Tag: UEFA Champions League

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UCL: BENFICA CRUISE PAST BARCELONA TO PILE PRESSURE ON RONALD KOEMAN, BAYERN THRASH KYIV

Barcelona have made their worst start to a Champions League campaign ever after a chastening 3-0 defeat at Benfica.

The Portuguese side dealt a further blow to Ronald Koeman, with Barcelona slumping to their second successive defeat in the competition as they also finished the match with 10 men.

Darwin Nunez netted in the third minute and capped off his side’s scoring with a penalty in the 79th, with Rafa Silva striking in between. Eric Garcia was sent off late on.

The defeat means Barcelona are under pressure to avoid missing out on the knockout stage for the first time since the 2003-04 season when they did not feature in the competition at all.

Also in Barcelona’s group, Robert Lewandowski scored twice as Bayern Munich stormed to a 5-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv.

Lewandowski’s goals, including from the penalty spot, came inside the first half an hour, with Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane and substitute Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting also adding their names to the scoresheet.

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UCL: SUAREZ SCORES PENALTY AS ATLETICO RALLY TO LATE WIN AT AC MILAN

Luis Suarez’s last-gasp penalty gave Atletico Madrid a 2-1 comeback win on Tuesday at AC Milan, who failed to hold on to their early lead after playing for an hour with 10-men.

Seven-time European champions Milan thought they were on for their first Champions League win since 2013 when Rafael Leao opened the scoring with 19 minutes gone in the Group B clash at the San Siro, but Antoine Griezmann struck with a superb volley with six minutes left to level the scores before Suarez’s stoppage-time spot-kick broke Milan hearts.

Diego Simeone’s side sit second in the group on four points, two behind Liverpool, after the win which looked unlikely util Franck Kessie was sent off in the 30th minute for a second bookable offence.

Milan were on top until then, snappy in the tackle and on top of Atleti every time the away side had the ball, but sit bottom with zero points following their second successive defeat.

Brahim Diaz was at the heart of Milan’s attacking play and should have had a fine assist to his name in the 19th minute when he sent Ante Rebic through on goal, only for the Croatia forward to put his finish too close to the onrushing Jan Oblak.

Diaz was involved again when the hosts took the lead a minute later through Leao, who following neat footwork in the box from his Spanish teammate arrowed a perfect low shot into the opposite corner of Oblak’s goal.

Milan looked comfortable against an underwhelming Atleti but Kessie handed their opponents a lifeline when having already been booked, arrived late into a challenge on Koke and was sent off.

Despite the man disadvantage Milan held their own and Leao came close to doubling their lead in the most spectacular of fashions, crashing a 38th-minute bicycle kick off the bar from the edge of the area before being flagged for the tightest of offsides.

However Atleti slowly began to force Milan back into their own area and Luis Suarez had two great chances to level the scores either side of the break, first volleying wide on the stroke of half-time and then heading Joao Felix’s pinpoint cross the wrong side off the upright in the 54th minute.

Milan held on resolutely and looked to be on their way to victory until Griezmann met Renan Lodi’s knock back with a beautifully-timed volley which left Mike Maignan with no chance.

The home fans carpeted the San Siro air with whistles, but with the clock ticking down Pierre Kalulu was judged to have handled in the area after a VAR check, and Suarez did the rest to earn Atletico a precious win.

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SHERIFF HAND REAL MADRID SHOCKING DEFEAT AT THE BERNABEU WITH LATE WINNER

Moldovan side Sheriff Tiraspol pulled off a remarkable 2-1 win away to Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday, snatching a shock victory thanks to a sensational 89th-minute strike from Sebastien Thill.

Competition debutants Sheriff went ahead against the 13-time European champions in the 25th minute with a header from Uzbek midfielder Jasurbek Yakhshiboev, who narrowly missed a chance to double the visitors’ lead later in the first half.

