The Champions Blog #2.3

 THE CHAMPIONS BLOG 

Matchday 3 of the Champions League proved once again, anything is possible. All across Europe on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, we were treated to some highly fancied matches, some shocking surprises and some tantalizing comebacks. Some are continuing to make an impression while others haven't lived up to the hype yet. This is the Champions Blog. 

Tuesday 22nd: 

Monaco vs Crvena Zvezda (Stade Louis, Monaco, France)

AC Milan vs Club Brugge (San Siro, Milan, Italy)

Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk (Emirates Stadium, London, England)

Juventus vs VfB Stuttgart (Allianz Stadium, Turin, Italy)

SK Sturm Graz vs Sporting CP (Worthersee Arena, Klagenfurt, Austria)

Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund (Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid, Spain)

PSG vs PSV (Parc de Princes, Paris, France)

Girona vs Slovan Bratislava (Montilivi, Girona, Spain)

Aston Villa vs Bologna (Villa Park, Birmingham, England)

The week of football kicked off with nine matches, but one stood out from the others. In the Spanish capital, it was a rematch of the 2024 final back in June, with last season's finalists, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund taking to the centre stage in Madrid. The side from Germany was exacting revenge on the old masters, who defeated them 2-0 in London to win their 15th Champions League title. Borussia Dortmund look to avenge their defeat in Wembley as they travel to the Santiago Bernabeu. 

Things started well for the visitors as they attacked with force and looked to cause problems for Los Blancos. At around the half-hour mark, Dortmund finally managed to break the host's defence, with a beautiful play from the Dortmund attackers, finished off by Donyell Malen, who scored a great finish to open the scoring in Madrid. The lead was doubled only a few minutes later as another beautiful Dortmund play led to another goal from the German side. Julian Ryerson squared the ball to Malen who made a darting run to the inside of the Real Madrid penalty area. Malen passed the ball to a free Jamie Bynoe-Gittens who tapped the ball into an open net, making it 2-0 to the German side, stunning everyone inside the Bernabeu. The visitors managed to maintain their 2-goal lead and went into the half, leaving Real Madrid with work to do in the second half.

Despite Real Madrid not making much of a difference in the first half, the second half was all about them and one of their talisman. Early on in the second half, the hosts stormed right back into the game when Los Blancos scored two rapid-fire goals in two minutes, sealing their comeback into the game. Goal one came from a thumping header by Antonio Rudiger while the second goal came from a simple tap-in by Vinicius Jr. The press from Real carried on but a potential winner was yet to be found. That was until the 83rd minute when Lucas Vazquez thumped his shot past Kobel and completed the turnaround for Los Blancos. However, the hosts weren't done there. 4 minutes before the 90-minute dot, Vinicius Jr completed his brace after making a darting run towards the penalty area before smashing the ball into the back of the Dortmund net, sealing the three points for Real Madrid. Despite Vinicius grabbing the brace, he still wanted his hat trick. Incredibly, with just minutes left in the game, Vinicius's thunderous strike rippled into the back of Kobel's net, sealing his hat-trick and a famous 5-2 victory in the Santiago Bernabeu, handing Borussia Dortmund a brutal European reality check. 

Meanwhile, in Paris, it was a clash between the Ligue 1 champions and the Eredivisie champions, PSG and PSV. The Parisians are yet to deliver a consistent performance so far this season in Europe, barely scrapping past Girona on Matchday 1, to win 1-0 while losing to Arsenal, 2-0 at the Emirates. PSV also has only managed to gain 1 point so far, following a draw against Sporting CP last matchday. Both teams look to get their campaigns up and running for the season.

 It was the home side that had the first major chance of the game, in the 11th minute when Bradley Barcola closed in on goal. He attempted to go for the far right post, but his shot just went a few centimetres wide. Another huge chance went begging in the 18th minute when Ousmane Dembele's first-time volley hit rattled against the crossbar, keeping the scores at 0-0. PSV soon made all of PSG's missed chances look horrible as they took the lead. Noa Lang got the ball from Saibari, cut the ball inside, and struck a low shot, catching Donnarumma off guard, while firing PSV into the lead in Paris, in the 34th minute. Eventually, the half soon ended with the Dutch champions taking a slender lead against the hosts. However, it was only 10 minutes into the second half and the hosts were back in it. Achraf Hakimi's bullet shot swirled past the PSV defence before rattling into the back of Walter Benitez's net. PSV attacked after PSG's equalizer and came agonizingly close just moments after Hakimi's equalizer, with Guus Til one-on-one with Donnarumma. However, instead of shooting, Til passed the ball to Lang, when Marquinhos was able to intercept the pass and salvage a corner for PSV. Unfortunately for both sides, a potential winner was unable to be found, and the spoils were shared in Paris. 

