The Champions Blog #2.2

 THE CHAMPIONS BLOG

Like the last matchday, the Champions League has delivered another master class of a matchday. In the 18 matches we witnessed, we were treated to some big wins, late drama, some one-sided affairs, and some exciting encounters all over Europe. This is the Champions Blog

Tuesday 1st: 

RB Salzburg vs Brest (Red Bull Arena, Salzburg, Austria)

VfB Stuttgart vs Sparta Praha (MHPArena, Stuttgart, Germany)

Borussia Dortmund vs Celtic (Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund, Germany)

PSV Eindhoven vs Sporting CP (Phillips Stadion, Eindhoven, Netherlands)

Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City (Tehelne Pole, Bratislava, Slovakia)

Barcelona vs Young Boys (Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain)

Bayer Leverkusen vs AC Milan (Bayarena, Leverkusen, Germany)

Inter Milan vs Crvena Zvezda (San Siro, Milan, Italy)

Arsenal vs PSG (Emirates Stadium, London, England)

In Catalonia, Barcelona took on Young Boys in the Olimpic Lluis Companys. Barca made a rather forgettable start to their Champions League season, losing 2-1 away to Monaco, inflicting Hansi Flick's first defeat as Barcelona head coach. Young Boys also haven't made a good start to the competition, getting hammered by Aston Villa at home to Aston Villa. Both sides look to turn their fortunes around as they take on each other in Barcelona. However, the home side will have to do it without their captain, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who suffered a patellar tendon rupture and will be out for the remainder of the season. As expected, the hosts were off to a flying start, as they managed to grab the lead inside 8 minutes. Robert Lewandowski managed to tuck away a simple tap-in after a beautiful play from Barcelona, giving the hosts an early lead. The first half got better for the Catalans as their lead was doubled in the 34th minute after a scramble with the ball in the penalty area caused Raphina to capitalize on their chance and make it 2-0. Only a few minutes later, Inigo Martinez scored to make it 3-0 of the night, after Pedri's cross met his head, burying the ball past Marvin Keller. It was a milestone goal for Martinez as that was his first goal in Barcelona colors since joining from Athletic Bilbao at the start of last season. Young Boys' woeful half would end with a 3-0 deficit, however, it wouldn't get better for the Swiss side going forward. Early on in the second half, Barcelona found a fourth, with Robert Lewandowski finding his brace. Young Boys attacked from that moment, in desperate need of at least a consolation goal, but their hopes were quickly dampened after captain, Mohamad Camara scored an unfortunate own goal to hammer the nails into Young Boys coffin. The Swiss side eventually found a consolation goal in Joel Monteiro, but the goal was disallowed, and Barca's 5-goal lead was kept. The game would end in a 5-0 victory for the home side, as Barca made amends for their opening-day loss against Monaco. Barca will host Bayern Munich in the club's first real test of the Champions League campaign while Young Boys return to Bern to host Inter Milan in the clubs' next games in the Champions League. 

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund took on Scottish champions, Celtic at Signal Iduna Park. Dortmund and Celtic have both made commanding starts to the competition with Dortmund clinching a 3-0 victory away to Club Brugge and Celtic grabbing a famous victory at Celtic Park, defeating Slovan Bratislava, 5-1. With 5 minutes gone inside the stadium, Dortmund was awarded a penalty as Kasper Schmeichel fouled Jamie Bynoe-Gittens inside the penalty area. Club captain, Emre Can stepped up for Dortmund and dispatched the ball right through the middle, giving the hosts an early lead. However, the host's lead only lasted two minutes, as Celtic had a well-worked goal, finished off by Daizen Maede, who equalized for the Scottish side. Dortmund regained full concentration from Celtic's equalizer and scored just two minutes after Maede's equalizer. Karim Adeyemi's netted a firing shot that blazed past Schmeichel, and the hosts have regained the lead. Adeyemi completed his brace 18 minutes later when he scored an absolute thunderstrike, leaving Schmeichel with no chance of saving. Things got worse for Celtic, as they conceded a penalty five minutes from half-time, and Arne Engels fouled Adeyemi in the penalty area. Serhou Guirassy stepped up this time and dispatched the ball past Schmeichel. Adeyemi completed an unlikely hat-trick two minutes later as he scored a fantastic strike that was dispatched in the bottom corner, making it 5-1 to the home side before half-time. In the second half, clean finishes from Serhou Guirassy and Felix Nmecha sealed a famous Champions League victory for Dortmund, as they defeated a hapless Celtic, 7-1. The Scottish side was handed a brutal reality check as their dream start in Europe disintegrated during this night in Dortmund. Celtic will travel to Bergamo to face Atalanta next while Dortmund will seek revenge from last season as they travel to Real Madrid. 

