlights: Gyokeres bags brace as Arsenal thump Atletico Madrid
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Keeping on top of the action on any given UEFA Champions League matchday can be extremely tricky.
Lucky for you, we here at TNT Sports are watching every game, and have gathered a selection of oddities you might have missed.
So read on for a brutally quick VAR review, people making history for all the wrong reasons, and the team you need to be watching if you want guaranteed goals.
An unwanted record
Most records are wanted; people want their name to live on forever.
We’re not 100% certain how Pafos’ Joao Correia feels about owning the fastest red card in Champions League history, but we imagine it’s not positively.
Correia was sent off after 183 seconds (three minutes and three seconds) for catching Kairat Almaty left-back Luis Mata in the face via a high boot.
The previous record was held by Oleksandr Kucher, who gave away a penalty with a last-ditch challenge against Bayern Munich after three minutes and 59 seconds.
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Pafos have a player sent off after just THREE minutes - 'Dangerous play, silly challenge'
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An even more unwanted record
But a night later, Correia might have been beaten for the most unwanted record of the matchday.
With his team’s thumping 5-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, Ajax manager John Heitinga created his own piece of history.
As per Opta, Heitinga became the first person in Champions League history to lose his first three games with a club both as a player and as a manager, losing his first five as a player with Ajax in 2003/04 and his first three as a manager in 2025/26.
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Highlights: Estevao nets first UCL goal as Chelsea thrash Ajax
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The Ajax fans might not have known the stat, but they certainly spent some time making their feelings about their manager known during the match.
A third unwanted stat!
And we’ve got one more for you. On Tuesday evening, Napoli’s tough run of form continued as they were hammered 6-2 in Eindhoven by PSV.
It is the first time in Antonio Conte’s managerial career that one of his teams has conceded six goals.
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PSV's shot map against Napoli in their 6-2 win
Image credit: Opta
Speaking after the game, Conte said his team had been too busy during the summer transfer window.
"Last year we won the league with just a few players," Conte told Sky Italia after the game.
"They outdid themselves by being compact and staying united as a team. This year we have more games and brought in more players.
"Nine [signings] was too many for me, but we had to do it. There’s no need to despair."
It was widely reported at the end of last season that Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis had to promise Conte transfer activity to convince him to stay after winning the title.
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Highlights: Six-star PSV stun Napoli
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A confusing penalty for the ages
In one of Tuesday's early games, there was a truly astonishing moment when Olympiacos pulled a goal back against Barcelona through a header from Ayoub El Kaabi.
However, the goal was then ruled out, and instead a penalty was awarded to Olympiacos. As you can imagine, confusion followed.
So what actually happened? Well, it turns out that El Kaabi had actually drifted into an offside position when the ball was delivered.
But, before that a cross just glanced the hand of Barcelona defender Eric Garcia, hence the penalty. That was scored. So in the end, the same result.
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'They don't need to check for that!' – VAR confusion as Olympiacos goal ruled out and penalty given
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"Justice served there," Adam Virgo said on commentary. "That would have been so harsh with the advantage being played, that both teams carried on with it and the goal was scored, and then to be taken back, to then go through a VAR check."
Fastest VAR review and mesmerising control
One decision where there was no confusion or delay at all was back at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday.
Ajax captain Kenneth Taylor was initially shown a yellow card by referee Felix Zwayer for a late challenge on Facundo Buonanotte.
However, VAR Soren Storks sent Zwayer to the screen for a possible red card. Zwayer ran over, spent what felt like less than a second there, and immediately upgraded his decision to a red for Taylor.
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Taylor shown straight red after VAR review as Ajax reduced to 10
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But that was not all from this match. Early on, a ball was clipped over to the left wing towards Chelsea's Jamie Gittens, but it was a little bit overhit.
That wasn’t a concern for Gittens, though, as he produced one of the most outrageous pieces of control we have ever seen, bringing the ball down with a hybrid of his shoulder and back.
Sadly for the winger, he was offside - but we will not forget what you did, Jamie. We see you.
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'Watch this for a bit of a skill' - Watch Gittens' OUTRAGEOUS control against Ajax
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Goalkeepers rock, part I
In a modern era of football that is obsessed with goals and attackers, sometimes goalkeepers can be forgotten. Thankfully, this week they gave us all a great reminder of why they matter.
First, on Tuesday, Newcastle United goalkeeper Nick Pope unleashed a monster throw that led to Harvey Barnes scoring against Benfica on the counter.
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Pope mobbed after his 'special throw' assists Barnes goal
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"No [I had not discussed the throw with Nick Pope], the way it just sort of opened up, and you just take off don’t you?" Barnes told TNT Sports after the game.
"He has obviously played a great ball, you get a little bit of luck with the defender missing it but then in those positions, it is just natural instinct, you go in there and do what you do and finish it – it was a great assist by Popey."
There is nothing better in football than goalkeeper goals, but goalkeeper assists are a pretty close second.
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'No!' - Barnes admits Pope throw assist was improvised, not planned
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"I am not sure I can take too much credit for that," Newcastle manager Eddie Howe said after the game.
"We are working on certain things with Nick on his distribution - his throwing is a big strength of his actually and we have been working on that.
"I wouldn’t necessarily say that was what we have worked on, but he is a very, very good goalkeeper."
Goalkeepers rock, part II
And let’s have some more goalkeeping love.
It was a matchday littered with goals, but there were a few standout performers, none more so than Guglielmo Vicario, who made a whopping 10 saves for Tottenham Hotspur to salvage a 0-0 draw away at Monaco.
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Highlights: Spurs emerge from Monaco with a point
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Thibaut Courtois also popped up with his customary save for Real Madrid in their 1-0 win over Juventus. However, his opposite number, Michele Di Gregorio produced the goalkeeping moment of the matchday with an astonishing double.
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Di Gregorio makes 'brilliant' double save to deny Mbappe and Diaz
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A consolation goal for the ages
But what about the goals? We’re sure you’ve seen Hugo Ekitike’s goal for Liverpool against Eintracht Frankfurt or Gabriel Martinelli’s for Arsenal against Atletico Madrid.
But what about this absolute beauty from Aleix Garcia for Bayer Leverkusen in their comprehensive 7-2 loss to Paris Saint-Germain?
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Garcia scores 'superb' goal from distance against PSG
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Want goals? Watch Frankfurt
And speaking of goals and Eintracht Frankfurt...
If you want goals, then their games are the ones to watch. Frankfurt’s seven Bundesliga games have seen 37 goals so far. Across Europe’s top five leagues, the next highest is Barcelona with 34 goals.
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Highlights: Liverpool rout Frankfurt as Wirtz shines
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In the Champions League, they have seen 18 goals in three games. All three have remarkably finished 5-1 (two losses and one win).
Incredibly, that isn’t the highest, though, with fellow Bundesliga outfit Borussia Dortmund seeing 19 goals.
If you are in doubt as to which Champions League game to watch in any given week, choose one of those two Bundesliga sides.
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