AFCON 2025
Thursday’s Champions League action provided plenty of drama, with Rodri’s masterclass, Marcus Rashford’s heroics for Barcelona, and a humbling defeat for Galatasaray.
Here are three takeaways.
1. Rodri is key for City this season
The Champions League clash between Manchester City and Napoli proved that Rodri is once again the team’s heartbeat. After winning the 2024 Ballon d’Or, he missed the entire 2024-25 season with an ACL injury, and his absence was felt deeply by City.
Rodri is looking like himself again, sweeping up everything and pulling the strings pic.twitter.com/VLOoRumM5X
— 𝐄 🇧🇻 (@ErlingProp) September 18, 2025
In their 2-0 win against Napoli, Rodri dictated the tempo and was at the heart of everything. His commanding return signals that he will be the key to City having a successful season.
2. Marcus Rashford finally arrives for Barcelona
On-loan striker Marcus Rashford had a dream start to his Barcelona career, scoring a brace in their 2-1 victory over Newcastle.
After a subdued first half, the forward silenced the St. James’ Park crowd by scoring a powerful header and a stunning long-range strike.
His performance, which saw him score as many goals in one night as he did in his last few months at United, suggests that he has finally found his confidence under Hansi Flick.
3. Galatasaray struggled without Osimhen
The Turkish giants were humiliated in their Champions League opener, suffering a 5-1 defeat to a ruthless Eintracht Frankfurt side. Galatasaray were without their star striker, Victor Osimhen, who was ruled out with an ankle injury.
The defeat was a stark reminder of how much the team relies on the Nigerian marksman. It now leaves them with a lot of work to do if they are to have any chance of progressing in the tournament.