Picture Above: Barcelona captain, Raphina celebrating as he scored in Barcelona's win over Young Boys. Borussia Dortmund players celebrate a goal in their big win over Celtic. 

Earlier on that day, RB Salzburg took on Brest in northern Austria. Brest's Champions League debut went well as the French side defeated Sturm Graz, 2-1 in France two weeks ago. Brest's start to their Champions League debut campaign got even better as the side thumped the hosts, 4-0 with goals coming from Mahdi Camara, Mathias Pereira Lage, and a brace from Abdallah Sima. 

In Stuttgart, last season's Bundesliga runners-up, VfB Stuttgart took on Sparta Praha as the MHPArena hosted Champions League football for the first time since 2010. The hosts opened the scoring in the seventh minute when Enzo Millot headed the ball into the bottom corner, giving Stuttgart an early lead. However, Sparta Praha equalized not too long later, when Kaan Kairinen scored a stunning free-kick. Neither could find a winner for the remainder of the game, and the sides shared the points. 

In Eindhoven, Dutch champions, PSV took on Portuguese champions, Sporting CP. PSV kicked off the campaign with a 3-1 loss at Juventus while Sporting grabbed a comfortable victory when they hosted Lille, winning 2-0. PSV grabbed an early lead in 15 minutes through Jerdy Schouten. With 7 minutes to go, it looked like PSV would clinch the win, but a volley from Daniel Barganca rescued a point for the Portuguese side, sealing a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven. 

The Tehelne Pole in Bratislava hosted Champions League football for the very first time as Slovan Bratislava took on Premier League champions, Manchester City, in the first major match for the hosts. City made the job look relatively easy, as first-half goals from Ilkay Gundogan and Phil Foden and second-half goals from Erling Haaland and James McAtee, with the latter scoring his first goal for City, sealing a 4-0 win in the Slovakian capital, as the Citizens get their campaign up and running. 

The Bayarena welcomed back Champions League football after a year as Bayer Leverkusen hosted AC Milan in the den of the Bundesliga champions. Milan hasn't been able to recover from their opening-day loss against Liverpool, and lost again here, 1-0 after Victor Boniface scored a simple tap-in after Maignan saved a beautiful Leverkusen play. 

At the San Siro, Inter Milan took on Crvena Zvezda. Inter's start to the Champions League was slow after picking up a 0-0 draw at Manchester City while Crvena Zvezda lost 2-1, at home to Benfica. Inter took the lead 11 minutes in, through a stunning free-kick from Hakan Calhanoglu. Second-half goals from Marko Arnautovic, Lautaro Martinez, and Mehdi Tameri, sealed a huge win in Milan, as Inter won 4-0 to kick-start their campaign. 

In North London, the Emirates had an exciting encounter in store, with Arsenal taking on PSG. Many were expecting a tie, but Arsenal surpassed the odds and put on a stunning display to win, 2-0, with goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka sealing a famous victory in the Mikel Arteta era at Arsenal, while also inflicting PSG's first defeat of the season. 

Picture Above: Arsenal players, David Raya and Gabriel high-fiving each other upon their win over PSG. Manchester City players celebrating their big win in Slovakia. Bayer Leverkusen striker, Victor Boniface shooting the ball towards goal and scoring against AC Milan. Inter Milan striker, Mehdi Tameri jumps up and celebrates after scoring against Crvena Zvezda.

