Champions League Takeaways: Young guns shine as UCL returns from World Cup break

Football

Published 15.02.2023

Champions League Takeaways: Young guns shine as UCL returns from World Cup break

After an prolonged layoff as a result of FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the UEFA Champions League lastly resumed this week with the primary leg of 4 round-of-16 matchups throughout Europe.

Several of European soccer’s younger weapons stepped up in huge methods. Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman marked his fiftieth look within the competitors by scoring the winner towards Paris Saint-Germain.

Meanwhile, Brahim Díaz (23 years and 195 days) grew to become the youngest participant to attain for AC Milan in a Champions League knockout match since Kaká (21 years and 336 days) in March 2004.

Here’s what else stood out from this week’s video games:

Tajon Buchanan impresses, however Brugge on brink of elimination

Club Brugge was one of many surprises of the primary spherical of this season’s Champions League, rising from a gaggle that included Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the round-of-16.

But the reigning Belgian champions had been reminded simply how tough it’s to navigate the knockout phases amongst the match elite on Wednesday after struggling a disappointing 2-0 loss to Portuguese outfit Benfica. Having conceded twice at dwelling, Brugge faces what absolutely is an insurmountable activity within the return leg, needing to attain no less than thrice with out reply in Lisbon with the intention to advance to the quarter-finals.

It was a reasonably flat and uninspiring efficiency by the Belgians, excluding Canadian worldwide Tajon Buchanan. The 24-year-old winger from Brampton, Ont. was a continuing attacking risk for Brugge as he unbalanced Benfica’s defenders along with his tempo and acceleration on the ball.

Buchanan produced his greatest and most harmful moments down the left aspect. In the fourth minute, he latched onto a by way of ball and left a path of mud as Benfica defender Alexander Bah tried in useless to catch up. Eventually Buchanan burst into the penalty space the place he unleashed a shot from a good angle, solely to see goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos provide you with a giant save.

Even as the sport wore on, Buchanan didn’t decelerate and continued to run at Benfica’s defenders when the ball was performed to ft coming off the wing. But too typically his teammates weren’t on the identical wave size, and his creativity within the last third didn’t result in something substantive.

Adeyemi’s wonder-goal for Borussia Dortmund sinks Chelsea

Chelsea is down — however not precisely out — after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. An exhilarating, attacking contest reached its crescendo within the 63rd minute due to an excellent particular person effort from Karim Adeyemi.

Dortmund was defending a Chelsea nook kick when it cleared the ball out of hazard and rapidly launched a textbook counterattack. Adeyemi, 21, recovered the ball deep inside his half after which went on a implausible solo run, keeping off Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández earlier than rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and slipping the ball into the empty internet. Adeyemi celebrated his second purpose of this Champions League marketing campaign with an acrobatic backflip.

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

That was the distinction within the recreation, as there wasn’t a lot separating the 2 golf equipment in Germany. Chelsea created a hatful of probabilities and will have simply walked away with a share of the spoils. João Félix and Kalidou Koulibaly each squandered superb scoring alternatives, leaving the Blues with some work to do after they welcome the Germans to London within the second leg on March 7.

Chelsea boss Graham Potter will really feel understandably annoyed along with his aspect’s lack of ability to search out the again of the web. At the identical time his defence, anchored by the world-class Koulibaly, thwarted Dortmund for a lot of the recreation, and will supply him hope for the return match at Stamford Bridge.

Alphonso Davies makes fast influence for excellent Bayern

Make it seven wins from seven video games by Bayern Munich on this season’s Champions League. After posting a 6-0-0 document throughout the group stage, the Bavarian heavyweight saved its excellent run going with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday towards Paris Saint-Germain in France.

Bayern stormed out of the gate at Parc de Princes, utilizing an efficient press to shut down PSG and win again possession excessive up the sphere. The stress was so intense that Lionel Messi needed to drop again deep to attempt to win the ball again.

But Bayern didn’t make its possession depend for a lot and struggled to create clear minimize scoring probabilities. Looking to present his workforce a spark, supervisor Julian Nagelsmann subbed on Canadian fullback Alphonso Davies at the beginning of the second half and shifted Kingsley Coman from the left to the best wing.

That was the turning level of the sport. Bayern was capable of flip the screws on the French aspect even tighter, because it struggled to include Davies. Just eight minutes after he entered the sport, the Edmonton native delivered a chic cross deep into the field that Coman hit first time, slipping his shot beneath PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

After the ultimate whistle blew, Davies swapped shirts with Messi, three years after being rebuffed by the Argentine when he was nonetheless at FC Barcelona.

.acf-block-preview .instagram-twitter-container {
width: 340px;
margin: 0 auto;
}

Big win for AC Milan, however Tottenham not out of it

A 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Tuesday at San Siro was a second that was 10 years within the making for AC Milan.

The Rossoneri are, with out query, one of many historic giants of membership soccer having been topped champions of Europe on seven events. But the reigning Serie A title holders have been mired in a significant Champions League dry spell, with its earlier win within the knockout phases of the competitors coming a decade in the past.

Brahim Diaz’s purpose within the seventh minute settled issues on the night time for a Milan aspect that presently sits a distant fifth within the Italian league desk and solely not too long ago ended a seven-match winless skid.

Still, you may’t assist however suppose the Italians must be in a much more snug place forward of the return leg in London on March 8. Two gloriously wasted free headers by Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw simply seconds aside within the second half would’ve prolonged Milan’s benefit going into the return match. As it stands, Tottenham escaped San Siro solely a purpose down, and remained alive and kicking within the two-legged affair.

“Yes, there are two goals we could’ve scored. However, the game was hard-fought, they caused us problems too and we defended very well on set plays, so there are many positives. This is just the first step, the second will be even tougher,” Milan supervisor Stefano Pioli informed Italian news outlet Mediaset after the match.

John Molinaro is without doubt one of the main soccer journalists in Canada, having lined the sport for over 20 years for a number of media shops, together with Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is presently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, an internet site devoted to in-depth protection of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. TFC Republic might be discovered right here.