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LAMINE YAMAL SURPASSES KYLIAN MBAPPE FOR UCL GOAL CONTRIBUTION RECORD

Barcelona's Lamine Yamal set a new Champions League record for goal contributions (14) by an under-18 player, surpassing Kylian Mbappe's previous tally.

Lamine Yamal Surpasses Kylian Mbappe for UCL Goal Contribution Record
Yamal Assist Seals Barca Win, Now Tops All U-18 Players.

Lamine Yamal, Barcelona's young star, continues to impress in the Champions League. On Tuesday, he added another record to his list. His assist to Jules Kounde in Barca's 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt means he now has the most goal contributions in the competition by any player 18 or under. He passed the record previously held by Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe.

Barca Secures Hard-Fought Win

Barcelona had to fight for their win against Eintracht Frankfurt at Camp Nou on Tuesday. After going down 1-0 because of Ansgar Knauff's goal, they came back after halftime to win. Kounde's two goals secured the victory, with assists from Marcus Rashford and Yamal.

Yamal Surpasses Mbappe with Assist

Yamal's assist on Kounde's winning goal means he has now been involved in 14 goals (seven goals and seven assists) in the Champions League for Barcelona. The 18-year-old now has more goal involvements than Mbappe (ten goals and three assists) for players 18 or younger in the competition. With his 19th birthday not until July, Yamal has time to add to his tally.

Yamal Suspended for Next UCL Match

Yamal will miss Barcelona's next Champions League game due to his third booking of the 2025-26 competition against Eintracht Frankfurt, which triggers an automatic one-game suspension. Flick will have to manage without him for the January game against Slavia Prague.

Flick Addresses Yamal's Substitution Reaction

Yamal seemed unhappy about being subbed late in the game against Eintracht Frankfurt. Flick addressed this after the game, saying, Lamine was a bit disappointed coming off, but he had a yellow card, and we needed fresh legs. These are three important points. We managed the game, even though it was hard.

Barcelona's Focus Shifts Back to La Liga

Barcelona will now concentrate on La Liga, where they lead Real Madrid by four points. They have two games left in 2025, beginning on Saturday against Osasuna. Their final La Liga game of the year is on December 21 against Villarreal at La Ceramica, after plans to move the game to Miami didn't work out.

LEAGUE UPDATE: MAN UNITED’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPES BOOSTED BY COEFFICIENT POINTS SURGE

Manchester United move into fourth place as England's dominant UEFA coefficient makes a fifth Champions League spot almost certain.

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Confirmed: Fifth place in PL likely to earn UCL qualification this season

Manchester United just got a real shot in the arm for their Champions League hopes this season. After knocking off Manchester City and Arsenal in back-to-back games, they’ve climbed into fourth place in the Premier League. It’s been a struggle for United to make the Champions League in recent years—their last run was in the 2023/24 season.

These days, finishing in the top four isn’t always enough for Premier League teams. UEFA now hands out extra spots, and it all depends on how clubs from each country perform across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

So, how does it work? UEFA takes each league’s overall coefficient score—basically, a measure of how well their teams do in Europe—and divides it by the number of clubs they have in these competitions.

This season, Arsenal, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City, and Newcastle all joined the European fight. Out of those six, only Newcastle had to go through the play-offs; the rest sailed straight into the knockouts.

Now that the Champions League group stage is done, you can really see which countries are in line for those bonus spots next year. Right now, England is out in front with 180,625 points. Germany follows with 107,000. Portugal sits in third with 14,700, and Spain is just behind on 14,375.

Here’s the key thing: the two countries whose teams rack up the best results across all three competitions this season each get a European Performance Spot—an extra Champions League place.

With England leading the pack, even a fifth-place finish in the Premier League could send United back into the Champions League instead of the Europa League. Newcastle took advantage of this last season.

If United hold onto fourth, they’re in. But there’s still a lot of football left. Interim boss Michael Carrick isn’t letting anyone get ahead of themselves—he’s already told his players to stay sharp.

Next up, United face Fulham at Old Trafford. They'll be chasing a third straight win and looking to keep Carrick’s perfect record going since he stepped in for Darren Fletcher.

JUST IN: PEP GUARDIOLA THANKS JOSE MOURINHO AFTER WILD NIGHT OF EUROPEAN DRAMA

Pep Guardiola thanks Jose Mourinho as Benfica’s last-gasp winner against Real Madrid sends City straight into the Last-16.

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Pep Guardiola’s oldest rival just saved City’s season

Pep Guardiola had a smile on his face and a message for Jose Mourinho after his old rival did him a huge favour, helping Manchester City sneak into the Champions League knockout rounds.

City took care of their own business, beating Galatasaray 2-0 at the Etihad. Haaland and Cherki got the goals, but the real drama was happening elsewhere. City’s spot in the last eight still hung in the balance because Real Madrid needed to equalise against Benfica. If they had, Guardiola’s squad would have been bumped into the play-offs instead.

That’s when Benfica’s goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, pulled off something wild. He left his box, charged forward for a late free kick, and scored a brilliant goal. Benfica won 4-2. That goal kept Benfica alive in the competition—and, as it turned out, saved City too.

Guardiola admitted he and his players were glued to the screen in the dressing room, completely confused when they saw Trubin running up for that last free kick. “We were all in there, watching, and none of us realised Benfica still needed a goal to qualify,” Guardiola said. “So when their keeper went up, we’re all thinking, ‘What are you doing?’ But Jose knew. It was a smart move. Finishing in the top eight, with how tough the Champions League has become, feels really good for us. Now we can focus on being at our best by March.”

Bernardo Silva didn’t hide how relieved he felt. Skipping those extra play-off games really matters, especially when you’re chasing a quadruple. “A bit of drama, but we did it. We’re very happy because we avoid two more matches,” he said. “With all the injuries we’ve got and the crazy schedule, having those two weeks free to rest, get players back, and focus on the other competitions is huge for us.”

As for Mourinho, he looked proud after Benfica’s wild finish. He’s won this tournament twice before, and he believed his side deserved to stay in. “That was a fantastic goal, a historic moment—almost blew the roof off the stadium,” Mourinho said. “Honestly, for Benfica to beat Real Madrid, that’s massive.”

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