Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos

Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos
Pafos’ Derrick Luckassen celebrates scoring their first goal with Ken Sema during their UEFA Champions League match against Villarreal — Alphamega Stadium, Kolossi, Cyprus — Nov. 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Short Url
Updated 05 November 2025
Follow

Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos

Villarreal stunned in 1-0 Champions League loss to Pafos
  • The Spanish club may be riding high in third place in LaLiga, but remain on one point in Europe
  • Pafos move on to five points

KOLOSSI, Cyprus: Villarreal fell to a humbling 1-0 defeat away to Pafos on Wednesday, as their dismal Champions League campaign continued after Derrick Luckassen scored to give the Cypriot side their first win of the competition.
The Spanish club may be riding high in third place in LaLiga, but remain on one point in Europe, while Pafos move on to five points.
Given both clubs’ campaigns so far, a goal fest was never likely. Villarreal scored twice in three games, both coming in a 2-2 draw with Juventus, while Pafos had netted only once, which came in a 5-1 loss to Bayern Munich.
The hosts created an early chance with Quina making a mazy run into the area and curling a shot just over the bar before Villarreal wasted a couple of opportunities to take the lead.
Georges Mikautadze completely missed the ball when Ayoze Perez squared a headed pass to him all alone in front of goal and Pape Gueye put his effort straight at the keeper when sent through on goal.
The visitors were rocked in the opening minute after the break when Pafos won a corner and unmarked defender Luckassen powered a header into the net.
Villarreal’s search for an equalizer lacked any real conviction to leave the home fans celebrating a famous win.


Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge

Battling Barcelona earn 3-3 draw in thriller against Brugge
  • Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear

BRUGES, Belgium: Barcelona fought back three times to snatch a 3-3 draw at Club Brugge in the Champions League on Wednesday, equalising for the final time late in the game with an own goal from 20-year-old Belgium defender Joaquin Seys.
Barcelona are now 11th in the standings on seven points from four matches while Club Brugge sit 22nd on four points, with both teams still in the hunt for qualification.
In a thriller at Brugge’s Jan Breydel Stadium, the home side opened the scoring through Nicolo Tresoldi in the sixth minute, after a quick counter by Carlos Forbs that exposed the vulnerability of Barcelona’s high defense.
The 21-year-old jet-heeled Portuguese forward controlled a long ball in his stride to beat the offside trap up the right channel before bursting into the box and crossing low for Tresoldi to score with a tidy finish past the goalkeeper.
Barcelona hit right back with Ferran Torres from close range two minutes later but Brugge regained the lead in the 17th minute with Forbs scoring after another quick counter.
In an end-to-end encounter with both sides creating several chances, Jules Kounde struck the crossbar in the 27th minute as Barcelona tried to find the equalizer, while Ferran Torres missed from close range right before the break.

FRANTIC FINALE
Barcelona keeper Wojciech Szczesny made a stunning save early in the second half when Seys entered the penalty box in a counter-attack and struck a bullet shot from close range that the veteran Polish keeper blocked away brilliantly.
Barca defender Eric Garcia almost scored in the 59th minute with a thunderous strike from long range that exploded off the crossbar but it was teenager Lamine Yamal who scored a brilliant individual goal one minute later to level the match again. However, it took Club Brugge only two minutes to get back the lead, with Forbs scoring from another counter-attack, beating Barcelona’s high defense again for the umpteenth time before chipping a tidy finish round Szczesny into the net.
Barcelona found their equalizer in the 77th minute when Yamal lifted a cross into the box and defender Seys headed the ball into his own net when trying to clear.
There was more drama as Brugge thought they had scored the winner in added time through Romeo Vermant, thanks to what looked to have been a massive blunder by Szczesny. But the VAR video review ruled out the goal as the forward fouled the keeper in his effort to recover the ball, helping Barca rescue a point.
“They have created a lot of danger on the counter-attack and we should have done much better everywhere,” a visibly frustrated Ferran Torres told Movistar Plus.
“It seemed like that with two passes they were already in our box. We have to find ways to improve. The team reacted well, we had a lot of chances. But when you’re behind... It’s tough.”