Sheriff closed with +2700 odds at Caesars Sportsbook, making it the largest underdog to win in the last three Champions League seasons. The previous biggest upset was Shakhtar Donetsk beating Madrid in the group stage last year at +1300 odds.

“We believed we could win. I spoke to my teammates as captain, motivating them, saying ‘why not dream?’ This is football,” Sheriff Tiraspol captain Frank Castaneda said. “Real Madrid are historic but on the pitch it’s 11 vs. 11. We went for the win and got it.”

Goalkeeper Georgios Athanasiadis, 28 — who plays for Sheriff on loan from AEK Athens — was named UEFA’s Man of the Match for a display that saw him make ten saves.

“I’m really happy,” he said. “It’s very difficult to play against these teams, the best in the world. I’m emotional, if I carry on talking much longer, I’ll end up crying.”

Real dominated the play in both halves but needed a penalty to draw level. Karim Benzema buried his spot-kick in the top corner in the 65th minute after Vinicius Jr was felled and awarded a penalty following a VAR review, having been denied a spot kick after a previous review moments earlier.

Real substitute Luka Jovic spurned a great chance to win it for the hosts, but Sheriff quickly got down the other end and, following a throw-in, the ball fell to Luxembourg midfielder Thill, who unleashed a lethal shot into the far top corner.

“It’s the type of game where when you have total control it’s the little details that decide it,” said Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. “That cost us the game. It can be a good lesson for the future, a game like this, the details cost you. A throw in, a cross, a corner, a pointless foul… They cost you. We lost and the team didn’t deserve it, honestly, for what we did.”

Sheriff, from the unrecognised breakaway state of Transnistria, top Champions League Group D with six points from two games while Real are second with three.

Sheriff came through four rounds of qualifying to become the first Moldovan team to play in the group phase of Europe’s elite club competition and had surprised a highly experienced Champions League side in Shakhtar Donetsk to win their opening game 2-0.

They faced an unbeaten Real side and were outplayed for most of the game but pulled off the biggest result in their 24-year history, making the most of their few chances and relying on a few top-drawer saves from Athanasiadis.

Real made a strong start and Vinicius and Benzema each went close to giving them the lead, Athanasiadis making the first of many saves to tip a stinging shot from Benzema over the bar.

But Ancelotti’s side were outdone on the counter when Cristiano tore down the left wing and crossed to the unmarked Yakhshiboev, who headed into the net.

Real continued to threaten with Benzema and Vinicius each fizzing shots just off target before halftime, although Yakhshiboev could have scored again down the other end following a glaring error from the hosts’ keeper Thibaut Courtois.

The Spaniards looked set to go on to win the game after Benzema levelled from the spot, but Sheriff had the ball in the net again through substitute Bruno, although the goal was ruled out for offside.

Modric was then thwarted by Athanasiadis, who saved a thumping shot from the Croatian with his face, before Brazilian forward Rodrygo fired narrowly over the bar.

A Real winner looked inevitable but instead it came down the other end when Thill tried his luck from the edge of the box, scoring the most important goal in his club’s brief history.

“Sheriff defended well, very tight at the back,” Ancelotti said. “They forced us to go outside. But we combined well, we got in behind, a lot of crosses, what we didn’t go well was the little details, we could have been more focused.”

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SALAH, FIRMINO ON THE DOUBLE AS LIVERPOOL WIN BIG IN PORTO

Mohamed Salah struck twice as Liverpool sauntered to a 5-1 victory against injury-struck FC Porto to seize command of a daunting looking Champions League Group B on Tuesday.

Substitute Roberto Firmino also grabbed a brace as Liverpool negotiated a tricky-looking fixture on paper with ease.

Liverpool top the group with six points from two games, ahead of Atletico Madrid who have four points.

“It’s definitely not job done as we have four games to play. We had two good performances, applied ourselves well and got results we deserved,” Liverpool skipper Jordan Henderson, who made his 400th appearance for the club, said.

“It’s a good start but it is far from over.”

It was a miserable night for Porto — who have now conceded 14 goals in their last three home games against Liverpool — and especially keeper Diogo Costa who produced a woeful display.

