The Champions League returned this week for us all to gaze on Europe’s finest – and Europe’s finest delivered!
We have some more memorable European nights to add to the book as we saw another high tally of goals over the two floodlit nights. Here’s a rundown of the big moments that you may have missed in this week’s Champions League.
Liverpool 4 – 0 Crvena Zvezda
We might not be able to pronounce their name, but Liverpool dispatched them anyway, in a familiar fashion we have been waiting for since the start of this season. Each of Liverpool’s attacking trio have been in for a fair bit of criticism so far this season as they seem to have struggled in the final third, but tonight, all three managed to get themselves on the score sheet, including two from Mo Salah, which will be a massive boost for Jurgen Klopp.
PSV Eindhoven 2 – 2 Tottenham
Oh Tottenham. They just can’t seem to get anything right at the moment in Europe. After being dropped into another bubbling cauldron of a group this year their chances of Champions League glory look to be shelved for another year as they suffered to a late equaliser away in Holland. After losing their first two games, back-to-back wins against the minnows of the group were vital for Tottenham to secure enough points to make it to the knockout stages.
With Alderweireld being at fault for the first goal and Lloris seeing red late in the second half, Spurs seem to be the architects of their own destruction this year as they now face one of the Champions League’s most almighty comebacks as they face Barcelona at Camp Nou and Inter Milan and PSV at home.
Real Madrid 2 – 1 Viktoria Plzen
Some managers just come into a job cursed. So, when Julen Lopetegui dropped the Spanish team, mere weeks before the start of the World Cup to take over the reigns at Real Madrid, you just knew it wasn’t going to go well.
Real Madrid are still breaking records. Unfortunately, the latest record is the longest game time without scoring. A record that has Lopetegui crying in the shower and calling Ronaldo at 3am in the morning begging him to come back.
This was a must win game for the Spanish giants as they have lost four of their last five games in all competitions and win it they did. But a 2-1 home victory against Viktoria Plzen doesn’t exactly feel like a victory for a team that have won this tournament the past three times.
Borussia Dortmund 4 – 0 Atletico Madrid
British press, get ready to go crazy because Jadon Sancho has scored again! The English teenager scored Dortmund’s third of the night as they walked all over an Atletico side who were very uncharacteristically sloppy at the back.
The goal may have been a simple tap-in, but his gut busting run to make it to the back post unmarked was no mean feat and he is definitely, definitely, going to be a star for England. Axel Witsel opened the scoring and Raphael Guerreiro managed a brace for Dortmund to top their group with three wins from three.
