Defeats Manchester United, PSG and Arsenal in the spotlight.
Returns
Almost all matches are great for different reasons. In the second round Champions League five out of sixteen matches ended with a score of 3:2, although in football this happens in 2.5% of cases, very rarely. Braga lost 2:0 to Union in Berlin, but won 2:3. Real won strongly in Naples 2:3, and came back from 1:0. PSV lost twice at home to Sevilla, twice saved 2:2. Galatasaray headed stubbornly towards a historic victory Manchester United away, although they lost the score twice during the match. Bayern also had to win back in Copenhagen and conceded first. Atlético does the same, playing at home: Griezmann, Morata and passive offside save the Spaniards. In the second round Champions League eight strong-willed victories, in two cases they came back from 0:2.
Sensations
Those who bet on Lens to win made good money, because the majority trusted Arsenal. It’s not easy for Arteta in European competitions, as he demonstrated last season in the Europa League. The Gunners were delayed in France due to bad weather, scored a quick goal and relaxed. It’s here Manchester United he was tense, which didn’t help Ten Hag score three points against Galatasaray. Onana’s comical performance, Casemiro’s third red card in the Red Devils shirt, Icardi’s missed penalty and Mauro’s winning goal created an unforgettable match for the Turkish team. U Manchester United 6 defeats in the first 10 games of the season, they played so badly even before Ferguson. You can also call defeat a feeling PSG away from Newcastle. Defeat is one thing, but the score of 4:1 is surprising, a significant flogging.
Torment
Manchester United AND PSG they suffered more than played, even if the English had some flashes in attack. It wasn’t easy for Bayern, they were waiting for the winning goal from eighteen-year-old striker Thel at the end of the match. Tuchel praised Copenhagen before the match and correctly assessed the opponent. The match between Borussia Dortmund and Milan falls into the torment category. Many errors, the only goalless draw of the entire tour. “Manchester City” narrowly beat “RB Leipzig” away, don’t let the score of 1:3 bother you, two goals were scored at the end of the match by Alvarez and Doku, who came on as substitutes. And it should be noted separately the torment of Barcelona. The Catalans have problems without Pedri and De Jong. Lewandowski’s injury made the situation worse. Barcelona’s troubles have resulted in fouls and cards, and the Catalans’ away victory over Porto allows us to move on to the next point.
Scandals
In Portugal, English referee Anthony Taylor could have awarded a penalty against Barcelona when Kounde grabbed an opponent’s shirt in the penalty area. The referee also awarded a penalty for handball, but replays showed a previous episode, in which the Porto player would have played with his hand, although Dragons fans say it was a shoulder play . Barcelona have recovered, although they also have questions for Taylor on individual cards. And in the match PSV and Sevilla, the referee disallowed the Spaniards’ goal for handball, although the point is controversial. In injury time, the Dutch managed to equalize the score, and after the match Sergio Ramos criticized the work of the Italian Orsato due to the penalty and the disallowed goal. Two famous referees influenced the plots of the matches in Barcelona and Seville.
Errors
In this round, a goalkeeper showed his class. Benfica’s Trubin lost to Inter, but he was remembered. But some of his colleagues put on a show with a different meaning. Besides the comedy thriller in Manchester, where Galatasaray took advantage of poor Onana’s weak performance, there was another beneficial performance for the goalkeeper. Antwerp won the first half at home against Shakhtar 2:0. Van Bommel’s team was looking for the first three points in history Champions League, but the Ukrainian club showed character. However, the victory was also ensured by the wild errors of the opponents. Shakhtar pounces on their opponents, striker Sican closes the gap when goalkeeper Jean Butez panics. Then Rakitsky was helped by a rebound: Yaroslav equalized the score after hitting a free kick. It looked like there would be a draw, but goalkeeper Butez took the ball out of bounds and gave Shakhtar the winning goal. But that’s not all, because Alderweireld made another mistake. The experienced defender went to take a penalty in the 97th minute, but the ball went wide of the goal. What a game! From 2:0 to 2:3, and just before the final whistle there was a mistake from the spot.
Subjects
All the highlights of Champions League week come together in one crazy spot. Story-wise, many matches turned out to be great. For example, 20-year-old Vahi from Lens scored a goal plus a pass against Arsenal and became the author of a sensation. Guardiola’s favorite, Argentine striker Alvarez, brought Manchester City victory after coming on as a substitute. Barcelona’s Yamal, aged 16 years and 83 days, became the youngest starting player in the Champions League group stage, but the poor guy got a stomach ache in the second half and ran to the bathroom. He was expected, but had to be replaced. Young Boys beat Red Star until the 88th minute, but the Serbs came back 2:2. Real Madrid’s winning goal in Naples after Valverde’s shot and the rebound off the goalkeeper’s back is also part of the collection of interesting stories. We could have played 2:2, but Ancelotti beat his former team. The grumpy Sarri also won, and once again Lazio showed character in the final seconds.
In the last round, the Eagles goalkeeper scored, and now the world champion Pedro successfully entered as a substitute. In the 94th minute of the match in Glasgow against Celtic, the Spaniard silenced the stands of the large arena. Even if somewhere there is another such bright week Champions League, this does not cancel the functionality of the new tour. Rarely do you see such a variety of crazy plots and developments in just two days of football.
