Champions League Scores, Oct. 21: Rice Rescues Arsenal at Bayern

Champions League scores for Oct. 21

Arsenal were eight minutes from a defeat in Munich before Declan Rice drilled in an equalizer against Bayern. The 2-2 draw was the headline match of Wednesday’s Champions League slate, which completed Matchday 3 of the league phase.

The night’s most lopsided result came in Italy, where Como beat Manchester United 4-1, a game we covered in our Como vs. Manchester United explainer. Real Madrid, Aston Villa and Real Betis all won to stay perfect, and Austrian newcomer LASK stunned Sporting CP 3-2 in Lisbon. All nine matches kicked off at 3 p.m. ET.

All final scores

Scores are from UEFA’s results page and NBC Sports. Home teams won six, drew one and lost two.

Bayern 2-2 Arsenal: a late leveler

Arsenal lost Saka to what looked like a left thigh problem about 10 minutes in, and his replacement, Eberechi Eze, scored in the 25th minute after a video review overturned an offside flag. Bayern answered through Alphonso Davies, who finished a long pass from Harry Kane in the 35th.

Kane then put Bayern ahead from the spot in the 61st minute after a handball by Jurriën Timber, extending his run to 10 straight Champions League matches with a goal, according to NBC Sports. Rice tied it in the 82nd, his first goal since March. Without that goal, Arsenal would have lost for the first time in 14 league-phase and group-stage games, Sky Sports noted. Mikel Arteta said Saka’s injury “doesn’t look good at all.”

Real Madrid and Villa stay perfect

Madrid’s win looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it was: they led just 2-0 with 10 minutes left. Bernardo Silva opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, his first goal for the club, and Arda Güler made it 2-0 seven minutes into the second half, AFP reported via Al Jazeera. Substitute Yan Diomande then set up Mbappé and scored the fourth himself. Tidiam Gomis got Leipzig’s goal in the 85th. Football España reported that some fans whistled Vinícius Júnior when he was taken off.

At Villa Park, Barkley and an Emiliano Buendía penalty put Villa up 2-0 by the 37th minute, and a Viking own goal made it 3-0. The third goal briefly lifted Villa to the top of the table, but Viking’s late consolation dropped them back to second behind Paris Saint-Germain, Sky Sports reported.

Upsets in Lisbon and Lille

LASK, one of four clubs making their league-phase debut this season, came from behind at Sporting. Luis Suárez’s fifth-minute penalty gave the hosts the lead, but goals from Christoph Lang, Saša Kalajdžić and Kryštof Daněk made it 3-1 before Suárez scored again in the 89th, Portugoal reported. Sporting stay on six points.

In France, Lille led Galatasaray twice, both times through Soriba Diaoune, but the Turkish side scored the last three goals, beIN Sports reported. Lille remain without a point.

What it means

In the 36-team league phase, each club plays eight games, so three rounds in, every team has five left. After Matchday 3, five teams have a perfect nine points: PSG, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Real Betis. Arsenal and Stuttgart have seven, Como six and Bayern five.

Manchester United are 21st with three points. The top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, and teams ranked ninth through 24th go to a playoff round, so United are inside the playoff places for now but six points off the five leaders. Porto, Lille and Slovan Bratislava are the teams still on zero.

What’s next

Matchday 4 is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Wednesday, Nov. 4. Because U.S. clocks fall back on Nov. 1, the usual kickoffs will be 12:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET. Highlights include Atlético Madrid vs. Bayern, Barcelona vs. Aston Villa and Manchester United vs. Roma on Nov. 3, and RB Leipzig vs. Manchester City, Lens vs. Como and Slavia Prague vs. Arsenal on Nov. 4, all at 3 p.m. ET.