Porto were dealt a blow before kick-off when captain and centre back Pepe was injured in the warm-up and the hosts were further handicapped when midfielder Otavio lasted only 13 minutes before hobbling off with a hamstring injury.

Liverpool took ruthless advantage of Porto’s woes with Salah tapping in following a mistake by Costa after 17 minutes. Curtis Jones crossed from the left and, as the goalkeeper fumbled, the ball fell to Salah who could not miss.

They doubled their lead just before half-time when Sadio Mane scored from close range with Costa again culpable after letting a low cross from James Milner across the area.

Salah made it 3-0 on the hour with a typically neat finish before Porto rallied with Mehdi Taremi heading past Alisson.

Any hope of a late Porto comeback was extinguished, however, when Costa made a mad dash from his goal and substitute Firmino rolled a shot into an empty net.

Porto’s misery was complete when Firmino grabbed his second of the night in the 81st minute.

After being drawn in the toughest group, Liverpool will be hugely satisfied with their start, having beaten Milan in a scintillating opener at Anfield a fortnight ago.

Liverpool have scored at least three goals in their last six matches in all competitions for only the third time in the club’s history and head into this weekend’s big Premier League clash at home to English champions Manchester City on a high.

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MESSI SCORES MAIDEN GOAL FOR PSG IN WIN OVER MAN CITY

Lionel Messi gave Paris St Germain fans what they came for as he helped them beat visitors Manchester City 2-0 in their Champions League clash with his first goal for his new club on Tuesday.

The Argentine forward, who joined PSG on a two-year contract after leaving Barcelona, found the top corner in the second half to add to Idrissa Gueye’s early first-half opener and put the capital club top of Group A on four points.

Messi had been quiet on his fourth appearance for PSG until he netted on the counter as his link up play with their France striker Kylian Mbappe bore fruit.

After two games, City are third on three points, one point behind PSG and Club Brugge, who beat RB Leipzig 2-1 away.

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UCL: HALLER NETS FOUR AS AJAX HAMMERS SPORTING CP IN LISBON

Sebastien Haller scored four goals as Ajax Amsterdam picked apart Portuguese hosts Sporting CP for a one-sided 5-1 victory at the start of their Champions League Group C campaign on Wednesday.

The tall striker netted twice in the opening 10 minutes to set Ajax on their way, and completed his hat-trick early in the second half before adding another goal just after the hour mark at Lisbon’s Jose Alvalade Stadium.

Steven Berghuis claimed his first goal for his new club to add to the tally while Paulinho got the home team’s consolation.

The combination of winger Antony and Haller proved lethal as Ajax got off to a dream start in the second minute, with the Brazilian’s shot deflected on to the post and Haller dipping his head to get to the rebound.

Antony’s run down the right set up Haller’s second after nine minutes before Paulinho pulled one back in the 33rd minute with an angled shot that Ajax goalkeeper Remko Pasveer let slip under his body.

Berghuis ensured a 3-1 halftime lead with a polished side-foot finish but Paulinho had the ball in the Ajax net straight after the break only to be ruled offside after a VAR check.

Haller, whom Ajax forgot to register for European club competition last season in an embarrassing administrative botch-up, then added two more in the 51st and 63rd minutes.

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LIVERPOOL INSPIRED BY ISTANBUL IN COME BACK WIN AGAINST AC MILAN AT ANFIELD

Liverpool built a Champions League reputation on their 2005 second-half recovery against AC Milan and they were required to come from behind again to get their European campaign off to a winning start.

The achievement was considerably easier than the seemingly gargantuan task of recovering from 3-0 down against the then mighty Serie A giants but they made much harder work of their 3-2 victory at Anfield than they should have done.

Such was their early dominance Jurgen Klopp’s side should have been out of sight well before Ante Rebic and Brahim Diaz scored within two minutes of each other just before the break to surprisingly turn the match on its head.

