New Delhi: The rejig in the structure of this year’s Champions League was motivated by a need for more jeopardy and early clashes between the “big sides”. If the mission was also to replicate the feel of a cagey knockout affair, then UEFA can pat themselves on the back. The final set of fixtures on Matchday 1 saw Atalanta keep Mikel Arteta’s stone-cold Arsenal at bay, while Atletico Madrid blew the roof off the Wanda Metropolitano with a late winner from Jose Gimenez. Brest marked their European debut with a well-managed victory over Sturm Graz, and Barcelona were in a strange bit of deja vu, letting Monaco take advantage of an early red card for Eric Garcia and hand Hansi Flick his first defeat of his time in Catalonia.
Atalanta 0 – 0 Arsenal
David Raya’s penalty save rescued a vital point away from home (Photo by Timothy Rogers/Getty Images)
It was Declan Rice to kick off proceedings, which rather unsurprisingly were being influenced majorly by the visitors. Settling into possession within 5 minutes, they had Atalanta already penned in their box, with Bukayo Saka testing the keeper early, especially with a low free-kick in the 14th minute. Another slick move had the ball land in front of Gabriel Martinelli only for him to send it wildly off-target. Just as the commentators were praising Arsenal’s steady start, Atalanta began to grow back into the contest. Mateo Retegui wasn’t afraid of tussling it out with Arsenal’s formidable centerback duo, even creating a big chance for Charles De Ketelaere in the 34th minute. The first half ended with Atalanta closing the disparity and giving both coaches a headache as they headed down the dressing rooms.
Within 5 minutes of the next half, Atalanta were rewarded for their labour; with Ederson winning a penalty. Mateo Retegui stepped up to the spot, but it was David Raya receiving plaudits for his valiant double-save. The game’s tempo was largely disrupted by the preceding VAR check and the subsequent substitutions, with Ademola Lookman and Juan Cuadrado trying to hurt Arsenal with their pace and trickery. The next big chance would instead land at Martinelli’s feet, who would agonisingly scuff a one-on-one chance in the 77th minute. One should still note the dearth of chances created by Arsenal, with Atalanta’s dogged defence worthy of a point.
Atletico Madrid 2 – 1 RB Leipzig
Jose Gimenez’s last-minute goal could send Atleti fans dreaming. (Photo by Alberto Gardin/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
If ending Bayer Leverkusen’s almighty winning streak wasn’t shocking enough, the visitors looked to go one better by scoring within the first 5 minutes. Lois Openda led a dangerous counter-attack, his initial effort tipped away by Atletico keeper Jan Oblak, only for the ball nicely for Benjamin Sesko to convert from close-range. Atletico however, wanted to give their fans a much better showing, and climbed back into the tie and took shots at the hosts. Antoine Griezmann had a dangerous shot blocked in the 18th minute, before winning the ball near Leipzig’s box and Marcus Llorente seeing his shot blocked as well. The subsequent corner had Correa flicking his header into the post. Before frustration could set in, Griezmann converted Llorente’s low cross with a fine volley.
With a slow influx of substitutions, the second half began with a stop-start tempo interspersed by bookings for both teams. The first bit of offensive action came from Leipzig fullback Benjamin Heinrichs, his free kick effort producing a fine save from Oblak. That was the cue for both sides to shake off the cobwebs and head towards a frenetic crescendo. First it was Leipzig substitute Yussuf Poulsen coming close to heading the ball home in the 77th minute, before Leipzig keeper Peter Gulacsi got fingertips on a dangerous Griezmann header. The Frenchman did get the last laugh, assisting a last-minute headed goal for Jose Gimenez.
Monaco 2 – 1 Barcelona
Lamine Yamal was almost Barcelona’s savior again. (Photo by Chris Ricco – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Barcelona, for very obvious historic reasons, have an enmity with Madrid. Tonight, they showed some solidarity, by handicapping themselves rather quickly. While building out from the back, Barca would give the ball away, prompting Eric Garcia to recklessly hack down Monaco’s Takumi Minamino and get sent off. A few minutes later, the hosts led with Maghnes Akliouche’s wonderful footwork and finish. They would continue to knock on the visitors’ door, before Lamine Yamal continued his incredible narrative, finding the bottom corner from the edge of the Monaco box in the 28th minute. The hosts then almost let the tie slip out of their hands with Alejandro Balde failing to capitalize on a massive blunder in Monaco’s box. However as the half came to a close, Monaco resumed dominance, creating decent chances and forcing Barca to think on the backfoot.
They carried it over to the next half, with free-flowing Barca having to accept their wings being clipped and prioritize defensive solidity. The first big chance was forced by Monaco fullback Vanderson, his wonderful curling effort requiring an athletic save from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Just when the attacking well was drying up on both ends, Monaco forward George Ilenikhena timed his run perfectly in the 71st minute to catch Vanderson’s weighted pass and calmly slot the ball past Ter Stegen to claim a well-deserved lead. Substitute Folarin Balogun could’ve added to Barca’s misery, first having his near-post header saved, and then having a penalty overturned in the final minutes.
Brest 2 – 1 Sturm Graz
For a European debut, Brest had the ability and nous of a veteran side. (Photo by Franco Arland – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
A jubilant and rare appearance for the hosts and the visitors was soured somewhat when Sturm Graz centerhalf Gregory Wüthrich had to leave the pitch on a stretcher after a terrible injury. But Sturm Graz displayed great spirit, especially when a counter-attacking finish from Seedy Jatta was ruled out by VAR in the 13th minute. However it was Brest who opened the scoring, with Hugo Magnetti receiving a loose ball from the edge of the box before firing it into the bottom-right corner of the net. The visitors did their best to battle the setback, and made sure to end the first-half on level terms with Edimilson Fernandes turning a Sturm Graz cross into his own net.
Brest would’ve been frustrated with a 1-1 scoreline after a largely dominant first-half, and looked to make amends early in the next 45 minutes. Forward Abdallah Sima was poised to be a real menace, and proved the same in the 56th minute, when striker Ludovic Ajorque set him up in the box for a powerful finish in the 56th minute. The game then descended into petty fouls and flaring tempers, with both sides racking up bookings and Brest cracking their knuckles for some game-management. Sturm Graz were successfully frustrated, with Dimitri Lavalee earning a second-yellow in the 88th minute. Brest could’ve ended the night on a cleaner note, but forward Jonas Martin was denied from close-range by Sturm Graz keeper Kjell Scherpen.
Matchday 1 of this year’s Champions League comes to an end, with all sides having to scrape for vital points. Here’s a brief overview on all the fixtures. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
