OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·22 October 2019
OneFootball
Lewis Ambrose·22 October 2019
The English clubs and PSG were in fine form on Tuesday evening but some of Europeâs biggest names put in unconvincing displays in narrow wins.
Raheem Sterling was involved in all five goals as Manchester City took a big step towards the knockout rounds on Tuesday night.
The Premier League champions did, though, have to content with an early scare. Josip IliÄiÄâs smart running drew a foul from Fernandinho and Ruslan Malinovskiy converted from the spot. But the visitorsâ surprise lead didnât last long.
AgĂŒero made amends for his earlier miss, tapping in from a perfectly weighted Raheem Sterling cross before converting a penalty won by Sterling before the break.
Sterling then got in on the act himself with a superb second-half hat-trick. First he finished off a good move constructed by Kevin de Bruyne and Foden, then netted a second, cutting inside and finishing smartly into the near post.
And then the third, a poacherâs finish from a Riyad Mahrez cross, put the icing on the cake.
Foden â impressive throughout â picked up a red card for a late second yellow.
A narrow win helped Juventus avoid a night to forget against Lokomotiv Moscow in Turin.
Juventus dominated possession, with almost 80% of the ball in the first half, but still found themselves behind at the half hour mark.
Poor defending from Leonardo Bonucci let the guests through on goal and Wojciech Szczesnyâs save to deny JoĂŁo Mario wasnât enough with Aleksey Miranchuk converting the rebound.
It looked like Juventus would be on the wrong end of an embarrassing defeat but Paulo Dybala came to their rescue.
The Argentine netted twice, the first a superb curling effort from distance, in as many minutes to spare Sarriâs blushes late on.
Juve will have to improve quickly if they are to compete for the trophy this year.
Bayernâs woes looked like they could continue as they faced a second shock in just Tuesday.
Despite an assured start from the German giants, it was Youssef El-Arabi who opened the scoring, with a little help from goal-line technology. The strikerâs header low into the bottom corner was saved by Manuel Neuer but had just about snuck over the line before Bayernâs number one could parry it out.
Of course, though, Robert Lewandowski got on the scoresheet. The Pole grabbed a crucial equaliser as he netted in a twelfth consecutive match for Bayern.
It was, of course, Lewandowski who then gave Bayern the lead, tapping in from a poorly defended corner. Half-time substitute Corentin Tolisso hit a beauty 20 minutes from time to calm Bayernâs nerves.
Or at least it should have. A deflected effort from range caught Manuel Neuer out and Kovacâs men were left clinging on for the three points in the closing stages to make it three wins from three.
Paris Saint-Germain made it three wins from three in the Champions League this season, all but sealing their place in the last 16 thanks to a 38-minute Kylian Mbappé masterclass.
They could have made Champions League history by heading through but had required a draw between Galatasaray and Real Madrid to make that happen.
A brilliant counter from back to front saw Mauro Icardi open the scoring early on for Thomas Tuchelâs side. The game really came to life, though, when MbappĂ© was introduced after 52 minutes.
Within 11 minutes, he had a goal â nodding over Mignolet â and an assist for Icardiâs second of the game.
With the game already settled, MbappĂ© added another two â his 16th and 17th in the competition â by finishing off two excellent team moves.
After a few turbulent weeks, an easy win was exactly what the doctor ordered for Spurs. Mauricio Pochettinoâs side were three up by half-time and could finally relax, winning for just the second time in their last eight games.
The scoring was opened by Harry Kane just nine minutes in, as the England striker nodded in from a corner.
Son Heung-min then got in on the act, volleying home from an Erik Lamela cross and cooly converting after Tanguy Ndombélé had robbed the ball from the Red Star defence to launch an attack.
Erik Lamela added one of his own just short of the hour mark, swivelling quickly and firing from in from the penalty spot.
A comfortable win was completed by Kane, who cooly slotted in to provide Spurs with some much-needed night of enjoyment.
Real Madrid finally got their first win of the Champions League season in Turkey.
The first big chance fell Galatasarayâs way but under-fire goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois saved the gameâs first big chance, denying Florin Andone.
While the hosts defended solidly enough, there was little they could do about the opener. With space on the edge of the area, Toni Kroos was found by Eden Hazard and found the top corner, with help from a small deflection.
Hazard will have been disappointed not to get on the scoresheet himself, hitting the bar after rounding goalkeeper Fernando Muslera. The Belgian will have to wait a bit longer for his first Champions League goal for this new club.