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ninth-minute shot had deflected in off Fikayo Tomori before Mohamed Salah missed the chance to establish an early platform with his first failure from the penalty spot in 18 attempts.

Despite trailing at half-time, Klopp would not have had to produce the rallying speech Rafael Benitez did in Istanbul as there had been very little wrong up to the point where they lost all defensive shape moments before the interval.

And even though Milan finished a distant second to city rivals Inter last season, they are not blessed with the star power of a Kaka, Paolo Maldini or Hernan Crespo and without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, they lack real quality.

Liverpool turned up the heat with Salah’s 72nd goal in his 100th appearance at Anfield, shortly after the restart provided the necessary momentum and Jordan Henderson secured the win with a low half-volley.

Milan may have won seven European Cups but this was their first outing in this competition since 2014 and their inexperience showed as they constantly gave away possession having found themselves under pressure from the moment they won the toss and invited their hosts to attack the Kop.

Divock Origi, a surprise starter for the rested Sadio Mane, missed a good early chance, Diogo Jota had a shot blocked and Joel Matip’s header – destined for the top corner – was caught by goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

However, the strain told as Alexander-Arnold exchanged passes with Salah and charged into the area where his angled shot bounced up off Tomori and into the net.

It did nothing to help Milan’s nerves; the waves of attacks just kept coming and when Andy Robertson’s cross hit the arm of Ismael Bennacer, Salah had the chance to double their advantage but Maignan saved his penalty and Jota’s follow-up.

The miss appeared to stall the hosts’ momentum – their best chance after that saw Salah’s snap-shot tipped over – and that gave Milan some encouragement but, after the previous 42 minutes they had endure, even they could not have foreseen their finish to the half.

A neat passing move on the edge of the penalty area exploited the channel between centre-back Matip and Alexander-Arnold and Rebic rolled a shot past Alisson.

Their second came from a similar position, with Alexander-Arnold caught upfield, and although Robertson blocked Theo Hernandez’s shot on the line, Diaz followed in to score.

It was uncharacteristically loose from Liverpool but the absence of the calming influence of the rested Virgil Van Dijk offered some explanation.

So another comeback against the Serie A giants was required but, judging by the evidence of the first half, it was entirely achievable.

Salah’s 27th Champions League goal in 46 matches, three minutes after the break after exchanging passes with Origi and poking home the dropping through-ball was the ideal start.

But they had to wait until the 69th minute to get back in front when Henderson drilled in a low half-volley from the edge of the penalty area after a half-cleared corner.

At the final whistle there were no celebrations from the players and it was left to Klopp to produce his now-trademark triple-fist pump in front of the Kop to signify the return of European football to a full house at Anfield.

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MANCITY RESIST NKUNKU HAT-TRICK TO BEAT LEIPZIG IN NINE-GOAL THRILLER

Manchester City launched their latest Champions League challenge with a remarkable 6-3 victory over 10-man Leipzig at the Etihad Stadium.

Five different City players got on the scoresheet for last season’s runners-up, who also benefited from an own goal in a thrilling end-to-end encounter to open Group A.

Christopher Nkunku scored a brilliant hat-trick in a losing cause for the visitors, who had former City left-back Angelino sent off in the second half.

Nathan Ake opened the scoring for City with Nordi Mukiele turning into his own net and Riyad Mahrez adding a penalty in the first half.

Jack Grealish marked his first Champions League appearance with City’s first goal of the second half before Joao Cancelo and Gabriel Jesus also netted.

Leipzig, the 2020 semi-finalists, had threatened to be a tough test for Pep Guardiola’s side. In an attacking sense that proved the case but, defensively, City regularly cut the German team open.

City were without centre-backs John Stones and Aymeric Laporte but Ake went some way to justifying his selection by claiming the opening goal after 16 minutes.

The Dutchman went forward for a corner and met a Grealish cross with a firm header. Former Liverpool goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi managed to flick it onto the bar but the effort was too powerful and bounced over the line.

