Champions League Weekly Wrap-Up: Everything You Need to Know
The new Champions League format is upon us, and with it, some exciting first-leg matches. The first day brought us late drama, while the second day kept us on the edge of our seats for more than 90 minutes. The new format worked, as we saw seeds nine through 24 battle it out in the playoff round. Here, there will be a quick breakdown of each game and a look ahead to next week.
In the first matchup, Brest played Paris Saint-Germain at home in a Ligue 1 battle. PSG seized control quickly, and after 21 minutes, Vitinha converted a penalty to break the deadlock. Brest had chances to tie it back up, but ultimately, the red-hot Ousmane Dembele took the opportunity and put one in the back of the net right before half-time. Then, Dembele scored a brace, putting PSG in the driver's seat. Ultimately, PSG put a clinic on in this first leg, winning 3-0. Brest looks to make an insurmountable comeback in the second leg as they visit the Parc des Princes down three goals.
The second matchup was between Juventus and PSV at the Allianz. It was a battle early on, but in the 34th minute, we saw a thunderous strike by the American Weston Mckennie that put Juventus ahead 1-0. Then, early in the second half, 36-year-old Ivan Perisic shot one near post by goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to make it 1-1. However, substitute Samuel Mbangula scored with eight minutes left to finish the match, leaving Juventus with a 2-1 victory. The second leg proves to be exciting as they move to the Netherlands. PSV looks to take advantage at home, but it will be harsh with this young, flourishing Juventus team.
Manchester City then played Real Madrid in what was supposed to be the most exciting matchup, and it lived up to the hype. Erling Haaland broke the deadlock in the 19th minute with a clinical finish. It wasn’t until the 60th minute that Real Madrid could tie it with a Kylian Mbappe volley slice off the shin that somehow found its way into the back of the net. The last 30 minutes were electric; Haaland was able to put away a penalty after Phil Foden got fouled right inside the box in the 80th minute. Brahim Diaz then equalized against his former club six minutes later before Jude Bellingham tucked away the winner in the match's dying moments. This is a tough loss for Manchester City when they are playing at home; Real Madrid proved again why they are the creme of the crop. Next week’s matchup will be thrilling, with Manchester City needing a goal.
The last matchup on Tuesday was Sporting CP versus Borussia Dortmund. It took until the 60th minute before Serhou Guirassy could put Dortmund ahead. Sporting was the first aggressor, creating great chances, but could not capitalize. This proved detrimental as Dortmund’s Pascal Gross scored quickly after Guirassy put the away team up 2-0. Karim Adeyemi then put away a clinical counterattack goal, seemingly pushing Dortmund into the next round, as the game finished 3-0. Sporting will look to come back down three goals at Dortmund next week.
On Wednesday, the first kickoff was between Club Brugge and Atalanta. Brugge started confidently and scored a goal in the 15th minute, thanks to striker Ferran Jutgla. Mario Pasalic tied the game four minutes before halftime, making it 1-1. The game looked to be tied going into the second leg before a controversial penalty call in the 94th minute. Gustaf Nillson put away the penalty, giving Club Brugge the advantage going into the second leg next week.
Celtic versus the German giants Bayern Munich was the next matchup. Michael Olise put Bayern Munich ahead right before half-time after a seemingly dominant half by Bayern. Harry Kane then put them ahead 2-0, and the game looked over. However, Celtic had other ideas; they were able to pull one back in the 79th minute and looked to tie the game up. They pushed Bayern back into their box but could not make it even. Celtic will look to use that momentum going into the next leg, but it will be difficult going into Munich.
Dutch side Feyenoord then faced off against AC Milan. After three minutes, Igor Paixao scored the game's only goal after what some may deem a goalkeeping error. This game produced zero big chances, with both teams having less than one expected goals. AC Milan couldn’t grow, and Feyenoord comfortably held onto a 1-0 win at home. The second leg being in Milan makes things more exciting, as AC Milan must score a goal against this feisty Feyenoord defense.
The last game of the week was against Monaco and Benfica. Both sides were close to scoring in the first half but couldn’t prevail, making it 0-0 at half-time. Then, three minutes into the second half, Vangelis Pavlidis had a cheeky finish to put Benfica ahead. Four minutes later, Monaco was put a man down after a red card. Benfica looked to capitalize but couldn’t, meaning the game ended 1-0 after an exciting 90 minutes. Monaco looks to go into Benfica next week to advance to the next round.
This first stretch of games was full of excitement. There were upsets and several late winners, proving that this new format has worked. The second legs will continue to be exciting and demonstrate why the Champions League is among the best tournaments in any sport. Look ahead for Manchester City’s comeback effort and AC Milan and Monaco to stamp their mark on this tournament.
