Making up for the lack of goals the night prior, the second batch of matchweek 2 action delivered plenty for continentals to sink in, with a six-goal thriller in Scotland, scares for the French and Spanish champions and Atlético Madrid once again trumping the mighty Bayern Munich.
A grand total of 31 goals flew into the back of the nets around Europe, and below we have all the action conveniently rounded up for you.
City and Celtic share the spoils in goal fest
Celtic 3-3 Manchester City
A ferocious effort from Celtic reduced Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to a draw, in an enthralling contest which saw the Scots lead on three separate occasions.
With Celtic Park rocking to its core, the ground would come unglued when in just the space of 3 minutes, Moussa Dembélé netted with the Scots' first attack. The ball was played over the top and then zipped across the frame, where the Frenchman managed to bundle it over the line.
Fernandinho levelled up the scoreline though with the game still in the early stages, with the ball kindly falling to him after a long range attempt from Kolarov. A marginal onside call meant the Brazilian was through, and he placed it in the back of the net with ease.
As the contest went back-and-forth like a pendulum, Celtic would strike again as a deflection from Raheem Sterling made the difference. A thunderous counter eventually found the left-back, who tried to go for the cross-shot, but instead it came off the boot of the winger and beat Bravo at his near post.
Writing that wrong just before half-an-hour of play, Raheem Sterling made it 2-2. A silky pass from David Silva carved open the defence, where the 21-year-old took it on to his right boot and netted it past the keeper.
Even after a riveting first half, the entertainment was far from packed up. Moussa Dembélé once again put the Celts in front just over a minute into the half with a stunning overhead kick, after being helped controlling a cross from the left. With the fans still filing into their seats, more drama was flying on its way.
Nolito was in the right place in the right time as the visitors equalised for a jaw-dropping third occasion, after good work from Agüero created a huge chance of which was pounced upon after some blocking near the goal line.
Celtic did run low in the tank with the full-time whistle around the corner, but they would not be punished for it, as despite all of Guardiola's urgency, both sides took a point following the six-goal thriller on a magical night in Celtic Park.
Atlético defy the German giants once again
Atlético Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich
Yannick Carasco's goal proved the difference as last season's runners-up replicated their semi-final result wit a narrow victory as they shut down Bayern Munich.
As expected, Atleti surrendered a lot of early possession and game control to the Bavarians, although they were unable to do much with it considering Jan Oblak awaited in between the sticks. He fantastically denied Thomas Müller, before Atlético themselves had heads in hands after a squandered opportunity from Torres. Neuer's risky tactics almost went against him when Fernando had all the room to head it in, but instead it came crashing off the woodwork.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco would ensure that the hosts went into the half-time break in the lead, maneuvering into space as he ran in front of the defence, and pocketing a low shot into the far corner, out of reach for the German number 1.
Bayern continued to try and apply pressure with their abundance in possession, but it was the Spaniards who almost took a commanding lead from the penalty spot. Arturo Vidal was penalised for a foul on Filipe Luís, handing the opportunity to Griezmann whose attempt crashed off the bar.
Los Colchoneros would not end up ruing that chance though, with Bayern eventually being shut down as Simeone got the better of the Bundesliga kings once again.
Wonderful Walcott sinks Basel
Arsenal 2-0 Basel
WRITTEN BY WAQAR HUSSAIN
A fine vein of form continued to bear fruit for Theo Walcott, as the Englishman’s brace ensured Arsenal cruised past Basel in their Group D encounter at the Emirates to reach the summit of the group tied with PSG.
Playing in their yellow strip due to a multitude of kit clash possibilities, the Gunners dominated the early exchanges as Basel were limited to Doumbia’s pace the only attacking outlet they could look towards. After just seven minutes, Alexis Sanchez jinked his way down the left before lofting the ball in to Walcott, who nodded home for his third goal in as many games. The goal was no real surprise though, as Arsenal had begun to up the tempo leading up to the opener.
As the visitors made a more concerted effort to swarm forward, Arsene Wenger’s side looked to have the sting taken out of their tail, having to deal with some deep crosses from set pieces. It was another beautifully crafted goal to extend the lead though, as Sanchez and Walcott again combined to rip apart the right flank before Walcott slotted home with an expert finish to give the home side an insurance policy.
