Find all the results of this Wednesday evening’s matches, counting for the 2nd day of the group stage of the Champions League.
All eyes were on the north-east of England where Luis Enrique’s Paris Saint-Germain challenged Newcastle in the den of St James’ Park, other posters were worth the detour across the four corners of Europe. Several heavyweights from the continent were out, starting with Manchester City.
Manchester City imposes its law on Leipzig
The defending champion came up against the other seed in his group, in Leipzig, in a meeting that looked like a turning point for first place. Pep Guardiola expected tough adversity against a Leipzig team who had just held Thomas Tuchel’s Bayern to a draw. And in this high-level balance of power, it was the Sky Blues who had the last word with a fairly clear success (3-1).
More effective in both surfaces, the Premier League leader made the difference before the half-hour mark thanks to Foden (0-1, 25th). If the former Lensois Openda allowed Leipzig to resurface after returning from the locker room (1-1, 48th), City gave a boost to establish their success at the end of the match thanks to Julian Alvarez (1-2, 84th ) and Doku (1-3, 90th+1). At the same time, Red Star Belgrade and Young Boys Berne played back to back (2-2). Manchester City takes control of a group within their reach, as expected.
Barça avoids the trap set by Porto
For its part, Barça was also scrutinized for its trip to Porto. A life-size test for the Blaugrana determined to restore their image on the European scene, after two consecutive eliminations in the first round. Unlike the band’s first outing against Xavi, which was a formality against the Belgians from Antwerp (5-0), this match on Portuguese soil against an opponent much more experienced in continental games was more delicate to negotiate for the Catalan club.
The Spanish champion, however, was able to find the resources to avoid the trap set by the Dragons by signing a second victory in a row (1-0). Ferran Torres (0-1, 45+1) scored Barcelona’s only goal in an intense and contested meeting. Barça therefore leads the dance in this group where Antwerp lost against Shakhtar Donetsk a little earlier in the evening (2-3).
Milan slips, Atlético ensures
In the group of death – that of Paris Saint-Germain -, AC Milan, the next opponent of the French champions, was satisfied with a goalless draw on the lawn of Borussia Dortmund (0-0). A small disappointment for the Rossoneri, but also for the BvB, who remain behind the capital club despite the spanking received by the Parisians in Newcastle (1-4).
Finally, in Group E, particularly homogeneous, Antoine Griezmann’s Atlético de Madrid scored a stunning success against Feyenoord Rotterdam at the end of a match rich in goals (3-2). The French world champion found the net. The other group match ended in a victory for Lazio at Celtic (2-1). Atlético and Lazio have 4 points at the top of this group after two days. A job well done.