Pictures Above: Real Madrid forward, Vinicius Jr attempting a shot as Borussia Dortmund defender, Niklas Sule attempts to defend the shot. PSG player, Achraf Hakimi dribbling the ball against Matteo Dams of PSV.

Meanwhile, Monaco took on Crvena Zvezda in the French Riviera in the Stade Louis II, in hopes of improving their start to the Champions League. The French side had a beautiful first half, with Takumi Minamino grabbing the opening goal. Cherif Ndiaye grabbed an equalizer midway through the half, but Breel Embolo's strike before halftime cancelled it out. In the second half, Monaco put on full attack and scored three more goals from Wilfried Singo and Manghes Akliouche getting on the scoresheet and Takumi Minamino grabbing his brace, sealing an emphatic 5-1 victory for Monaco. 

In the fashion capital, Milan, 7-time champions, AC Milan looked to get their campaign up and running against the Belgian champions, Club Brugge. Milan took the lead with Christian Pulisic's strike in the 34th minute. The visitors went into the half with a man down as Raphael Onyedika got sent off due to a late challenge on Tijani Reijnders, resulting in his sending off. However, this didn't stop Brugge as they got an equalizer within the first 5 minutes of the second half, via Kyriana Sabbe's strike which equalized the game. However, a brace from Reijnders saw off the Belgians as Milan sealed their first win of this Champions League season. 

In North London, Arsenal hosted Shakhtar Donetsk in a must-win game for the home side. Arsenal came in with a draw against Atalanta and a win against PSG, while Shakhtar Donetsk came in following a draw against Bologna and a loss against Atalanta. Things were unfortunate for the Ukranian side, as they lost 1-0 in North London, with an unfortunate own goal from Dymtro Rizynk making the difference. 

In Turin, Juventus hosted VfB Stuttgart in a game which shouldn't cause many problems for Thiago Motta's men. The hosts had many chances but weren't able to make their chances count as Stuttgart were the more promising attacking team. Stuttgart had a goal disallowed and a penalty saved, but they were a man up coming into extra time in the second half. In the dying embers of the game, El Bilal Toure scored a clever finish, leaving Perin with no chance for the home side, as Stuttgart grabbed their first win in Europe since 2009. 

Klagenfurt hosted a meeting between Austria and Portugal's domestic champions, namely SK Sturm Graz and Sporting CP. The home side fought hard and well, but Ruben Amorin's men proved too string for the Austrian champions, with goals from Nuno Santos and Viktor Gyokeres making the difference in Austria as Sporting remain undefeated in this Champions League season. 

In Catalonia, tournament debutants, Girona and Slovan Bratislava took to the stage, with both teams looking to get their first points of the Champions League season. That night, Girona became a completely different team compared to their last games, and scored twice, with goals from Miguel Gutierrez and Juanpe making the difference in Catalonia, and awarding Girona their very first win in the Champions League. 

Aston Villa hosted Bologna, with the visitors looking to grab their first win in Europe since 1965. Villa came into the game with good form in the competition so far, winning all of their games, including a memorable win against Bayern Munich, on the Champions League's return to Villa Park. Villa pulled off another European masterclass, without conceding any goals, winning 2-0 with goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran continuing Villa's winning streak in the Champions League. 

Pictures Above: Monaco forward, Takumi Minamino attempting a shot. AC Milan players celebrating after scoring against Club Brugge. Arsenal midfielder, Declan Rice attempting to block a pass. Aston Villa duo, Leon Bailey and Jhon Duran celebrating the latter's goal against Bologna.

