This week’s Champions League action proved highly productive for Portuguese players, with four different Luso stars scoring and each helping their team to victory.
Fábio Silva, Bruno Fernandes, João Neves and Carlos Forbs got their names on the scoresheets for Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugge respectively, as the league phase of the competition reached its halfway point.
Silva goal + assist
Dortmund’s 2-1 victory over Real Betis was the stage for Fábio Silva to cap a sensational few days. Silva scored a last-gasp equaliser for his side away at Bayern Munich in a 2-2 draw in the Bundesliga last weekend, which unsurprisingly earned him a start as Spanish outfit Betis arrived at the Westfalenstadion.
Silva scored the opener with a vintage poacher’s goal to put Dortmund 1-0 up early in the second half, after which Betis levelled through Aitor Ruibal. However, Silva was once again prominent in Dortmund’s winner, sliding the ball through for youngster Konstantinos Karetsas to give the Germans back-to-back wins in the competition.
PSG goalscorer Neves: “We’re not going to stop here”
Paris Saint-Germain laid down another marker in the competition with a sensational 6-0 victory at Villarreal. With Nuno Mendes still out with injury, PSG boss Luis Enrique fielded Portuguese duo Vitinha and João Neves, while Renato Veiga was selected in central defence by the Spaniards.
The defending European champions made light work of their opponents, storming into a 4-0 lead inside 17 minutes at El Madrigal. Former Benfica man Neves opened the scoring in the 9th minute, after which Desire Doue, Senny Mayulu and Fabian Ruiz ensured the game was over before the midway point of the first half.
Vitinha brilliantly assisted Ruiz with a perfect lofted throughball for his second (50’) before Neves turned provider for 17-year-old substitute David Boly to complete the scoring with an impressive finish on 78 minutes. PSG are top of the table after four rounds, with only Real Madrid matching their feat of a 100% points total.
Speaking after the match, Neves was asked about scoring for the first time this season. “Does my goal feel good? Yes, it feels good. But as I say every day, the most important thing is the team and the four Champions League wins,” said Neves.
“We’re not going to stop here because last year we had three wins in a row and we still didn’t finish in the top eight. We’re going to try this season. It’s always important in the Champions League.”
Bruno concedes Carrick was right to drop him after Roma comeback
Manchester United avoided their winless run reaching ten matches with a stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Roma at Old Trafford. United, who had suffered back-to-back defeats at Atletico Madrid and Como in the Champions League, found themselves 2-0 down inside 17 minutes to the in-form Italians.
Roma selected teenage Portuguese Rodrigo Mora in their starting line-up following his recent goalscoring form, and the ex-Porto man provided the assist for Matías Soulé to open the scoring (11’) after which Donyell Malen’s penalty quickly made it 2-0 to the visitors.
United, with Diogo Dalot at left-back and Bruno Fernandes in a creative midfield role, did not respond until early in the second half. Brazilian Matheus Cunha was the catalyst for the Red Devils, earning a penalty which Fernandes initially missed but converted from a re-take due to encroachment, then scoring a brace which ended United’s rotten run of results.
Struck with venom 😤💥
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) November 4, 2026
“It’s been tough for the fans, we understand that,” Bruno told Prime Video after the match. “Having that belief from the sidelines helps the teams a lot. Today was one of those days where Old Trafford comes alive and we made Roma feel that.”
Fernandes was then asked about his omission from a recent match against Bournemouth, which occurred after he criticised manager Michael Carrick’s tactics during United’s heavy 4-1 defeat in Como. Fernandes insisted that he accepted the decision, before outlining his determination to improve the team’s fortunes with some colourful language.
“The manager took a decision to put me on the bench [against Bournemouth] because I was not performing. That’s fair. Everyone felt that was a punishment for the words I said [after Como] and if it was – that was right. The manager makes the decisions, I have to accept them and move forward.
“It doesn’t change the belief I have in the manager, the staff and every player that is in this club. And it doesn’t change my aim to win every f*****g game that I have ahead of me.”
Forbs lights up another Champions League night
Club Brugge frontman Carlos Forbs has become a familiar face in the Champions League since moving to Belgium and the 21-year-old was again in fine form as his team won 2-1 at PSV in the Netherlands. With the game poised at 1-1 in the second half, Forbs showed his devastating pace and ball-carrying to exploit a Brugge counter attack and score the winner.
The goal means Forbs now has four goal involvements from four outings in this season’s competition, having assisted twice at San Siro when Brugge shocked Italian champions Inter with a 4-3 victory, as well as a goal in the 3-0 win over Lens last month. Forbs also has one goal and two assists from his last two appearances in the Belgian Jupiler League.
