Real Madrid were stunned, Liverpool and Barcelona got away with one, while Bayern Munich obliterated Tottenham in the second group games of the Champions League. Here are the Winners and Losers. Bet on the Champions League here.
Winners
Serge Gnabry
Serge Gnabry scored four goals for Bayern as they demolished Tottenham Hotspur 7-2 away from home. The Germans went behind through Son Heung-Min but were level through Joshua Kimmich’s superb 20-yard finish. The scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story given the game was fairly even at the end of the first half. Bayern scored five more goals in the second half to inflict a heavy defeat on the English side. Bayern now have two wins from two leaving the Englishmen chasing their first win.
Club Brugge
Belgian side Club Brugge snatched a huge result at the Santiago Bernabeu in a 2-2 draw against giants Real Madrid. Brugge were 2-0 up inside 39 minutes through two well-taken goals from Emmanuel Dennis. However, two goals from Madrid in the second half meant the points were shared and Brugge will not be walking away with a famous win. Club Brugge are now unbeaten in six Champions League matches having lost eight in a row before this run.
Luis Suarez
Barcelona picked up their first win of the group stages but had to work hard to see off a resilient Inter Milan side at the Camp Nou. The hosts struggled in the first half but the introduction of Arturo Vidal in the second half shifted the game’s momentum to Barcelona’s way. The Chilean setup Suarez for the equaliser. Lionel Messi squared the ball to him following a great run where he scored a fine goal to seal the win for the Catalans.
African footballers
African footballers thrived in the second match week of the Champions League. Club Brugge stunned Madrid through 21-year-old Nigerian Dennis who became the third Nigerian to score against the Spanish giants. Ajax and Cameroon keeper Andre Onana kept a clean sheet as his team defeated Valencia 3-0. Nigeria international Victor Osimhen scored his first Champions League goal. He found the net in Lille’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. Ghanaian striker Richmond Boakye scored for Red Star Belgrade in their 3-1 win over Olympiakos. Ghanaian Thomas Partey also scored for Atletico Madrid in their win over Lokomotiv Moscow. Cameroonian Jérôme Onguéné and Zambians Enock Mwepu, and Patson Daka played for RB Salzburg in their 4-3 loss to Liverpool.
Losers
Zinedine Zidane
Zidane’s first spell as Real Madrid boss was unforgettable. The European giants won three consecutive Champions League titles in his two and a half years in charge then he left. However, 12 months later, he is back. The 2-2 comeback against Brugge ensured they had not lost a third Champions League game in a row. Zidane’s win ratio is below 50% since returning to Madrid towards the end of last season. Since that embarrassing defeat in Paris, Real are now unbeaten in four games but Tuesday’s game was a reflection of the magnitude of the work they have to do to get back to the heights they were a few seasons ago.
Mauricio Pochettino
It is crazy to think Tottenham were in the Champions League final just a few months ago. On Tuesday, they received their heaviest defeat in Europe as Bayern demolished them 7-2 demolition in their sparkling new stadium. Pochettino is now under severe pressure to turn the tide for Spurs who’ve made a poor start in the season in all competitions. Tuesday’s humiliation was maybe a testament that the Argentine had taken the North Londoners as far as he can. Can he turn the tide?
The “Zero Point Cub”
So far four teams are yet to get their first points in this season’s tournament. Atalanta, who are making their first appearance in the competition, have lost both of their games and face a tough task of making the last 16. Bayer Leverkusen, Benfica and Lille have also lost both of their games and will need to improve on matchday three to have a chance of qualifying for the last 16.