Wednesday 23rd: 

Atalanta vs Celtic (Gewiss Stadium, Bergamo, Italy)

Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen (Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp, France)

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

Manchester City vs Sparta Praha (Etihad Arena, Manchester, England)

Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (Estadi Lluis Companys, Barcelona, Spain)

Atletico Madrid vs Lille (Estadio Wanda Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain)

RB Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb (Red Bull Arena Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria)

Benfica vs Feyenoord (Estadio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal)

Young Boys vs Inter Milan (Wankdorf Stadium, Bern, Switzerland)

The following night, it was a game for the ages in Catalonia as it was another encounter in the Champions League between Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Barca's last win against Bayern came in 2015 when they defeated the Bavarian giants, 3-0 in the Nou Camp, with goals from Lionel Messi (2), and Neymar. Since then, the Bavarians dominated the Blaugrana several times, including an emphatic 8-2 victory in August 2020. However, since then, Barca has looked better, with the likes of former Bayern manager, Hansi Flick now in charge of the Blaugrana and attacking trio, Raphina, Lamine Yamal, and former Bayern talisman and legend, Robert Lewandowski. 

Barca took control within the first minute of the game when Fermin Lopez slid a through ball through the Bayern defence, leaving Raphina 1-on-1 with Manuel Neuer. The Brazilian managed to round the German veteran and tap the ball into an open net, opening the scoring within the first minute. It didn't take long for Bayern to equalize as 9 minutes later, Harry Kane headed the Germans back into the game after Thomas Muller's header connected well with him before heading the ball into the back of Inaki Pena's net. However, after a VAR check, the goal was disallowed and Barca maintained their lead. However, only 7 minutes later, Michael Olise played a fantastic ball to Serge Gnabry, who drove to the inside of the penalty area, before crossing it to Kane who connected the ball on a fantastic volley, leaving Pena with no chance. Despite Bayern's equalizer, Barca didn't stop their attacks from there. In the 36th minute, almost 20 minutes after Kane's equalizer, the goal every Bayern fan dreaded came. Yamal found Lopez making a run towards the penalty area and crossed the ball to him. Lopez flicked the ball over Neuer, sending him flying, leaving Robert Lewandowski able to fire the ball into an open net. Bayern's second-highest goalscorer has just scored his first goal against Bayern since leaving them for Barcelona in July 2022. Right before half time, Raphina completed his brace after his superb finish nestled into the back of Neuer's net, making it 3-1 to Barca before half time. The final nails in Bayern's coffin were hammered just 10 minutes into the second half as Raphina completed his hat-trick, to make it 4-1 to Barcelona. Lamine Yamal played a through ball to Raphina as he ran to the edge of the penalty area. The Brazilian controlled the ball and fired it into the bottom corner, surely sealing Barca's revenge against Bayern. After tons of attacking and defence changes from Barca and Bayern, Slavko Vincic blew the final whistle, signalling a satisfying win for Barcelona fans all across the world. 

Elsewhere, 2023 champions, Manchester City took on Sparta Praha, who were making their first trip to England in the Champions League since November 2005. Both sides have made good starts to the competition, with both teams achieving 4 points each. City started with a draw against Inter at home and a win in Slovakia against Slovan Bratislava. Spart enjoyed a memorable return to the competition, winning at home against RB Salzburg and a draw away against VfB Stuttgart.

City, as expected, started the game in spectacular fashion, opening the scoring in just 3 minutes. The ball was played well towards the Man City penalty area as Phil Foden got the ball from Manuel Akanji. The Englishman dribbled the ball past the Sparta Praha defenders before shooting the ball into the bottom corner of Vindhal-Jensen's net, making it 1-0 to City already. The hosts weren't done there as they almost made it 2 just moments later. Matheus Nunes danced around the edge of the penalty area with the Sparta Praha defenders. The Portuguese passed back to Bernardo Silva who crossed it to Haaland who headed it goalwards. It looked to go in, but Vindhal-Jensen put a strong hand behind it, keeping his side still in the game. Sparta's best chance of the half came just moments after the halfway mark of the first half when Veljko Birmancevic made a darting run toward Stefan Ortega's goal. The Serb attempted to find the bottom corner but his shot went wide, a City's lead remained untouched. The hosts would go into the half with a goal lead, with the visitors on their tail. However, the second half was all about City. They looked as though they found the goal which doubled their lead right after the beginning of the second half, through Nathan Ake's strike from a City corner. However, a VAR check revealed the defender had a hand on the ball in the build-up, disallowing the goal. City's flow of attack wouldn't stop there though. Haaland pulled up one of the goals of the season when he finally found his goal. It was a beautiful acrobatic backheel from the Norweigan who didn't even look at the goal as his effort beat Vindhal-Jensen. In the 64th minute, Matheus Nunes was the provider for John Stones's goal as his beautiful cross led to a superb headed finish from the English centre-back, making it 3-0. Only four minutes later, Haaland got his brace as a beautiful counter-attack filled with pace and passes saw Haaland finish the ball emphatically in the Sparta Praha net. Matheus Nunes joined the party in the 88th minute, after he was fouled in the penalty area, and scored a penalty just moments later, sealing an emphatic 5-0 victory for Manchester City. 

