Champions League roundup: Haaland shines (again) in City blowout, Benfica draw with PSG
Manchester City - Copenhagen 5-0
Pep Guardiola made five changes to the City side that dismantled rivals Manchester United 6-3 last time out, but there were no signs of rust in the opening exchanges, with the hosts finding an early breakthrough after just seven minutes. João Cancelo’s low cross was deflected into the path of Erling Haaland, and with his first touch of the contest, the Norwegian composed himself to fire a clinical strike beyond Kamil Grabara.
City continued to assert their authority on proceedings, as the visitors desperately looked to avoid further damage. Bernardo Silva saw a powerful strike cannon against the base of the post, while Haaland, İlkay Gündoğan, and Jack Grealish all had efforts superbly thwarted by Grabara. The second goal finally arrived just after the half-hour mark, as Haaland again found himself in the right place at the right time to tap home from inside the six-yard box.
The dominant hosts looked determined to extend their advantage before HT, and added a fortunate third when Sergio Gómez’s driven delivery was diverted into his own net by Davit Khocholava. With the luxury of a three-goal lead, City opted to rest Haaland for the second half, leaving Riyad Mahrez on penalty-taking duties to confidently convert his side’s fourth after Marko Stamenic hauled down Aymeric Laporte.
With time ticking into the final half-hour, the Citizens gradually took their foot off the gas, somewhat understandably, given their packed October schedule. However, they were still able to score a brilliant late fifth when Grealish charged through midfield to slide in Mahrez, who took a touch before squaring to Julian Alvarez to slot in his first UCL goal.
The result leaves City top of Group G with three wins from three, meanwhile Copehagen drop to the bottom of the standings, five points adrift of Borussia Dortmund in second.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Sergio Gómez (Manchester City)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Benfica - PSG 1-1
Both teams entered this match in remarkable form, having drawn once each this season and won the rest of their respective fixtures this season. Although Benfica were still clear underdogs, As Águias were given plenty of early encouragement as Gonçalo Ramos and David Neres were both slipped through before being denied by Gianluigi Donnarumma. However, they suffered the same fate as so many others when PSG’s front three kicked into gear in the 22nd minute. All three linked up beautifully before Lionel Messi applied an exquisite finish for the 30th goal scored between the trio this season.
Les Parisiens’ control on the game grew after the opener, but Benfica largely limited them and called Donnarumma into action again as he palmed away António Silva’s effort. The Italian was eventually beaten by his own defender shortly before HT, as Enzo Fernández’s cross was touched in by Danilo Pereira. PSG immediately came forward in the second period as Achraf Hakimi forced a good save from Odysseas Vlachodimos and Neymar’s acrobatic follow-up went behind off the crossbar.
Neymar was posing a threat from free-kicks and one of the Brazilian’s deliveries almost saw Danilo score at the correct end. Álex Grimaldo then showed his own quality by fizzing in a free-kick delivery that Nicolás Otamendi couldn't steer on target. Kylian Mbappé had been quiet by his standards but conjured a curling effort that required another Vlachodimos stop.
It seemed that PSG would finally regain their lead when Vitinha played Messi through, but he uncharacteristically messed up his touch before Rafa Silva was denied at the other end as Les Parisiens remained top on goals scored, while Christophe Galtier was unable to become the club’s third head coach to win their first three UCL matches. Meanwhile, Benfica haven’t won their opening two home games in a UCL group stage in any of their last five campaigns but can be extremely happy with the point taken.
Flashscore Man of the Match: António Silva (Benfica)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Chelsea - AC Milan 3-0
Despite nine first team players sidelined by injury, the Italian champions settled into the game nicely in possession, but were kept at bay by the returning Chelsea back three. One of those stepping in was veteran goalkeeper Ciprian Tătărușanu, and the 36-year-old was called into action early to tip Mason Mount’s effort round the post.
The Rossoneri gave up control of the game through their susceptibility from set-pieces, as Thiago Silva constantly evaded his marker. Despite two warnings, the Brazilian remained free and fired his header at goal drawing a save from Tătărușanu, but the ensuing goalmouth scramble allowed the Blues to take the lead, with Wesley Fofana sliding home his first goal for the club.
In truth, Stefano Pioli’s men didn’t threaten a goal until the very last minute of the half. The dynamic Rafael Leão dribbled past three Chelsea defenders, allowing Charles De Ketelaere to shoot, but he was denied by Kepa Arrizabalaga. The ball dropped to Rade Kruinić on the rebound, and with the goal at his mercy, the Bosnian inexplicably missed the target.
Graham Potter’s men continued to control the contest after the break and doubled their lead with relative ease. Reece James’ cross from the right found Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in space a matter of inches away from goal to tap home, scoring against his first senior club, capping it with a trademark celebration.
