Three goals, a red card in a Champions League hit! Trouble for the defending champions
Tuesday night's Champions League brought a wide range of emotions to fans—from thrills to one-sided spectacles. Goals were few and far between, but where they were scored, there was plenty of action. Tottenham fans enjoyed their team's performance the most.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain lost 2-1 at home to Bayern Munich, and the score could have been even worse. The visitors started brilliantly – Luis Díaz connected with Michael Olise's shot in the fourth minute to open the scoring. The Colombian later extended his lead, capitalizing on a mistake by Fabian Ruiz. PSG tried to respond, but although Ousmane Dembélé found the net, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review. Bayern led 2-0 at halftime, and despite a red card for Díaz late in the first half, they held on. The Parisians attacked chaotically, with Neuer easily fending off attempts from Barcola and Hakimi. They only reduced the deficit with a goal from João Neves in the 74th minute.
In London, Tottenham crushed FC Copenhagen 4-0. Ange Postecoglou's team dominated from the start, taking the lead in the 19th minute after a pass from Xavi Simons. After the break, the hosts not only didn't slow down, but shifted into a higher gear. Dominik Kotarski, in the Danes' goal, made two fatal mistakes – the first was capitalized on by Wilson Odobert, and the second led to the third goal when Micky van de Ven fired a long-range shot into the top corner. Despite Johnson's red card, Tottenham remained in control, with Joao Palhinha securing the lead with a header from a corner. Copenhagen failed to register a single shot on target.
Olympiakos Piraeus lost the win at the last minuteThe other matches lacked goals, but not excitement. Atlético Madrid defeated Royale Union Saint-Gilloise 3-1 after a dynamic match and disallowed goals. Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann led Diego Simeone's team to a deserved victory, although the Belgians came close to equalizing late in the game, only to concede a third goal. AS Monaco narrowly but convincingly won 1-0 at Bodø/Glimt in Norway. Folarin Balogun scored the only goal after a superb pass from Maghnes Akliouche, although the team from the Principality could have won by several goals.
Olympiakos Piraeus drew 1-1 with PSV Eindhoven. The Greek club took the lead thanks to a wonderful 19-meter shot by Gelson Martins. The Greeks defended until the final seconds, with goalkeeper Tzolakis making several excellent saves. The equalizer came late in the game when Ricardo Pepi scored. The draw is bad news for Poland, which currently sits just behind Greece in the UEFA domestic rankings.
In Turin, fans witnessed the most evenly matched match of the evening. Juventus drew 1-1 with Sporting, with both goals coming in the first half. Trincao assisted Maximiliano Araujo's goal, but Dusan Vlahovic's response was lightning-fast. Although the Old Lady had the upper hand in possession and shots, Rui Silva was unbeatable in the Sporting goal that day.
PSG has fallen from the top spot, and Bayern has moved into first place, and like Arsenal, they have a full 12 points after four games. Inter could join that tally if they win on Wednesday.
Results of the evening matches:- Atletico Madrid – Royale Union St-Gilloise 3:1 (1:0)
- Bodo/Glimt – AS Monaco 0:1 (0:1)
- Juventus FC – Sporting Lisbon 1:1 (1:1)
- Liverpool FC – Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)
- Olympiakos Piraeus – PSV Eindhoven 1-1 (1-0)
- Paris Saint-Germain – Bayern Munich 1:2 (0:2)
- Tottenham Hotspur – FC Copenhagen 4-0 (1-0)
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