Paulo Fonseca wants defensive improvement from Milan after they almost let their lead slip in a 3-2 Champions League win at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday.

Milan secured a third consecutive Champions League win but had to hang on as the hosts pulled a goal back in the 88th minute and pushed for a leveller.

While Fonseca was delighted that his side moved on to nine points, the Portuguese coach pointed out his team's defensive errors that led to the late drama.

"We have won the last three games in the Champions League. We have scored nine goals. It is very positive. Today it was important to win, and that is what we did," Fonseca told reporters.

"I think we dominated during the match. We changed a lot of players. We did some positive things but also some things to improve, maybe because we changed a lot of players.

"We didn't do the defensive marking well, then after the break, we improved. We deserved to win."

Slovan only had six shots, yet accumulated 0.97 expected goals (xG), suggesting they created some high-quality chances.

Christian Pulisic put Milan ahead after 21 minutes, but Tigran Barseghyan swiftly dragged the home side level.

Rafael Leao became the first half-time substitute to score in the Champions League for Milan with his goal the 500th scored in the competition by Portuguese players, and Tammy Abraham netted what proved to be the winner three minutes later, with Nino Marcelli's late effort ultimately not enough for Slovan.

Fonseca added that he did not see a problem with his players' attitude, but rather in their reading and understanding of the game when defending.

"These things are difficult to explain. Maybe because these defenders haven't played much. It's a question of reading, not of attitude," he said.

"In the first half, when we allowed Slovan to come out, it was a question of defensive marking. We were too far away with the defenders, and they were always alone to come out. It's a problem of reading and understanding what was happening."

Milan moved up to 14th in the standings, with nine points from their five matches.

Paris Saint-Germain have work to do if they are to qualify for the last 16 of the Champions League after a 1-0 defeat at Bayern Munich.

Kim Min-jae's first-half header proved decisive at Allianz Arena on Tuesday, with Ousmane Dembele's red card after the break making the task even tougher for PSG.

Having won just once in the competition so far – back in their opening game against Girona – Luis Enrique's team were second-best for much of the contest.

Bayern dominated the first half, with Kingsley Coman particularly dangerous, and the Bundesliga leaders got the goal their performance merited when Kim headed home from a corner in the 38th minute, with PSG's stand-in goalkeeper Matvey Safonov in no man's land. 

Dembele, who had seen a decent attempt saved by Manuel Neuer in the first half, received his marching orders for a lunge on his France team-mate Coman just before the hour, with the referee deeming it worthy of a second booking. It marked the first time Dembele has been sent off since 2019, when he saw red for Barcelona in a LaLiga clash with Sevilla.

Safonov made amends for his earlier mistake by tipping a Jamal Musiala shot onto the post but despite applying some late pressure, PSG could not prevent Bayern from claiming a seventh consecutive victory and seventh straight clean sheet in all competitions.

While Vincent Kompany's team are up to 11th in the standings, PSG are in 26th on just four points from their five matches, two places outside of the play-off spots with three games remaining.

Data Debrief: Kim off the mark for buoyant Bayern

Kim scored his first goal in the Champions League, in what was his 23rd appearance in the competition.

The scoreline ultimately flattered PSG, who finished with 0.88 expected goals (xG), while Bayern created 2.21 xG.

Bayern are now unbeaten in each of their last 33 home games in the Champions League group stage (W31 D2), the joint-longest such run in the competition's history, level with Barcelona between November 2009 and November 2020. They have gone on a run of seven wins without conceding for the first time since September 2011, too.

This is the eighth time in the Champions League that Bayern have defeated PSG, with only Real Madrid (11 vs Bayern) and Bayern themselves (10 vs Barcelona) winning more games against a single opponent in the competition's history.

Arsenal put on one of the best performances of the Champions League so far to thrash Portuguese side Sporting 5-1 away from home.

Gabriel Martinelli put Mikel Arteta's side ahead after just seven minutes and they hardly looked back from that point.

Kai Havertz and Gabriel Magalhaes added a second and third respectively before half-time as the visitors did their best to kill the game as a contest.

Things got a little more competitive when Goncalo Inacio pulled one back for the hosts within two minutes of the restart, but a Bukayo Saka penalty in the 65th minute soon quelled any chance of a comeback.

Leandro Trossard got the fifth eight minutes from time after coming off the bench to help Arsenal move above Sporting into seventh place in the 36-team league. Sporting, meanwhile, are one place back on goal difference.

