PARIS (AP) — Midfielder Vitinha showed his shooting prowess with a hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain twice came from behind to beat Tottenham 5-3 in the Champions League on Wednesday.
He scored the first with his right foot, the second with his left and then converted a penalty.
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PSG's Vitinha scores on a penalty his side's fifth goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's first goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
“Without doubt (it’s special), I think it’s the first time I even scored two goals in a match in my career,” he said. “It shows the character of the side, it’s not the first time (we have been behind) in a game.”
Fellow midfielder Fabián Ruiz and defender Willian Pacho also scored as defending champion PSG coped well in attack without its star forwards.
Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé was on the bench after returning from injury and Désiré Doué, who scored twice in last season's 5-0 win against Inter Milan in the Champions League final, is still recovering from injury.
Tottenham took the lead from a swift counterattack in the 35th minute with a well-worked move down the left.
Following a neat interchange of passes, Archie Gray clipped a cross to the back post and Randal Kolo Muani — who is on loan from PSG this season — nodded the ball across goal to give Brazil forward Richarlison an easy close-range header.
But Tottenham's defense failed to close down Vitinha on the edge of the penalty area and he deftly guided a shot into the top right corner moments before halftime.
The 25-year-old Portugal international curled his second goal into the left corner from just inside the area in the 53rd, after again being given too much space. It came three minutes after Kolo Muani had put Spurs in front 2-1.
PSG then scored in quick succession from Ruiz's low shot and Pacho's effort from close range following a corner as Tottenham's defense cracked for the second time in a matter of days, and the team was beaten for the fourth time in six games. The Europa League winner lost 4-1 to Premier League leader Arsenal on Sunday.
Coach Thomas Frank's team had caused PSG problems in the season-opening UEFA Super Cup in August, leading 2-0 before losing in a penalty shootout following a late PSG rally.
Tottenham's slick attacking proved difficult to stop and Kolo Muani pulled it back to 4-3 in the 73rd after Vitinha made a rare mistake and lost the ball near PSG's area.
Moments later, Vitinha completed his hat trick from the penalty spot after defender Cristian Romero blocked his shot with his arm.
Vitinha was third in the men’s Ballon d’Or vote but, prior to Wednesday night, had not stood out that much for his scoring, netting a modest 21 goals in 170 games.
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
PSG's Vitinha scores on a penalty his side's fifth goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates with his teammates after scoring his side's first goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
PSG's Vitinha celebrates after scoring his side's second goal during a Champions League opening phase soccer match between Paris Saint Germain and Tottenham, in Paris, Wednesday, Nov.26, 2025. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
MIAMI (AP) — The Florida Panthers arrived in Ferraris, cigars lit, dressed in all-white “Miami Vice” attire — and, in true South Florida fashion, fashionably late.
The New York Rangers followed suit, stepping into loanDepot Park in their own whites and sunglasses.
With that, the 2026 Winter Classic was underway in warm, humid Miami.
At loanDepot Park, home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins, a sold-out crowd of 36,153— with celebrity attendees that included former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Tom Brady — had already begun filling the streets hours before the Rangers beat the defending champion Panthers 5-1 on Friday night in the first outdoor game to take place in Florida.
The retractable roof on the ballpark — which had been shut while air conditioning was piped in to help ice builders create a playing surface suitable for hockey — opened just before puck drop, revealing a clear dark sky with the Miami skyline hovering behind the ballpark. Artificial snow cascaded into the stands, accompanied by pyrotechnics and a performance by Puerto Rican artist Luis Fonsi.
“They said it couldn't be done,” the public address announcer shouted in front of a roaring crowd. “They said it shouldn't be done. But tonight, history and modern science meet here in the Sunshine State.”
After a ceremonial puck drop by Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo, the game was on.
“I would have never thought that I would play in a Winter Classic in Miami and be a part of this cool experience," said Florida center Anton Lundell, wearing a baby pink shirt and pastel blue handkerchief to accent his all-white suit. “Obviously we still have the game left, but everything building up to this game has been awesome. It's been very unique and an experience we're all going to remember for the rest of our lives.”
Though nowhere near as chilly as Winter Classics of years past, the temperature at puck drop was 63 degrees Fahrenheit, the second-warmest outdoor NHL game ever.
For the Rangers, forward Will Cuylie said the plan was for a day-at-the-beach look, but bathing suits were a non-starter. Not professional enough, he added.
“We thought the all-white was a good solution for that,” he said.
Florida coach Paul Maurice arrived in what he jokingly deemed an “appropriate” mode of transportation.
“I was happily on the bus,” Maurice said ahead of Friday's game.
But on his ride into the stadium, Maurice took in his surroundings: the palm tree monikers lining the outside of the ballpark and the thousands of fans clad in Rangers and Panthers gear. In past decades, it would have been hard to imagine such a scene in South Florida, where the success of the back-to-back defending champion Panthers has helped exponentially grow the popularity of hockey.
“I took about 10 minutes just to think about that idea,” Maurice said. "How much different the game was 30 years ago, 20 years ago that you’re in Miami, you've got your whole team getting in the Ferraris. I didn't really think there would be that many fans outside. It was like a version of our parade.
“It is an awesome spectacle. The game itself — not just in Florida — but the pure hockey game, for me, is better than it’s ever been.”
For Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito, the game — one that’s filled with “wonderment,” he said — represented a full-circle moment. His career path started in baseball, and on Friday, his team was playing on a baseball field.
Zito was a batboy for the Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1980s and still credits general manager Harry Dalton for what became the start of a career that saw him become an agent and then one of the top executives in the game.
“The lessons I learned from that experience impact me, and really then via me, our organization on a daily basis,” Zito said. “I’m not here today if I hadn’t had that good fortune.”
That said, his baseball ways were long ago. When he first arrived at loanDepot Park to see the setup, he asked where the locker rooms were. Baseball doesn’t use that term.
“I forgot,” Zito said. “It’s a clubhouse.”
AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
Fans watch before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Florida Panthers's Matthew Tkachuk, left, and Aleksander Barkov hold up the Stanley Cup at the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Players arrive before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
New York Rangers, including left wing Brett Berard, center, warm up with a soccer ball ahead of the start of the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game at loanDepot Park, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Fans watch as Florida Panthers players arrive before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers left wing Matthew Tkachuk arrives for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers at loanDepot Park, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Fans watch as Florida Panthers players arrive before the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Florida Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling arrives for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game between the Florida Panthers and the New York Rangers, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
New York Rangers Taylor Raddysh enjoys family skate time after practice for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)
New York Rangers players gather for a team picture during practice for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)
