More Champions League action returned on Wednesday with nine games on the schedule.
Following yesterday’s drama, we’re expecting plenty more excitement. Follow it all here.
The blockbuster clash sees familiar foes Liverpool and Real Madrid go head-to-head. Buckle up!
The Reds almost scored with their first shot of the game, but Raúl Asencio cleared Darwin Nunez’s effort off the line.
Plenty of yellows were awarded in the first half, too. This could be a game of fine margins.
Thibaut Courtois was required to make a handful of saves and put his body on the line. Liverpool were completely on top of Madrid’s attack, who were very quiet.
Another big clash in England sees an impressive Aston Villa side welcome depleted Juventus to town.
The visitors controlled possession of the ball but poor finishing from both sides kept things deadlocked after 30 minutes.
Scorer: Seghir 13′
An undefeated Monaco side welcome mid-table Benfica to town.
The hosts got off to the best start possible as Eliesse Ben Seghir received a cutback from near the penalty spot and buried it.
Scorer: Carter-Vickers (OG)
Brendan Rodgers will hope Celtic step closer to a top-eight spot as they host Club Brugge.
However, the hosts grabbed the lead thanks to a mistake made by Cameron Carter-Vickers. The centreback miskicked the ball completely, and it went into his own net.
Hot commodity Jonathan David and Lille are also in action as they make the trip to face winless Bologna.
Thijs Dallinga thought he had put the hosts ahead within five minutes but his solo run was ruled out for offside.
Dortmund sit on the brink of a top-eight spot and will hope a result against Dinamo Zagreb goes their way.
Ramy Bensebaini came closest to opening the scoring but saw his header hit off the woodwork.
Scorer: Sikan 8′
PSV Eindhoven occupied the final playoff before kick-off and will look to stay in that side of the table as they host Shakhtar Donetsk.
But the visitors opened the scoring when Danylo Sikan rushed into the box and made enough of a connection with the ball.
Scorers: Silas 12′, Krunic 31′, Ivanic 65′, Radonjic 69′, 88′; Demirovic 5′
German club Stuttgart were looking to sneak into the top 24 of the table, but a 5-1 comeback from previously winless Red Star Belgrade crushed those dreams.
The trip got off to a flying start for the visitors when Ermedin Demirovic volleyed home within the opening minutes.
But the hosts hit back quickly – and never slowed down.
Former Stuttgart man Silas’s solo run and tidy finish levelled the game before Rade Krunic completed the comeback with an expert finish near the penalty spot.
Stuttgart maintained a stunning 72% possession of the ball but Red Star’s precision was the difference on the night and they secured their first UCL win of the season.
Mirko Ivanic turned things 3-1 following a corner before Nemanja Radonjic later curled home a fourth on a slick counterattack and added a late fifth to pile on the misery.
Scorer: Biereth 58′
Another basement battle saw winless Sturm Graz stun Girona 1-0 as the LaLiga side hoped to move closer to playoff contention.
And the visitors had a glorious chance to open the scoring only for a wide-open Iván MartÃn to sky his effort over the bar from point-blank range at the back post.
The hosts, meanwhile, would initially feel hard done by after not converting three of their five efforts on target in the first half against the run of play.
But then they found their luck and took their biggest chance when it arrived in the second half.
Pinball in the box led to Mika Biereth blasting home Sturm Graz’s first Champions League goal of the season, and they also earned their first win of the campaign.
Before the result, the hosts had lost all four of their games. It was also goalkeeper Daniil Khudyakov’s official debut, yet Girona couldn’t make it a night for him to forget.
What did you think of the results? Let us know in the comments.
📸 Shaun Botterill – 2024 Getty Images
