No jeopardy but loads of fun – Champions League sets new goals record

It was goals galore again in the Champions League on Tuesday, with the competition setting a new record this season. Phil Foden scored a hat-trick in Manchester City's 5-1 win over AEK Athens Since the current Champions League format was introduced at the start of the 2024-25 season, Europe's elite club competition has delivered all of the above and more. Already trending upwards over the past two campaigns, there has been a genuine goals boom in this year's competition. The 187 goals scored so far have come at an average of 4.16 per game – the highest in Champions League history. "Look how many goals have been scored, it's phenomenal," ex-Manchester United and England winger Ashley Young said on BBC Radio 5 Live.

"The attackers are being clinical." Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock described the volume of goals as "incredible" – so how unusual is it? Not only is the current goals-per-game percentage the highest ever in the Champions League, it is the third highest in European Cup history – behind only 1959-60 (4.19) and 1955-56 (4.38). While 40 goals were scored across nine games on Tuesday, last week was even more spectacular. Last Wednesday saw the third highest-scoring day in Champions League history (46 goals), bettered only by the final league-phase matchdays of 2024-25 and 2025-26, when 18 matches