A historic victory, a wild storyline, an authoritative German performance… a night that was absolutely thrilling to follow — until human stupidity ruined everything. A look back at a turbulent evening.
PSG win the battle of French
Just like last year, when Paris Saint-Germain were matched up against surprise package Stade Brestois 29, the club from the French capital found themselves facing AS Monaco this time.
A formality for the Parisians?
Not so fast, considering the recent form of Luis Enrique’s men, coming off a defeat in Rennes and a nightmare start to this match. Trailing 2–0 against the team coached by Sébastien Poccognoli, PSG began to doubt. Vitinha’s missed penalty certainly did nothing to restore confidence, nor did Ousmane Dembélé’s early exit through injury.
And yet, the introduction of Désiré Doué changed everything. The Parisian prodigy scored twice, allowing PSG to complete a stunning comeback from 0–2 down to 3–2. A remarkable show of character on a night that had seemed destined to go wrong.
Historic Galatasaray
Galatasaray SK pulled out all the stops. In a red-hot Rams Park, Victor Osimhen’s teammates brought down Juventus FC.
Trailing 1–2 after a brace from Teun Koopmeiners, Juventus completely collapsed. The injury to Bremer and Cabal’s red card accelerated the downfall of the Old Lady. Sara, Lang, Sanchez, and the returning Boey found the net for the Istanbul side.
After a painful defeat against Inter Milan and elimination from the Coppa Italia, this is yet another storm for a deeply concerning Juventus team to weather.
A solid Dortmund
A solid, well-organized, though not spectacular Borussia Dortmund side defeated Atalanta BC. Physically drained and without Ademola Lookman, Atalanta looked out of its depth at this level of competition. Dortmund handled business professionally.
Serhou Guirassy scored, as did Maximilian Beier, and the Guinean’s celebration carried an emotional weight, prompting thoughts for his family after the recent loss of his mother.
The shame of Prestianni
It is 2026, and racism stories still persist. In the 50th minute, Vinícius Júnior cut inside and scored the only goal of the match between SL Benfica and Real Madrid CF. With an exceptional strike, the brilliant Brazilian gave his team the lead before celebrating with his now-signature dance moves.
Whether it is a Champions League final or a third-division side in the Copa del Rey, Vinícius celebrates his goals by dancing. He shows his joy at being on the field and shining.
Yet despite the playful nature of such celebrations, some individuals fail to control themselves and resort to disgraceful remarks. Once again, Vinícius has been the victim of racist abuse. And far too often, the same pattern repeats itself: controversy, UEFA awareness campaigns during matches, light sanctions, and then the storm fades away.
No radical solution is implemented, and the sense of impunity has gone too far.
It is time to act decisively, to impose harsher punishments — ones that truly hurt — so that this stops.
Racism has no place on a soccer field. And even less in society.