The mobility and pace in Arsenal’s attack was breathtaking for the remainder of the first half, though they could have been left to rue their missed opportunities to put the game out of sight. Mesut Özil sliced an effort wide of the post before Sanchez, Iwobi and Bellerin all rampaged forward to bring the best out of Basel ‘keeper Vaclik. The only negative from the opening 45 minutes was the lack of efficiency inside the box.
An array of missed chances continued to frustrate the crowd, clearly hungry for more goalmouth action as Iwobi prodded wide. A revival for Basel showed a few signs of life soon after the hour, as Bjarnason’s rasping effort had to be tipped over by Ospina. The two were in the thick of it again, as Ospina missed the ball from a corner and the Basel man horribly sliced his shot over the bar at the back post.
In the end though, Arsenal were never in any real danger of losing their heads, as they build upon the impressive weekend showing against Chelsea with an equally dominant display.
Barcelona fend off Mönchengladbach
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-0 Barcelona
WRITTEN BY WAQAR HUSSAIN
Gerard Pique’s winner ensured Barcelona didn't miss the injured Lionel Messi in a hard fought victory at Borussia Park. Thorgan Hazard had opened the scoring for the hosts before Arda Turan levelled things up shortly after the hour.
The hosts certainly looked up for the occasion, hitting the Spanish giants with a swift counter inside three minutes as Lars Stindl raced into the area before his cutback for Raffael was blocked by Pique. The visitors settled down and eventually burst into life through the genius of their attacking three players. Luis Suarez initiated the move with a raking pass to get Alba bombing forward, before Neymar collected the cross courtesy of a clever dummy by Paco Alcacer. The Brazilian skipper shot straight at Sommer though with a first time effort.
Suarez then overpowered Elvedi to steal possession, but his close range shot flew wide of the far post – a surprising miss from the prolific Uruguayan. Gladbach looked to be trying to beat Barcelona at their own game, with neat, intricate passing keeping Barca on the defensive. For all their good work though, Barcelona were the side looking to pepper shots on goal, as Alcacer and Rakitic were denied by terrific defensive play.
A clinical counter attack from the hosts then broke the deadlock, as Mahmoud Dahoud’s precise through pass found Hazard, who smashed into the back of the empty net, sparking euphoria inside the already deafening stadium with his 7th goal of the season.
A crucial save was needed from Sommer to ensure the lead was intact at the break though, as Suarez’s volley stung the Swiss shotstopper’s palms before Andreas Christensen slid in to deny the striker the rebound.
The German outfit’s resistance was broken in the 65th minute though, as Neymar dinked the ball forward exquisitely for Turan to collect, and the Turk powered past Elvedi to rocket past Sommer. Cue silence inside Borussia Park.
As the home fans roared their side on to reclaim the lead, Barcelona’s tactical nous became apparent, and Gladbach hearts were broken. Yann Sommer, who had been brilliant all game, spilt a straightforward cross at the feet of Pique, who pounced on the blunder to give Barcelona the three points and top spot on Group C.
PSG overcome scare in Razgrad
Ludogorets 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain
A brace from Edinson Cavani spared Paris' blushes as they came from a goal behind to overcome a surprisingly strong Ludogorets effort.
Razgrad stunned the aristocrats inside 16 minutes, when Natanael executed a sublime free-kick out of reach for the keeper, forcing a period of frustration for PSG who struggled to get themselves back in it no matter how many chances came their way.
That was the occurrence until Blaise Matuidi levelled things going into the interval. The Frenchman was at the spearhead of a lovely passing move, meeting Verratti's ball to tuck in.
A double from Edinson Cavani just before an hour of play had passed would cruelly snatch the game from the hands of the hosts who had been defiant up to that point. First, the Uruguayan glanced a header from Di María's ball, then completed some solid work by Lucas to guide the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Before the Ligue 1 striker did get his second though, Ludogorets missed a huge chance to tie it up. Moţi stepped up after a Motta impediment handed the minnows a spot kick, but was denied by an excellent save from Alphonse Areola. The Bulgary contingent were unable to uphold any further resistance or threat, as PSG walked to the whistle.