Wednesday 2nd: 

Shakhtar Donetsk vs Atalanta (Veltins Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany)

Girona vs Feyenoord (Montilivi, Girona, Spain)

Benfica vs Atletico Madrid (Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal)

Liverpool vs Bologna (Anfield, Liverpool, England)

RB Leipzig vs Juventus (Red Bull Arena, Leipzig, Germany)

Lille vs Real Madrid (Stade Pierre Mauroy, Lille, France)

Sturm Graz vs Club Brugge (Worthersee Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria)

Aston Villa vs Bayern Munich (Villa Park, Birmingham, England)

Dinamo Zagreb vs Monaco (Stadion Maksimir, Zagreb, Croatia)

The following day in Merseyside, six-time champions, Liverpool played their first Champions League game at Anfield since February 2023, as Arne Slot's men hosted Bologna. Liverpool made a statement in the Champions League after defeating AC Milan, 3-1 at the San Siro, in their first Champions League game since the departure of Jurgen Klopp. Bologna's return to Europe after 59 years resulted in a 0-0 draw at home to Shakhtar Donetsk, as they look to grab their first Champions League win since 1964. Liverpool took an early lead inside 11 minutes when Mo Salah's cross was tapped in by Alexis Mac Allister, as the Argentinian scored his first Champions League goal in his career. Bologna came close to equalizing after Alisson's clumsy mistake led to a counter-attack from Bologna. Dan Ndoye's first-time strike deflected off Ibrahima Konate before hitting the crossbar, giving Liverpool a huge let-off. Bologna had many more crucial chances but Alisson proved the better of them, as the Reds carried a 1-0 lead into the second half. Bologna worked again in the second half, but Alisson proved too good for the Rossoblu. Liverpool started attacks of their own. After a few failed attempts, Liverpool finally found the goal to double their lead. Mohamed Salah droves through the Bologna defense before scoring an incredible curling effort, leaving Skorupski with no chance. That goal was enough to secure a winning return to the Champions League at Anfield, as Arne Slot's first European night at Anfield ended in a 2-0 win. Liverpool will travel to Germany to face RB Leipzig next time in Europe, while Bologna will take a trip to Birmingham to face Aston Villa. 

Meanwhile, in Eastern Germany, RB Leipzig took on Juventus. Leipzig started the tournament with an unfortunate 2-1 loss at Atletico Madrid while Juventus kicked off their campaign with a 3-1 win over PSV. Early on in the game, Juventus suffered a major setback, as captain, Bremer suffered an injury and had to be replaced 6 minutes in. Nico Gonzalez, who was one of the stars in Juve's win against PSV, also suffered an injury and had to be replaced just 12 minutes into the game. The injuries would benefit Leipzig, and after a lot of attacks, they finally got their goal on the half-hour mark, when the hosts counter-attacked from one half to the other. Benjamin Sesko grabbed the ball from a cross from Lois Openda, and his second-time strike smashed upon the crossbar before going in, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead. This would be the only major chance in the second half, as Juventus wasn't able to match the chances Leipzig had. The hosts took a slim 1-0 lead into the second half. However, it didn't take long for Juventus to respond. Five minutes into the second half, Dusan Vlahovic tapped the ball past Gulasci, giving the Italians the equalizer. However, since Juve equalized, Leipzig has constantly been knocking on the door, in search of their lead, and one counterattack changed their luck. Xavi Simons slid Openda through on goal, and Juventus goalkeeper, Michele Di Gregorio was appealed to have a handball outside the penalty area. The appeal was successful for Leipzig and Di Gregorio was sent off. A free kick was given to Leipzig. Simons took the free kick, but a penalty was given to Leipzig after it was revealed that the ball touched Douglas Luiz's hand. Sesko stepped up and scored for the hosts, regaining their lead. Only a few minutes later, Juventus were back in it. Vlahovic completed his brace after scoring an absolute stunner from outside the penalty area, quickly canceling Leipzig's lead. Finally, after 82 minutes of play, Juventus found the lead for the first time in the evening, after Francisco Conceicao scored an incredible solo goal to make it 3-2 Juventus. Thankfully, Thiago Motta's men managed to hold on and secure a famous win in Leipzig. The hosts look to end their losing streak as they host Liverpool later this month while Juventus looks to keep their winning start going as they host VfB Stuttgart. 

