Football Weekly (Guardian) · The Guardian

A bad week in the Champions League for English clubs: Football Weekly Extra

March 12, 2026·56 min·3 clips

Federico Valverde's flick-and-volley hat-trick goal left Jude Bellingham laughing in disbelief at the Bernabéu.

Bad week, then birthday admin. The panel starts with English clubs wobbling in Europe, Arsenal scraping a draw in Leverkusen, and Bodo looking comprehensive against Sporting in another Norwegian performance routine. Barry turns 53, which gives everyone room for dry greetings, gentle age abuse, and then a return to the evidence pile. Chelsea get the longest examination. The point is not that they are finished, but that their way back feels thinner than City's, even with both ties technically open. Cole Palmer's chance sits at the center of it. On another night, that is the finish Chelsea need from a major player. This time, Safanov saves it. Usman Dembele then goes the other way, hides the dribble well enough, and leaves Wesley Fofana looking very silly. That is the contrast the panel keeps circling: PSG's major players took hold of the match while Chelsea's kept searching for the moment. Then the ball-boy incident turns into a red-card debate and a daft little theatre piece. Shoving someone into advertising hoardings is hard to shrug off, and the apology sounds like someone who already knew the picture looked bad. The simulation joke still lands, because a ball boy clutching his face after contact to the chest is exactly the sort of touchline education football seems to produce. Arsenal get less space. Their Leverkusen draw is treated as scraped, with Madawaki winning a penalty from minimal contact and Kai Haver scoring against his former club. Bodo get the grin, with the Sporting win folded into the running joke about Norway's greatest European performances. Iran also enters late, as the trail points toward the World Cup and the Iranian women's team in Australia before Robin Cowen takes the next two shows.

As heard by us

A lively European roundup that stays close to the scores while letting the conversation wander a bit.

Barry Glendening gets a birthday table edition of Guardian Football Weekly, and the panel moves through a messy Champions League week for English clubs, a strong night for Bodo against Sporting, and the side trips that make the show feel like an actual football conversation.

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Why you'd press play

Want sharp Europe chat with birthday chaos and a few proper detours?

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