Data debrief: Arsenal wow in Lisbon

Arsenal's 5-1 victory away to Sporting was their biggest away win in the Champions League for 21 years.

The result matched that of the scoreline they managed against Inter Milan in 2003.

It is a result that is made more impressive given that it is Sporting's first defeat at their own ground in 14 matches in all competitions, and the only home game they have failed to win this season.

Bayer Leverkusen got their Champions League campaign back on track with a 5-0 home win over RB Salzburg on Tuesday, with Florian Wirtz scoring twice and the visitors having goalkeeper Alexander Schlager to thank for avoiding an even bigger defeat.

Leverkusen, beaten 4-0 at Liverpool in their last game, raced into an early lead with Wirtz scoring from the penalty spot in the eighth minute and Alejandro Grimaldo netting from a free kick three minutes later.

Wirtz scored again on the half-hour as Leverkusen threatened to run riot and Patrik Schick added a fourth goal 16 minutes after the break.

Substitute Aleix Garcia rounded off the win 18 minutes from time, just four minutes after entering the pitch.

Leverkusen return to winning ways, having failed to pick up three points in their last two matches in the competition.

It moves them up to 13th on 10 points, while Salzburg remain on three points in 30th after suffering their fourth defeat in five matches.

Data Debrief: Wirtz shows dazzling promise

Leverkusen’s Wirtz scored his 17th goal in major European football tonight (12 in UEFA Europa League, 5 in UEFA Champions League) – at the age of 21, only Erling Haaland (23), Kylian Mbappe (21) and Ronaldo (20) have scored more before their 22nd birthday, with Wirtz drawing level with Lionel Messi tonight.

He has scored five Champions League goals in his five appearances so far for Bayer Leverkusen, the most ever goals scored by a German player in their first five games in the competition.

He was integral to what was Leverkusen’s joint biggest win in their major European football history, also registering 5-0 victories in November 1994 against Budapest Honved and in December 2007 against Zurich, both in the UEFA Cup.

Girona are looking to take their league form into the remainder of their Champions League campaign according to head coach Michel, ahead of their game away to Sturm Graz on Wednesday.

The Spanish side have won three successive matches in LaLiga, following their 4-1 victory over Espanyol on Saturday, which has helped them up to seventh in the table.

With his side currently outside the qualification places in the Champions League table and on just three points, Michel is keen to see his side replicate their domestic form ahead of more challenging matches against Liverpool, AC Milan and Arsenal.

"[This match] is not definitive, but it is very important," Michel told a press conference on Tuesday.

"Obviously, if you look at the fixtures ahead afterwards, getting the three points is key. We've only got three points, the feelings are good and we want to continue in the same way.

"We are prepared. We'll be at our best on a competitive level because having everyone available will allow us to move up a step. The internal competition is very strong and being able to choose between two players means that the players are 100% motivated."

Austrian side Sturm Graz are third-bottom of the entire table, having lost all four matches

But despite their poor run, Michel is not willing to underestimate his opposition and suggested that he did not even consider his team as favourites.

"We will try to show our idea of the game. I tried that in Paris, against PSV and at home. The word ‘favourite’ means nothing positive or negative to me at the start of matches," he said.

"I have to prepare for a match and there are tactical tools in defence and attack to be able to overcome the opposition. They haven't won, but you have to look at every game.

"They are a very competitive opponent and there is a lot of difficulty in one game. I see that we are capable of imposing our game style and if we do that we will be able to achieve a positive result." (Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City Editing by Toby Davis)

Jude Bellingham was reserved when questioned on the future of his "good mate" Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

Alexander-Arnold’s contract at Liverpool runs out at the end of the season, leaving lingering doubts over the future of the right-back.

He has been linked with a switch to Real Madrid, where Bellingham has thrived since he joined from Borussia Dortmund in 2023.

Alexander-Arnold and Bellingham will meet at Anfield on Wednesday as Madrid face Liverpool in a heavyweight Champions League clash.

While Bellingham would not be drawn on speculation, he does hope to be playing alongside Alexander-Arnold next season, one way or the other.

"I'll be playing alongside him next season for England anyway, so hopefully, that'll be a guarantee," Bellingham said at a press conference.

"He's a Liverpool player, and I think it's disrespectful to come to his home today and speak about something that could be misconstrued, so I think it's important to take that pressure off him.

"He's a really good mate of mine, and I want him to do well normally, obviously not tomorrow night. We'll see what happens, but as I said, he's a Liverpool player."

Alexander-Arnold has played the second-most key passes in Liverpool's squad (20) in the Premier League this season.