Pictures Above: Liverpool player, Mohamed Salah, celebrates after scoring against Bologna. Juventus forward, Francisco Conceicao, taking his shirt off in celebration of scoring against RB Leipzig.

In Gelsenkirchen, reigning Ukrainian champions, Shakhtar Donetsk took on Europa League champions, Atalanta. Goals from, Berat Djimsiti, Amodela Lookman, and Raoul Bellanova, sealed an emphatic victory for the visitors, as Atalanta grabbed their first Champions League win since October of 2021. 

In the  Estadio Montilivi, Diego Lopez etched his name into the Bologna history books as he scored the club's first-ever goal in the Champions League and Europe, altogether. However, an unfortunate own goal from Yangel Herrera and a tidy finish from Antoni Milambo quickly canceled Girona's lead. Donny van de Beek pulled back an equalizer for Girona in the 73rd minute, but Girona's missed penalty and the disallowed goal proved decisive, as Feyenoord found the lead through another own goal by Ladislav Krejci, awarding Feyenoord a 3-2 win in Catalonia. 

In the Estadio da Luz, many people were expecting a mouth-watering clash between Benfica and Atletico Madrid, but Bruno Lage's men put on a show in Lisbon, as his side trashed Diego Simeone's side, 4-0, providing one of the shocks of the season. Goals from Kerem Artukoglu, Angel Di Maria, Alexander Bah, and Orkun Kocku, sealed a famous win for Benfica and kept their winning start from going on. 

The holders traveled to northern France to face Lille. The Stade Pierre Mauroy hosted Champions League football for the first time since 2022, as the Mbappe brothers, Kylian and Ethan played against each other in France. Many were expecting Los Blancos to prevail, but Jonathan David's penalty before half-time proved to be the difference in Lille, as the holders' unbeaten streak in Europe came to an end. Real have also lost their first Champions League game since May 2023.

For the first time since 2001, Graz hosted the Champions League football as Sturm Graz took on Club Brugge. Both teams looked to bounce back after losing starts to the competition. However, Brugge was the side that prevailed in Austria as Christos Tzolis's goal midway through the first half made the difference in Graz.

Villa Park also hosted Champions League football after a long time, as Aston Villa hosted Bayern Munich. Villa made a memorable return to Europe after their emphatic victory over Young Boys, however, Bayern enjoyed a much bigger victory after annihilating Dinamo Zagreb, 9-2 at the Allianz Arena. After 79 minutes, Villa found their goal as Jhon Duran caught Manuel Neuer off his line, and the Colombian chipped the ball over the goalkeeper to eventually grab the win for Aston Villa. It was a memorable night in Birmingham for both fans and players, as Villa sealed a very famous win at Villa Park while Bayern's unbeaten streak in the Champions League 1st round comes to an end, after 7 years and 41 matches. 

In the Croatian capital, Dinamo Zagreb took on Monaco, as the Croatian champions look to bounce back after suffering arguably their most humiliating loss in their history against Bayern Munich last time. Monaco stunned everyone as they ended Barcelona's unbeaten streak to the season last time out. Petar Susic's goal before half-time and Martin Butarina's strike midway through the second half looked to seal the three points for Dinamo, but Mohammed Salisu headed Monaco back into the game before Denis Zakaria scored a penalty on the 90-minute dot, sharing the points between the two sides in Zagreb. 

Pictures Above: Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, Jan Oblak attempting to save a shot from Benfica forward, Angel Di Maria. Girona players applauding their fans after their loss against Feyenoord. Lille players, Jonathan David and Tiago Santos running to the fans to celebrate scoring against Real Madrid. Aston Villa goalkeeper, Emiliano Martinez saving a shot.

Once again, the Champions League has delivered another matchday filled with class, entertainment, and some shocking surprises. Goals flooded all across Europe as every team's goal to be crowned kings of Europe in Munich fuels their winning attitudes with every passing matchday. The Champions Blog will return on the 25th of October as we start to get down to the wire in the Champions League.