Sports

UEFA Champions League: Atletico win it late to sink PSG and Inter edge past Arsenal

By News Update

New Delhi: We are finally past the fourth matchday of Champions League 2024/25 campaign and as we witnessed some unbelievable results in the first night, the second one was equally entertaining as we had some interesting results before heading towards the fifthe matchday. Barcelona, Bayern, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal and PSG, all were in action as some of these sides did their job well to progress ahead, while others stumbed, causing further concerns regarding their cup run.

Feyenoord 1-3 Salzburg

Salzburg defeated Feyenoord 3-1 to earn their first Champions League points of the season. The first half went without incident, but the visitors took the lead just before halftime thanks to a header from Konate. Early in the second half, Konate scored his second goal of the game from a close-range corner. Nadje, a substitute for Feyenoord, was sent off following a VAR review.

However, a minute later, Hadj Moussa, the club’s summer acquisition, gave them their first goal, cutting the deficit in half. After another VAR review, Salzburg swiftly earned a penalty at the other end. Guindo quickly put a beautiful strike into the roof of the net to complete the victory, but Konate was unable to convert as his attempt bounced off the crossbar. Feyenoord drop to 21st place in the table, while the Austrian team rise to 30th. On matchday five, Salzburg will go to Bayer Leverkusen, while the Dutch team will travel to Manchester City.

Sparta Prague 1-2 Brest

It was full time in Prague, and a Brest club that obviously desired the victory more, defeated the host. The game began quite slowly and went on that way for perhaps twenty-five minutes. Ajorque had the first opportunity in the 28th minute when he almost missed the post with a shot from an acute angle. The home team was warned, but it appears they ignored it because they gave up ten minutes later. Fernandes made an outstanding connection to a shot from right inside the area as the clock reached the 37th minute. At halftime, he gave Brest the lead with a shot that crashed past Vindahl.

The ball strangely bounced past the line after Doumbia hurled himself at it, giving Brest a 2-0 lead in the 80th minute. It was later confirmed that Kairinen of Sparta had the final touch and thus it was given an own goal to add to the suffering on the home team. Sadilek twisted inside the box and delivered the ball into Olatunji’s path in the 92nd minute, just as the game was coming to a close. With just seconds left in the game, the striker, who had earned something for his efforts, slammed in a volley to make it 2-1.

Red Star Belgrade 2-5 FC Barcelona

Barcelona defeat Red Star Belgrade 5-2, to record their third straight Champions League victory, while the Serbians remain without a point after the opening four matchdays. At halftime, Barca had a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Lewandowski and Martinez, and Silas had scored for the home team. However, Barca just needed eight minutes to double their lead after the break, with Raphinha scoring the fourth two minutes later and Lewandowski scoring the second.

Even though Barca were ahead by this time, Fermin Lopez scored a fifth goal late on and should have scored a few more, striking the crossbar and forcing Ilic to make a great save. It was only a consolation, but Red Star persisted and eventually earned their reward on minute 84 when Milson curled home Red Star’s second. With this victory, Barcelona rises to sixth place in the standings ahead of their upcoming matchup with Brest. Red Star, meanwhile, has 0 points and is now in second place. Their next game is against Stuttgart.

Vfb Stuttgart 0-2 Atalanta

When Atalanta defeats Stuttgart 2-0 on the road, the German night air is punctured by the sound of the last whistle and Italian teasing. Following an inseparable first half, Gasperini’s substitutions were crucial for La Dea. De Ketelaere, who was instrumental in his team’s triumph over Napoli, came on at halftime and made an immediate impression. In the 51st minute, he assisted Lookman with a beautiful right byline tap-in. Galatasaray loanee Zaniolo made another significant entrance in the last 20 minutes of this frantic match.

In the 88th minute, Zaniolo jumped in behind and slotted under Nubel to put the result beyond doubt as Stuttgart, as it seemed, struggled to read the bounce of the ball throughout the entire match. Atalanta move to ninth in the Champions League table while Stuttgart go down to 27th.

Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal

Calhanoglu’s late first-half penalty was sufficient to give Inter a 1-0 victory and all three points over a wasteful Arsenal, so it’s over at San Siro! With late goals from Martinelli, Saliba, Saka, Nwaneri, and Jesus, as well as three from Havertz alone, the Gunners had a number of chances but were unable to defeat Sommer despite chasing an equalizer in vain during a largely one-sided second half.

The Dutchman was one of several who proved to be a man-mountain in defence, with Bisseck and De Vrij making blocks everywhere. Inter hardly increased their first-half opportunities, and saw Dumfries volley into the side netting. With their third consecutive victory and fourth consecutive clean sheet, the Nerazzurri climb to fifth place in the Champions League standings, while Arsenal drops to 12th place, well outside of the automatic Last 16 qualifying spots, after their first surrender and loss apiece.

PSG 1-2 Atletico Madrid

With the final kick of the match, Atletico Madrid took the three points. At Parc des Princes, Simeone’s team defeated PSG 2-1. The French team scored the crucial two goals to win it, despite Atletico only producing limited chances throughout the game. Zaire-Emery sprang in the area to lift the ball over Oblak and into the back of the net to give PSG the lead in the first half. Molina gave Atletico the equalizer with a close-range shot into the bottom corner. PSG took control of the game after the interval, generating 15 shots in the second half alone.

Oblak threw the ball into Griezmann’s path in the closing seconds, and Griezmann continued the counterattack. Inside the box, he found Correa, who cut to his left before shooting into the bottom corner to seal the victory. Atletico put on a classic defensive show! Later this month, PSG will go to Bayern Munich for the competition, while Atletico will visit Sparta Prague.

Bayern Munich 1-0 Benfica

Although it wasn’t very nice, Bayern Munich defeated Benfica 1-0 at home to resume their winning ways. Following consecutive Champions League losses, the German powerhouses are now tied with their opponents, who fought valiantly but contributed little offensively, at six points in the standings. For the first time in this competition since 2017, the Lisbon club failed to muster a single shot on goal, and Musiala’s goal in the second half was enough to seal the victory for the home team.

For more than an hour, Trubin made a number of saves to hold Bayern at bay, but once their resistance was gone, the away team had little to give. Benfica will be playing their old rivals Porto in the Primeira Liga, while they face Monaco, in their next Champions League fixture. Later this month, Paris Saint-Germain will visit Bayern Munich.

News Update 2951 posts 0 comments
You might also like More from author

Comments are closed.