Pictures Above: Barcelona captain, Raphina, rounding past Bayern goalkeeper, Manuel Neuer. Manchester City players celebrating one of their goals.

Around the grounds in Europe, Atalanta and Celtic took on each other in Bergamo. Atalanta started their campaign with a draw against Arsenal and a win at Shakhtar Donetsk, while Celtic had a huge win and huge loss, namely a 5-1 win against Slovan Bratislava and a 7-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund. Both the teams contested each other with force but neither could find the goal, resulting in a 0-0 draw and the points shared between the Italians and Scots. 

Guingamp hosted an encounter between two undefeated sides, Brest and Bayer Leverkusen. Brest's European debut began in style with 2-1 and 4-0 wins against Sturm Graz and RB Salzburg, respectively. Leverkusen also had two wins in their two games, against AC Milan and Feyenoord. Leverkusen took the lead in the 24th minute when Florian Wirtz smashed the ball into the back of the net, just outside the penalty area. However, 15 minutes later, Brest responded through an incredible first-time finish from Pierre Lees-Melou, saving a point for Brest and maintaining their undefeated start to the season.

Liverpool travelled to Saxony, Germany to face RB Leipzig. It was a contest of contrasts between Arne Slot's Liverpool, who had 6 points from 6, and Marco Rose's Leipzig who are yet to register a single point. Liverpool got the lead going into the first half when Mo Salah's header met a Darwin Nunez tap-in, opening the scoring for Liverpool. Both teams had many chances in the second half, but neither could find an equalizer or a doubler, as the visitors left with 3 wins from 3.

In Madrid, Atletico hosted Lille in hopes of getting their campaign back on track after a catastrophic defeat in Lisbon against Benfica last time out. They looked to do it when Julian Alvarez's eighth-minute strike looked to get the home side up and running into the second half, but second-half strikes from Edon Zhergova and a brace from Jonathan David sealed a famous victory as the French side stunned the hosts.

Salzburg hosted an encounter between the dethroned Austrian champions, RB Salzburg and Croatian champions, Dinamo Zagreb. The visitors were slowly attempting to pick up the pieces after their catastrophic 9-2 loss against Bayern and looked to make steady progress last time out when they salvaged a draw at home against Monaco last time out. The Croats got their first victory of the season as they wrapped up three points following a 2-0 win, with goals from Sandro Kulenovic and Bruno Petkovic. 

Benfica looked to keep their winning streak going against a Feyenoord, who only gained 3 points out of 6. However, it was the visitors who got off to a flying start, as they led 2-0 going into the first half, with goals from Ayase Ueda and Antoni Milambo. Muhammed Akturkoglu looked to give the home side a bit of hope when he scored in the 66th minute, but Milambo's goal 2 minutes into extra time in the second half sealed the deal for Feyenoord and shattered Benfica's winning start to the competition. 

Italian champions, Inter travelled to the Swiss capital, Bern to face the Swiss champions, Young Boys. Though Young Boys haven't scored a single goal so far this Champions League, they remained strong and caused many problems for Inter's defence and attack. However, a hero emerged for Inter in the 93rd minute, when Marcus Thuram was able to tap the ball into the net and  Inter stole the three points in the dying embers. 

Pictures Above: RB Leipzig goalkeeper, Peter Gulasci, saving a shot by Liverpool forward, Cody Gakpo. Inter Mulan forward, Marcus Thuram celebrating after scoring a last-minute winner against Young Boys. Lille players celebrating after scoring against Atletico Madrid. Celtic players applauding their fans after their goalless draw against Atalanta.

Another emphatic matchday of the Champions League hasn't failed to live up to the occasion once again. Over the two nights, were treated to some emphatic results, some stunning wins, and some incredible goals. Out of all the teams, only two have maintained their winning start, as they comfortably sit top of the table. The Champions Blog will return soon for Matchday 4.