On an electrifying Champions League night, Barcelona unleashed their offensive power with an impressive five-goal win, Arsenal’s difficulties continued as they were defeated in Milan, and Bayern Munich eked out a tough victory over a determined Benfica side.
Let us take a look at Wednesday’s results in detail.
Crvena Zvezda 2-5 Barcelona
Barcelona claimed their third consecutive victory in the Champions League League Phase, moving into the top eight for the first time this season after a decisive 5-2 triumph over Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade on Wednesday night. Displaying poise in one of football’s most intense atmospheres, Barça added another three points in Europe, extending Hansi Flick’s winning streak across all competitions to seven matches.
Robert Lewandowski scored a brace with a goal each from Fermin Lopez, Raphinha, and Inigo Martinez to secure a comfortable win for the visitors.
Inter Milan 1-0 Arsenal
Arsenal’s struggles persisted with a narrow 1-0 loss to Inter Milan, despite a determined display at the San Siro. The Gunners faced early pressure and nearly conceded in the opening moments, as Denzel Dumfries rattled the crossbar with a brilliant outside-of-the-foot strike.
Just before halftime, Merino’s night worsened as he conceded a controversial penalty when Mehdi Taremi’s close-range flick struck his arm. After an extended VAR review, Hakan Calhanoglu calmly converted from the spot to give Inter the lead. The Gunners pushed hard for an equalizer in the second half, with Gabriel and Kai Havertz coming close to scoring. However, their efforts fell short, leaving them to suffer a third defeat in their last five outings in all competitions.
Club Brugge 1-0 Aston Villa
Aston Villa’s flawless Champions League run was halted in a surprising fashion, as a contentious penalty decision led to a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge. Referee Tobias Stieler awarded the spot-kick after Tyrone Mings, on his Champions League debut, unexpectedly handled an Emi Martinez pass in his own box.
Hans Vanaken calmly slotted the penalty, breaking Club Brugge’s 14-match winless streak against English teams. Villa’s loss leaves Liverpool as the sole team with an unbeaten record in the competition. Emery’s squad now faces a challenging stretch, having gone winless in four straight matches across all competitions, including three successive defeats.
Bayern 1-0 Benfica
Jamal Musiala’s second-half header secured Bayern Munich a 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday, helping the team recover after two back-to-back losses in the tournament.
Musiala’s powerful header in the 67th minute gave Bayern Munich a 1-0 lead after a dominant performance, though they squandered several earlier opportunities. The win moved Bayern to six points from four games, putting them in 17th place, while Benfica, struggling offensively, also remained on six points, sitting in 19th.
PSG 1-2 Atletico Madrid
Paris Saint-Germain’s woes in the Champions League deepened on Wednesday with a dramatic 2-1 loss to Atlético Madrid at home, leaving the Ligue 1 leaders lingering at the bottom places.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73705281/2182610978.0.jpg "Barca Hit 5, Arsenal's Misery Continues and Bayern Scrap Past Benfica: Champions League Recap 5")
Warren Zaïre-Emery put PSG ahead, but Nahuel Molina quickly equalized in the first half of a lackluster encounter. The match was decided in added time when Ángel Correa netted the winner for Atlético Madrid. With just four points from four matches, PSG sit 25th in the 36-team league, trailing Ligue 1 rivals Monaco and Brest by six points, while Atlético climbed out of the danger zone with six points.
Feyenoord 1-3 FC Red Bull Salzburg
VfB Stuttgart 0-2 Atalanta
Ademola Lookman and Nicolò Zaniolo secured a well-earned and notable Champions League win for Atalanta with a victory over VfB Stuttgart on their own turf. Charles De Ketelaere made an instant impact after the break, as Lookman capitalized on a loose ball in midfield, sending the Belgian on a run past two defenders before delivering a pull-back that De Ketelaere finished with a simple tap-in from close range.
Shortly after, VfB handed Atalanta their second goal when Rouault mishit an attempted clearance, gifting Zaniolo the chance to race through and score his first goal for the club.
Sparta Praha 1-2 Brest
Brest maintained their impressive start to the Champions League with a 2-1 win over Sparta Prague on Wednesday. Edimilson Fernandes put Brest in front in the 37th minute, firing home from a partially cleared corner that skidded across the rain-soaked pitch and into the net.
With ten minutes remaining, Brest doubled their lead when Sparta’s Kaan Kairinen inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net following a goalmouth scramble. Victor Olatunji pulled one back for Sparta in injury time, but they couldn’t find an equalizer and remain just outside the playoff positions with four points from four games.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 Young Boys
Shakhtar Donetsk mounted a quick first-half rally to secure a 2-1 home win over Young Boys in their Champions League match on Wednesday. The match saw both teams looking for their first victory of the campaign, with Young Boys taking the lead in the 27th minute through Kastriot Imeri’s close-range strike.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/11/06/image-e5f1627d-2179-4e52-bedd-46f1eebb1363-85-2560-1440.jpeg "Barca Hit 5, Arsenal's Misery Continues and Bayern Scrap Past Benfica: Champions League Recap 9")
However, Shakhtar hit back just four minutes later when Oleksandr Zubkov tapped in to level the score. Heorhii Sudakov, who had assisted the equalizer, then scored four minutes before the break to give Shakhtar the lead, a lead they held onto for the rest of the match. Shakhtar now sits on four points, while Young Boys remain without a point after four defeats.
Read Mor: Carlo Ancelotti Reveals If Kylian Mbappe’s Inclusion Has Hurt Real Madrid
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