In the Champions League this term, he has attempted the fourth most crosses for Liverpool (six) in the competition this season and contributed one assist.

Half of Liverpool's goals in the Champions League this season have been scored following crosses (5/10), with their five such goals being the most of any side.

Alexander-Arnold missed Liverpool's 3-2 win over Southampton on Sunday, as the Reds went eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The 26-year-old could return to the fold against Madrid but Arne Slot is keen not to rush his return.

"Trent is in the squad but he will not be available to start," Slot said.

"He can maybe make a few minutes, in an ideal world he maybe doesn't, but if it's really necessary he can make a few minutes tomorrow," he said.

Jude Bellingham feels as though he was made a scapegoat after England lost the final of Euro 2024 to Spain.

The 21-year-old played in every round during the tournament, following a season in which he made 47 appearances for club and country.

Having spearheaded Real Madrid's charge to a LaLiga-Champions League double, Bellingham failed to match those same heights for England in Germany.

Though he feels he came in for extra scrutiny.

"I lost my smile a lot playing for England after the Euros as I felt I was a little mistreated compared to what I contributed," Bellingham told reporters ahead of Real Madrid's game away to Liverpool in the Champions League.

"[The] smile is back [now].

"I think it was a bit harsh on me. I felt a bit like the scapegoat. Maybe I felt a bit sorry for myself.

"I felt I contributed some pretty big moments, but it felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me, especially in the three days after the final. It wasn't a nice feeling."

Bellingham scored two goals during the tournament, the first a winner against Serbia in the group stage and the second a last-minute bicycle kick in the round of 16 to force extra time against Slovakia.

He came in for criticism at Euro 2024 for his apparent refusal to speak to the media, but explained that there were complex reasons for his stance.

"That was reported in a way that made it sound like I think I'm above it, but it's not that at all," he said.

"I had some personal things going on where journalists had gone to see members of my family while I was at the tournament, my grandparents.

"I don't think that's fair, it crosses the line of respect. That's where I took it a little bit personally and decided I would just focus on the football and let that do the talking, instead of talking in the press to people that seemingly don't respect me.

"My family comes first, my nan didn't want to leave her house for the whole summer.

"Maybe I should have communicated that, so people understood my situation. But that was a little bit more personal to me, so that's why I decided to keep my mouth shut."

AC Milan earned their third successive Champions League win with a 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava on Tuesday, hanging on despite coming under fierce pressure late on.

The first half ended level with Milan's Christian Pulisic opening the scoring in the 21st minute before a quick counterattack led to Slovan's Tigran Barseghyan equalising three minutes later.

Milan struggled to put Slovan away before substitute Rafael Leao put them back in front in the 68th minute, staying onside from Youssouf Fofana's pass to tuck home.

Tammy Abraham then extended their lead by capitalising on a horror back-pass from David Strelec just three minutes later.

Slovan pulled a goal back through Nino Marcelli in the 88th minute and also had Marko Tolic sent off late on, as he picked up two yellow cards for dissent in a matter of moments.

However, Milan came through the late drama to move onto nine points while Slovan, with no points, remain rooted at the bottom of the standings. 

Data Debrief: Pulisic flying the flag

Pulisic's opener made him just the second American player to score three goals in a single Champions League campaign, after DeMarcus Beasley for PSV in 2004-05.

Milan, meanwhile, have won three straight group-stage matches in the Champions League for the first time since 2004-05 under Carlo Ancelotti, when they reached the final but were memorably beaten by Liverpool after surrendering a 3-0 lead.

Borussia Dortmund coach Nuri Sahin believes Dinamo Zagreb pose a serious threat in Wednesday's Champions League clash.

He noted their impressive turnaround, going undefeated in their last three matches (W2 D1) after starting with a heavy loss to Bayern Munich.

Dortmund are seventh and in the top section of the Champions League table after three wins, while the Croatian capital club are currently eighteenth and in the play-off section, with seven points from four matches.

Dinamo's most memorable outing came in the form of a 9-2 thrashing by Bayern on the opening matchday. However, Sahin acknowledged the quality in Nenad Bjelica's side.

"We’ve watched a lot of Dinamo’s matches. They’ve impressively earned seven points. You can see the coach’s influence — it’s a team that reflects his ideas. They have some strong players and big names," Sahin told a press conference on Tuesday.

"We don't want to stray from our idea. We want to control the ball and play football. But we’re ready."