City immediately threatened more as Mahrez cut inside from the right and saw£ a trademark curling effort deflected wide. Grealish then had an effort blocked by Nkunku.

The hosts were gifted their second on 28 minutes. Kevin De Bruyne, making his first start of the season, found space on the right and whipped in a low, bouncing cross.

Mukiele looked to have it covered, but he misread Gulacsi’s positioning and completely wrong-footed the keeper as he attempted to head back to him, resulting in an embarrassing own goal.

Leipzig, to their credit, continued to play positively and enjoyed a good spell.

Their reward came with a reply on 42 minutes as Emil Forsberg picked out Mukiele with a deep cross. Redeeming himself a little following his earlier error, Mukiele headed back across goal for Nkunku to turn past Ederson.

City responded instantly, although there was an element of controversy over their penalty after VAR adjudged Lukas Klostermann to have handled a Ferran Torres header at point-blank range.

Mahrez took full advantage as he fired into the roof of the net.

Leipzig again reduced the arrears six minutes into the second half. De Bruyne collided with the referee as the German side attacked but play continued and Nkunku headed his second from a Dani Olmo cross.

City responded again and Grealish made his mark as he raced onto a long ball from deep to cut inside from the left to curl a fine shot beyond Gulacsi.

The hosts thought they had another soon after when Torres glided around Gulacsi but his goal was ruled out for offside by VAR.

Leipzig were still not beaten, however, and Nkunku’s fine night continued as he got behind the defence and fired a low shot across Ederson to make it 4-3.

In keeping with the frenetic nature of the open contest, City added another one soon after.

This time Cancelo was the man on target as he lashed a shot into the roof of the net from 25 yards.

Cancelo was in the thick of the action again moments later, this time being felled by a wild challenge from Angelino. The Spaniard was shown his second yellow card and given his marching orders.

That killed any hopes Leipzig may have had of finding a way back into a remarkable game and Jesus wrapped up the scoring five minutes from time when he pounced on a loose ball in the area.

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ZLATAN IBRAHIMOVIC MISSING AS AC MILAN RETURN TO CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AT ANFIELD

AC Milan rejoin Europe’s elite without the star power of injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic but coach Stefano Pioli believes they will prove they are worthy of their place.

The seven-time European Cup winners return to the Champions League for the first time since 2013-14 with a trip to Anfield to play Liverpool.

Ibrahimovic, who only made his comeback from four months out with a knee injury on Sunday against Lazio, has been left at home due to an Achilles problem.

And while the 39-year-old Swede may be their talisman Pioli insists they have gained enough important recent experience to be able to compete with more established sides after three Europa League campaigns in four years.

“Zlatan wanted to join the match (against Lazio) and of course after the match he had some inflammation,” said Pioli.

“We hoped he could play but he still had pain so we don’t want to risk tomorrow as it’s a very important match and we have so many matches.

“We are very sorry for Zlatan because he always wants to play but he will be back soon.

“We are very well prepared. We had the Europa League and all those experiences allowed us to improve, to make mistakes and to grow.

“We are playing at a higher level but this is what we hoped for. This is a great opportunity for us, by raising the bar we can actually perform well.

“Though we have not played in the Champions League we know what to do.

“The group is very difficult and competitive with great experience in Europe but we want to write our history from tomorrow. We are very convinced about ourselves.”

Milan’s 32-year-old captain Simon Kjaer, who only has seven Champions League appearances to his name despite his vast experience, believes they have to make a statement against Jurgen Klopp’s side.

“It is going to be a difficult match but in my opinion we need to go there and play like AC Milan,” he said.

“We are there to demonstrate we are not on holiday. We are there to do something.

“This match is very special because we are back in the Champions League and we will play with great pleasure but we need to demonstrate we are back in the Champions League.

“We are in a very good position in our pathway and we have grown up so much, but we have to show that. We need to have the mindset that we can play against any team.”

