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Barcelona earned a crucial 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League thanks to two headers from defender Jules Kounde. The win, achieved at home, gives Barcelona an important boost as they try to climb into the top eight of the new 36-team league phase. Although the team currently sits in 13th place, they still have two favorable matches ahead in the new year that could help improve their position.
Eintracht Frankfurt took the lead against the flow of the game in the 21st minute. Barcelona had dominated possession from the start, with Pedri controlling much of the play, but it was Ansgar Knauff who punished them on a quick counter-attack to put the visitors ahead. Barcelona responded early in the second half, when substitute Marcus Rashford delivered an excellent cross into the box. Kounde rose above the defense and headed the ball into the net in the 50th minute to bring the team level. Only three minutes later, he struck again with another well-timed header, this time meeting a high cross from Lamine Yamal to complete the comeback.
Elsewhere in Europe, Chelsea suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat away to Atalanta. Reece James created the early breakthrough by setting up Joao Pedro for the opening goal, giving Chelsea a promising start. But Atalanta grew stronger as the match progressed. In the second half, Gianluca Scamacca took advantage of loose marking to score a free header and bring the hosts level. With seven minutes remaining, Chelsea’s defenders allowed Charles De Ketelaere too much room, and he took full advantage by firing in the winning goal that sealed the match for Atalanta.
Atletico Madrid secured an important 3-2 win against PSV in a match full of momentum shifts. PSV struck first through Guus Til in the 10th minute, but Atletico equalized shortly before halftime when Alexander Sorloth set up Julian Alvarez for a smooth finish. Early in the second half, David Hancko reacted quickest after Nahuel Molina’s long-range shot was pushed out by the goalkeeper, giving PSV a brief lead. Atletico responded strongly, with Sorloth scoring just minutes later to restore their advantage. PSV pushed to get back into the game, and Ricardo Pepi scored at the far post in the 85th minute to raise the tension. In the final moments, Armando Obispo had a huge chance to equalize from close range but missed, allowing Atletico to escape with the win.
Liverpool battled to a narrow but meaningful 1-0 victory over Inter Milan. A first-half header from Ibrahima Konate was ruled out after a lengthy VAR check for handball, keeping the game goalless for most of the match. Late in the game, however, the officials awarded Liverpool a penalty after another review. Dominik Szoboszlai calmly converted from the spot with five minutes left to play. Liverpool were without Mohamed Salah, who did not travel after expressing frustration following the weekend’s draw against Leeds, but the team still managed to secure the three points.
Tottenham continued their strong form with a comfortable 3-0 win over Slavia Prague. Their opening goal came in the 26th minute when defender David Zima accidentally turned the ball into his own net. Mohammed Kudus doubled the lead early in the second half from the penalty spot after Pedro Porro was fouled. Ten minutes from full time, Xavi Simons scored another penalty, sealing a confident victory for Spurs.
In France, Marseille earned a hard-fought 3-2 comeback win over Union Saint-Gilloise, driven by a standout performance from Mason Greenwood. After Anan Khalaili put Union ahead early, Marseille responded through Igor Paixao and two goals from Greenwood, scored in the 41st and 58th minutes. Khalaili struck again to keep the hosts in the game, and a late goal from Kevin Mac Allister was ruled out for offside, allowing Marseille to hold on.
Bayern Munich recovered from Joshua Kimmich’s early own goal to defeat Sporting CP 3-1. Quick goals from Serge Gnabry and Lennart Karl turned the match in Bayern’s favor, and Jonathan Tah added a third to secure the victory. Monaco also collected three points thanks to a scrappy goal from Folarin Balogun in a 1-0 win against Galatasaray, while Olympiakos kept their qualification hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over Kairat thanks to a goal from Gelson Martins.