Despite Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi staying in Dortmund to recover from injuries, Sahin confirmed that Emre Can and Serhou Guirassy had travelled with the team ahead of the clash.

"Emre wasn’t able to fully participate in today’s session. But Serhou trained well," Sahin said, adding that both were options for the match.

Dortmund have never previously faced a Croatian side in any European competition. It’s the first time they will face a new nation in Europe since facing Cypriot side APOEL Nicosia in October 2017 and drawing 1-1.

Dinamo, on the other hand, have lost their last seven games against German opposition, scoring six goals while conceding 25 in all European competitions.

The game will be held at Stadion Maksimir, famed for its intense atmosphere. Sahin, however, insisted his team are unfazed.

"I don’t think it will shock the players. Our squad operates at the highest level. They’ve seen and experienced a lot," he said, adding that Dortmund also boast a unique atmosphere, including the "Yellow Wall" of fans in the southern stand.

"What happens in the stands doesn’t matter much. The players enjoy it."

Juventus coach Thiago Motta is not surprised that Unai Emery has enjoyed success at Aston Villa.

Motta's Juve side face Villa at Villa Park in the Champions League on Wednesday.

Villa won their opening three matches in the competition, though a defeat to Club Brugge last time out saw them relinquish top spot.

They have also had a stuttering start to the Premier League campaign, but given Villa were candidates to be in a relegation fight when Emery took over a little over two years ago, the transformation into one of Europe's best sides has been remarkable.

Motta, though, is not shocked.

"Like all the coaches I've had, I've tried to improve and learn," said Motta, who worked under Emery at Paris Saint-Germain.

"Emery is a coach who has been at a high level for a long time. He's showing his worth again at Aston Villa and doing it in a very difficult league.

"That's also why we will go into the game with great humility and determined to give a great performance."

This will be the third time Villa and Juventus have faced each other in the European Cup/Champions League, following two meetings in the 1982-83 quarter-finals.

Juventus won 5-2 on aggregate with victories in both legs, with the Italian side going on to finish as runners-up that season.

The Bianconeri head into Wednesday's clash unbeaten in Serie A, having drawn 0-0 with Milan over the weekend.

"Tomorrow we will face a great team and we will take the field determined to do our job," Motta said.

"We played well against Milan, controlling the game without giving them the chance to counter-attack.

"Tomorrow we'll play another side very good on the break, so we can't leave space for their attacking midfielders, we have to work together in defence and attack."

Dusan Vlahovic has been involved in five goals in his six away Champions League appearances for Juve (four goals, one assist), including at least one in his last three. However, the striker is one of several Bianconeri players who will be absent due to injury.

"Injuries aren't just happening to us and they're not happening by chance," Motta said.

"At this moment in time it wouldn't be constructive to find the reason behind them. We have to deal with the situation by giving that bit more."

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite praised his team-mates for putting the lessons of their series whitewash by England into action, as they earned a rare home win versus Bangladesh.

The Windies earned their first home Test victory in over two years on Tuesday, with two wickets from Alzarri Joseph helping them wrap up a 201-run triumph.

The best Bangladesh can now hope for from the two-match series is a draw, with West Indies snapping a miserable run of red-ball results.

They were beaten 3-0 by England on their most recent foreign tour in July, before going down 1-0 over two home matches against South Africa in August.

Speaking after the win in Antigua, Brathwaite said: "A lot of learning has taken place from the England tour. Test cricket is all about learning and that's what I tell our guys.

"We have seen a hundred here [from Justin Greaves] and that was a positive. It's good to get a Test win and we continue working hard."

While Joseph finished with figures of 3-69, Jayden Seales and Greaves also dismissed two apiece in Bangladesh's second innings, leading Brathwaite to praise his pace attack.

"It all depends on the surface, but these guys have different skill sets," he said. "We have to stay hungry, that's one. 

"Some guys got big fifties, it was good to see but this Test is over. We need to keep at it. The fans' support means a lot. I have seen the guys supporting us not just here but also in the first-class cricket."

Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz also praised his bowlers, in particular six-wicket star Taskin Ahmed, but conceded they did not do enough with the bat.

"Think we bowled really well. Taskin got six wickets but they had a got partnership after they were down seven wickets," Miraz said. "Then the match was lost there. 

"We didn't bat well in this match. I think we made a few mistakes but that can happen. We hope to come back strongly in the next match. 

"We know what mistakes we made and we need to come back stronger. We will have a chat among ourselves. We have got a pace attack who bowled really well in the first innings. I am really happy with their performance."