Milan were fading fast and Chelsea took full advantage to pull even further ahead. Winning the ball back in the final third, the Blues pounced as Raheem Sterling slotted in James to rifle home at the near post. Pioli’s men faltered under the Stamford Bridge lights and surrendered their control of the group, becoming just the third Italian side to lose to Chelsea in the last 12 meetings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Reece James (Chelsea)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Juventus - M. Haifa 3-1
The hosts were quickly into their stride, but top scorer Dušan Vlahović wasted a hat-trick of early chances, firstly heading over the bar, before forcing a fine full stretch save from Josh Cohen. The third opening was arguably the best of the lot, as a rapid counter-attack ended with Filip Kostić picking out the striker, who haplessly dragged wide of the near post from close range.
Maccabi offered little threat at the other end, other than a few half-chances that were blocked. But just as they were beginning to grow into the game and frustrate the demanding home fans, Juve took the lead as Rabiot ran onto Ángel Di María’s inch perfect through ball and lifted his shot into the roof of the net.
That lifted Juventus, who got a second straight after the break when Vlahović finally got his goal, running onto Di María’s stunning through ball before finishing when one-on-one with Cohen. The Argentine nearly grabbed a couple more assists before the night was out, with Vlahovic seeing a shot saved and then having a goal ruled out for offside after receiving passes from the Argentine.
The hosts should have been cruising from then on, but they were given a fright when substitute Dean David scored just seconds after his introduction, running onto a superb through ball and rounding Wojciech Szczęsny before scoring. Omer Atzili then rattled the woodwork with a fizzing free-kick in the final ten minutes. Not deterred Juventus put the game to bed when Rabiot netted his second of the night, flicking on Di María’s corner to make it 3-1.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Ángel Di María (Juventus)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Real Madrid - Shakhtar 2-1
Any hopes of Shakhtar replicating their stunning 3-2 win over Real from two years ago were already in major doubt when Rodrygo put Real in front with 13 minutes played. The Brazilian latched onto Aurélien Tchouaméni's pass, and after regaining control of the ball via fortunate ricochet, he was able to bury a superb long-range effort past Anatoliy Trubin. It was his 11th UCL goal for Real Madrid, equalling Raúl González's record for the most goals scored for the club in the competition while 21 or under.
Their lead was doubled when Vinícius Júnior added his name to the scoresheet in what showcased Carlo Ancelotti's side at their free-flowing best. He fired home a clinical right-footed strike following some sumptuous link-up play involving Rodrygo and Karim Benzema, with the former playing the deftest of passes into his compatriot’s path.
But just as Los Blancos looked to be cruising, the Santiago Bernabéu was stunned when Oleksandr Zubkov halved the deficit before HT. The frontman rifled in a superb acrobatic finish from Bohdan Mykhaylichenko's cross, with an exasperated Ancelotti gesticulating on the touchline.
The hosts’ dominance was not being reflected in the scoreline, as Rodrygo was denied by Trubin’s fine save at his near post, while Vinícius should have done better after blazing an effort over the bar following some intricate play between David Alaba and Benzema.
It was a victory which should have been more comprehensive, but Ancelotti’s men could still reflect on a job well done against the Miners, who were unbeaten in their previous 11 matches across all competitions. Meanwhile, it was an unhappy return to the Spanish capital for former Los Blancos reserve team player Igor Jovićević, whose side remained second in Group F.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)
See stats from the match at Flashscore
Sevilla - Dortmund 1-4
With just one win from their seven LaLiga contests so far this term, Sevilla manager Julen Lopetegui’s position is reportedly under threat. The Andalusians' lack of domestic form has seeped into their European adventures and, after failing to pick up a win from their opening two UCL fixtures, Lopetegui’s troops took to the field knowing that anything but a win would see them move closer to being dumped out of successive UEFA group stages for the first time ever.
As such, Sevilla’s start wouldn’t have pleased their Basque-born coach as a rocketed strike from Raphaël Guerreiro left goalkeeper Yassine Bounou clutching at thin air with just six minutes gone. The manager had his head in his hands after Alexander Meyer produced a fantastic double save to deny the hosts just minutes later before Youssef En Nesyri saw his red card rescinded after a VAR intervention. Sevilla looked prone to the Dortmund counterattack throughout and saw the deficit extended when Jude Bellingham, who has now scored in his last three UCL appearances, finished coolly from the left-hand side before Karim Adeyemi’s tap-in threatened a rout before HT.
Sevilla would bounce back shortly after the break, however, after En Nesyri’s towering header gave his side hope. Despite the sweltering conditions, Sevilla used their goal as a springboard for further attacks and Alex Telles ought to have done better when slipped through by Érik Lamela. Peppering the Dortmund net, Sevilla would see further chances go begging and were unable to grab a second before Dortmund recomposed themselves in the closing stages and struck a killer blow through Julian Brandt’s superb header to seal the victory.
Manager Edin Terzić will be delighted, as Dortmund triumphed over Sevilla once again after they beat the Spanish outfit in the 2020/21 edition’s Round of 16. The result keeps Dortmund in a position to apply pressure to Manchester City in top spot.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund)