Rest of the action
A grand total of 31 goals flew into the back of the nets around Europe, and below we have all the action conveniently rounded up for you.
City and Celtic share the spoils in goal fest
Celtic 3-3 Manchester City
A ferocious effort from Celtic reduced Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to a draw, in an enthralling contest which saw the Scots lead on three separate occasions.
With Celtic Park rocking to its core, the ground would come unglued when in just the space of 3 minutes, Moussa Dembélé netted with the Scots' first attack. The ball was played over the top and then zipped across the frame, where the Frenchman managed to bundle it over the line.
Image: Caught Offside |
Image: Squawka |
Writing that wrong just before half-an-hour of play, Raheem Sterling made it 2-2. A silky pass from David Silva carved open the defence, where the 21-year-old took it on to his right boot and netted it past the keeper.
— TheFootballMatrix ⚽ (@TSM_Football) September 28, 2016
Even after a riveting first half, the entertainment was far from packed up. Moussa Dembélé once again put the Celts in front just over a minute into the half with a stunning overhead kick, after being helped controlling a cross from the left. With the fans still filing into their seats, more drama was flying on its way.
Nolito was in the right place in the right time as the visitors equalised for a jaw-dropping third occasion, after good work from Agüero created a huge chance of which was pounced upon after some blocking near the goal line.
Image: UEFA.com |
Atlético defy the German giants once again
Atlético Madrid 1-0 Bayern Munich
Yannick Carasco's goal proved the difference as last season's runners-up replicated their semi-final result wit a narrow victory as they shut down Bayern Munich.
As expected, Atleti surrendered a lot of early possession and game control to the Bavarians, although they were unable to do much with it considering Jan Oblak awaited in between the sticks. He fantastically denied Thomas Müller, before Atlético themselves had heads in hands after a squandered opportunity from Torres. Neuer's risky tactics almost went against him when Fernando had all the room to head it in, but instead it came crashing off the woodwork.
What a miss from Fernando Torres 🙈 pic.twitter.com/8m9mVQIinf— Weekend Football (@weekendfootball) September 28, 2016
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco would ensure that the hosts went into the half-time break in the lead, maneuvering into space as he ran in front of the defence, and pocketing a low shot into the far corner, out of reach for the German number 1.
Image: Sports Illustrated Soccer |
Los Colchoneros would not end up ruing that chance though, with Bayern eventually being shut down as Simeone got the better of the Bundesliga kings once again.
Image: Sports Tap |
Arsenal 2-0 Basel
WRITTEN BY WAQAR HUSSAIN
A fine vein of form continued to bear fruit for Theo Walcott, as the Englishman’s brace ensured Arsenal cruised past Basel in their Group D encounter at the Emirates to reach the summit of the group tied with PSG.
Playing in their yellow strip due to a multitude of kit clash possibilities, the Gunners dominated the early exchanges as Basel were limited to Doumbia’s pace the only attacking outlet they could look towards. After just seven minutes, Alexis Sanchez jinked his way down the left before lofting the ball in to Walcott, who nodded home for his third goal in as many games. The goal was no real surprise though, as Arsenal had begun to up the tempo leading up to the opener.
As the visitors made a more concerted effort to swarm forward, Arsene Wenger’s side looked to have the sting taken out of their tail, having to deal with some deep crosses from set pieces. It was another beautifully crafted goal to extend the lead though, as Sanchez and Walcott again combined to rip apart the right flank before Walcott slotted home with an expert finish to give the home side an insurance policy.
The mobility and pace in Arsenal’s attack was breathtaking for the remainder of the first half, though they could have been left to rue their missed opportunities to put the game out of sight. Mesut Özil sliced an effort wide of the post before Sanchez, Iwobi and Bellerin all rampaged forward to bring the best out of Basel ‘keeper Vaclik. The only negative from the opening 45 minutes was the lack of efficiency inside the box.
