After Monaco and AC Milan got the ball rolling at the start of the evening, the rest of the program was enticing, across the four corners of Europe, for the 3rd day of this regular phase of the new formula of
Champions League. All eyes were obviously on Madrid, where the great Real welcomed Borussia Dortmund to their Bernabeu lair for a remake of the final of the last edition.
Beaten in Lille before the break (0-1), Carlo Ancelotti’s men had an answer to give. Once again, Kylian Mbappé was the man most scrutinized. Author of a splendid goal against Celta de Vigo this weekend, the captain of the Blues forgets his worries on the green rectangle. But he didn’t do it again.
Real is crazy!
Led and mishandled by a determined and realistic Dortmund team following goals from Malen (0-1, 30th) and Bynoe-Gittens (0-2, 34th), the Merengue overturned everything under the leadership of a man, whose performances in the Champions League should take him to the top of the world: Vinicius Jr.
After Rüdiger’s score was reduced (1-2, 60th), the Brazilian took care of everything to score a fantastic hat-trick (2-2 62nd, 4-2, 86th, 5-2, 90th+3). In the meantime, Vazquez’s goal had tipped Bernabeu into the irrational, as it often does (3-2, 83rd).
Arsenal wins without shining, Juve stalls
Another heavyweight on the continent, Arsenal, who defeated Paris Saint-Germain (2-0), faced Shakhtar Donetsk at the Emirates Stadium. And the Gunners held their place by signing an important but very narrow success, with an own goal of
Riznyk
(1-0, 29th). Among the other European leaders, Thiago Motta’s Juventus was also expected to confirm its revival. Opposed to a formidable Stuttgart team, the Bianconeri were finally surprised at the gong by conceding a goal from Touré at the end of the night (0-1, 90+2).
With their 6 points on the clock, Aston Villa were favorites against Bologna in Birmingham. Unai Emery’s men continued their flawless performance to bring their total to 9 units, with a controlled success against the Italian team. McGinn (1-0, 55th) and Duran (2-0, 64th) were decisive for the Villans. Finally, in the other matches of the day, Sporting Portugal and Girona performed well, winning by the same score, respectively against Sturm Graz and Slovan Bratislava (2-0).
