Here’s what happened in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Roundup of all eight games
• Man United’s Luke Shaw sustains serious leg injury
SCOREBOARD
Paris Saint-Germain 2, Malmo 0 || Galatasaray 0, Atletico Madrid 2 || Wolfsburg 1, CSKA Moscow 0 || Sevilla 3, Borussia Monchengladbach 0 || PSV Eindhoven 2, Manchester United 1 || Real Madrid 4, Shakhtar Donetsk 0 || Manchester City 1, Juventus 2 || Benfica 2, FC Astana 0
WHAT STOOD OUT
Great comeback by Juventus: Juventus’ come-from-behind win away to Manchester City had to be THE result of the day. The Bianconeri are winless through their first three games in Serie A, and have looked unsettled following a bit of an off-season overhaul that saw key starters Carlos Tevez, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal leave for other clubs. And here they were going against a Manchester City side that posted five consecutive clean sheets to open the Premier League campaign. This was a big test for the Italians, as a loss would have done them great psychological damage. So when City went up 1-0 on a controversial goal (more on that later), there appeared to be little way back for the Italians. But moments of genuine class from Gianluigi Buffon (he made some tremendous saves to keep Juve in the game), a world class pass by Paul Pogba on Mario Mandzucic’s equalizer, and fabulous finish by Alvaro Morata on the winner in the 81st minute lifted the Italians to a much-needed win, and put City behind the eight ball to start group stage play.
Moreno’s horror tackle: PSV’s upset win over Manchester United (and Memphis Depay’s goal against his former club) was overshadowed Luke Shaw suffering a double fracture to his right leg. In the first half, Shaw was bearing down on the ball when PSV defender Hector Moreno mistimed his challenge and went through the Manchester United player. It was a crude challenge, and Shaw was sucking on oxygen as he was being taken off the field on a stretcher. A horrendous sight that put a damper on the proceedings, and Shaw will undergo surgery upon his return to England and will likely be sidelined for quite some time—another blow for Manchester United who looked pretty flat in suffering a loss in their first game back in the Champions League following a year’s absence.
The case for instant replay: Manchester City took the lead in the 57th minute when Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini headed into his own net off a corner kick. Replays, though, showed that Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany climbed all over Chiellini to put pressure on the Italian deep inside the box. Juventus was furious with the non-call, and rightly so—the goal should not have stood because of Kompany’s clear foul. This incident, and many more like them, raises the question as to whether it’s time for soccer, which already uses goal-line technology, to use video replay to review contentious plays inside the penalty area. Fair play to Juventus for valiantly fighting back to earn the win, but what if it didn’t? What if that goal stood up as the winner? And what if this was the final, and not group stage game? There has to be a way that referees can review such plays in a timely fashion and get the call right.
MORE ON THE UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Sportsnet soccer panel: Picks and predictions || Man City has improved by becoming ‘more City’ || Analytics: The strange case of Borussia Monchengladbach || FC Astana adds rich narrative to Champions League || 10 players to watch in the first round || 8 matches to watch in the first round || Spanish clubs look to reign supreme in Europe || Champions League: 5 stories to watch this week
BEST GOAL
Alvaro Morata’s winner for Juventus came out of nothing. But it was a great finish by the Spaniard, curving a wicked shot inside the far corner past a helpless Joe Hart.
BEST SAVE
In the 60th minute, Manchester City’s broke forward, but Juventus veteran Gianluigi Buffon did exceptionally well to get down low and palm away Raheem Sterling’s shot, and then repositioned himself to block David Silva’s rebound attempt.
BEST MOMENT
It has to be the cross-field, inch-perfect pass that Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba played over the Manchester City defence and into the box for teammate Mario Mandzukic to slot home. Pure class from the Frenchman.
BEST GAME
It’s a tossup between Juventus’ come-from-behind win away to Manchester City, and PSV Eindhoven’s come-from-behind win in at home over Manchester United. The PSV-United game was more dramatic and had better atmosphere in the stadium, but the quality of goals on display in City-Juventus was amazing. Let’s go with PSV’s upset win.
BEST TWEET
https://twitter.com/footymac/status/643875971993612288
SIX PACK OF STATS
• This is the first time in Champions League history that both Manchester clubs have lost on the same day.
• Paris Saint-Germain’s Angel di Maria on Tuesday scored his first club goal since January when he scored against Yeovil in the FA Cup.
• The last time all four English teams won their Champions League group stage games in the same week was in October 2011.).
• Cristiano Ronaldo is now the outright all-time top scorer in the Champions League with 80 goals. Lionel Messi has 77.
• Prior to Mario Mandzukic’s goal, Manchester City had not conceded a goal in 635 minutes in all competitions.
• Karim Benzema has now scored in 11 consecutive Champions League seasons.
Stats courtesy of Opta
BURNING QUESTION
THREE STARS
1) Cristiano Ronaldo: Yeah, I know he scored twice from the penalty spot. But a hat trick is still a hat trick. And I’ll never tire of Ronaldo scoring goals.
2) Gianluigi Buffon: The Juventus legend was absolutely brilliant, coming up with a number of highlight reel and important stops vs. Manchester City.
3) Antoine Griezmann: Bagged a first half brace to help Atletico Madrid earn a win vs. Galatasaray in Istanbul—never the easiest place for visiting clubs.
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