An array of missed chances continued to frustrate the crowd, clearly hungry for more goalmouth action as Iwobi prodded wide. A revival for Basel showed a few signs of life soon after the hour, as Bjarnason’s rasping effort had to be tipped over by Ospina. The two were in the thick of it again, as Ospina missed the ball from a corner and the Basel man horribly sliced his shot over the bar at the back post.
In the end though, Arsenal were never in any real danger of losing their heads, as they build upon the impressive weekend showing against Chelsea with an equally dominant display.
Image: Uber Arsenal |
Borussia Mönchengladbach 0-0 Barcelona
WRITTEN BY WAQAR HUSSAIN
Gerard Pique’s winner ensured Barcelona didn't miss the injured Lionel Messi in a hard fought victory at Borussia Park. Thorgan Hazard had opened the scoring for the hosts before Arda Turan levelled things up shortly after the hour.
The hosts certainly looked up for the occasion, hitting the Spanish giants with a swift counter inside three minutes as Lars Stindl raced into the area before his cutback for Raffael was blocked by Pique. The visitors settled down and eventually burst into life through the genius of their attacking three players. Luis Suarez initiated the move with a raking pass to get Alba bombing forward, before Neymar collected the cross courtesy of a clever dummy by Paco Alcacer. The Brazilian skipper shot straight at Sommer though with a first time effort.
Suarez then overpowered Elvedi to steal possession, but his close range shot flew wide of the far post – a surprising miss from the prolific Uruguayan. Gladbach looked to be trying to beat Barcelona at their own game, with neat, intricate passing keeping Barca on the defensive. For all their good work though, Barcelona were the side looking to pepper shots on goal, as Alcacer and Rakitic were denied by terrific defensive play.
A clinical counter attack from the hosts then broke the deadlock, as Mahmoud Dahoud’s precise through pass found Hazard, who smashed into the back of the empty net, sparking euphoria inside the already deafening stadium with his 7th goal of the season.
A crucial save was needed from Sommer to ensure the lead was intact at the break though, as Suarez’s volley stung the Swiss shotstopper’s palms before Andreas Christensen slid in to deny the striker the rebound.
The German outfit’s resistance was broken in the 65th minute though, as Neymar dinked the ball forward exquisitely for Turan to collect, and the Turk powered past Elvedi to rocket past Sommer. Cue silence inside Borussia Park.
As the home fans roared their side on to reclaim the lead, Barcelona’s tactical nous became apparent, and Gladbach hearts were broken. Yann Sommer, who had been brilliant all game, spilt a straightforward cross at the feet of Pique, who pounced on the blunder to give Barcelona the three points and top spot on Group C.
Image: FC Barcelona India |
Ludogorets 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain
A brace from Edinson Cavani spared Paris' blushes as they came from a goal behind to overcome a surprisingly strong Ludogorets effort.
Razgrad stunned the aristocrats inside 16 minutes, when Natanael executed a sublime free-kick out of reach for the keeper, forcing a period of frustration for PSG who struggled to get themselves back in it no matter how many chances came their way.
Natanael's freekick goal against PSG from the stands. pic.twitter.com/vD4g6bBoZ0— Yasen (@YasenMadridista) September 28, 2016
That was the occurrence until Blaise Matuidi levelled things going into the interval. The Frenchman was at the spearhead of a lovely passing move, meeting Verratti's ball to tuck in.
A double from Edinson Cavani just before an hour of play had passed would cruelly snatch the game from the hands of the hosts who had been defiant up to that point. First, the Uruguayan glanced a header from Di María's ball, then completed some solid work by Lucas to guide the ball into the back of the net from close range.
Image: Getty Images |
Rest of the action
- Rostov 2-2 PSV Eindhoven: Rostov secured the first Champions League point in their history after a hard-fought draw against PSV Eindhoven. More to follow.
Image: UEFA.com |
- Besiktas 1-1 Dynamo Kyiv: Beşiktaş and Dynamo Kyiv shared the points after Quaresma's free-kick was cancelled out by Tsygankov in the second half.
- Napoli 4-2 Benfica: Napoli outgunned Benfica in a thrilling contest, with the Italians firing ahead to a 4-0 lead, before their opponents threatened a fightback.
A night to remember in the Champions League, stay tuned for more upcoming analaysis and news...
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