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UCL: LEWANDOWSKI BRACE HELP BAYERN THRASH SORRY BARCELONA

Two goals from Robert Lewandowski and one from Thomas Muller propelled Bayern Munich to a 3-0 win at Barcelona in their opening Champions League game on Tuesday in another brutal demonstration of the gulf in class between the two sides.

Muller gave Bayern the lead in the 34th minute with a strike from outside the area which deflected off Barca defender Eric Garcia to confound goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Lewandowski struck the German champions’ second in the 54th, tapping into the net from close range on the rebound after Jamal Musiala had hit the post as Bayern made a rampant start following the interval, hemming their hosts into their own half.

The Polish striker twisted the knife further into Barcelona by scoring again in the 85th, collecting the ball in the area after another shot had come back off the post and tormenting the defence before calmly beating Ter Stegen in the Group E clash.

The scoreline was not quite as damning for Barca as the 8-2 drubbing Bayern gave them in the quarterfinals two seasons ago but the performance was just as hopeless as they were routinely dispossessed and struggled to cope with the visitors’ intensity.

Barca made a promising start in their first Champions League game in front of supporters at the Camp Nou since December 2019, although while the crowd was limited to 40,000 due to coronavirus restrictions there were fewer fans in attendance owing to a lack of appetite for the post-Lionel Messi era.

But Bayern soon showed their superiority and it took a strong hand from Ter Stegen to prevent Leroy Sane giving the Germans the lead, while Gerard Pique had to slide across the ground to block a goal-bound strike from Musiala.

Barcelona’s only real attempt on goal in the first half came from a free kick, defender Ronald Araujo meeting Memphis Depay’s cross and heading just over the bar.

Bayern finally took the lead their play merited through Muller, who scored twice in the 8-2 hammering of Barca in Lisbon and has now netted seven times against the Catalans in Europe’s top competition.

Loud boos could be heard at halftime but things got more desperate for the hosts after the break and by the end of the game Barca fans were sarcastically applauding the team whenever they managed to recover the ball, resigned to their fate.

“We came to win this game and we knew that we had to show respect to Barcelona,” Lewandowski said. “When you play at the Camp Nou against them they are always dangerous. But we had this game under control and we showed we were here for the three points.”

Lewandowski extended his scoring streak in all club competitions to 18 matches. For Muller, it was his 49th goal in Champions League competition with seven of those against Barcelona. No other player has scored more goals in the competition against Barcelona than him.

“It’s a lot of fun playing here, the boys enjoyed it,” Muller said. “When you win 3-0 here, it’s a really important signal. We’re really pleased. We gave very little away at the back and going forward, we could have scored one or two more.”

Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman said the gulf in talent on the field was apparent and pointed out that his side was playing without injured stars like Sergio Aguero, Ousmane Dembele, and Ansu Fati.

“I can’t complain about the team’s attitude, but there’s a quality difference. One team that have played together for a long time [against] us, with a lot of young players who in two, three years will be better. It’s really difficult to accept, but we hope to improve things and to get people back from injuries.

There are players aged 19, 20. If you compare that with what Bayern have, it’s a huge difference. The difference will get smaller in time.”

With Camp Nou at 40% capacity, the fans took out their frustration on Sergi Roberto, who had a less than memorable performance playing out of position at right full-back and substituted off in the 60th minute.

“Bayern are really solid and we are what we are. It is what it is. At the end, we had a lot of kids on. We’re Barca and I don’t want to make excuses, though. We will see at the end of the season,” Barca captain Pique said after the match.

“It hurts me a lot personally because I know him as a person, he’s a great human being and loves this club more than anything. I would like to remind people he’s not a full-back, either, and he’s making a huge sacrifice by playing there. It hurts a lot,” Pique said of his teammate.

Koeman also came to the defense of Roberto, saying: “I never like fans whistling a player. All the players have tried to give everything.

“The only thing is Sergi was playing in a position, if all players available, he would not play that position. To play further forward on the wing, have to be good one on one, quick … he’s another type of player.”