Bayern Punish Barca, Liverpool Bounce Back!
14 September, 2022
Group C
Bayern Munich 2-0 Barcelona
Robert Lewandowski did not enjoy a happy return to the Allianz Arena after FC Barcelona suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich on Tuesday evening.
Lewandowski was back in the starting line-up against his former side while Sadio Mane continued in the Bayern attack alongside Leroy Sane and Jamal Musiala..
Xavi's charges enjoyed most of the chances in the first half, with Lewandowski squandering a great one-on-one change while Pedri and Raphinha also went close.
The hosts were dealt a blow midway through the first stanza, as Benjamin Pavard was forced off with an injury and replaced by Morocco international Noussair Mazraoui.
While Barca failed to convert in the first half, Bayern went on to break the deadlock five minutes after the break when Lucas Hernandez nodded home a corner from Joshua Kimmich. The lead was doubled four minutes later when Sane got his third goal of the tournament following some good work by Musiala.
Group A
Liverpool 2-1 Ajax
Liverpool got their first win in the group stages after defeating Ajax Amsterdam 2-1 at Anfield. Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota were recalled to the Reds line-up after the humiliating loss at Napoli last week.
The changes brought on the desired effect as Salah opened the scoring on 17 minutes with a clinical strike after being played in by Jota. The Dutch champions got back on level terms 10 minutes later when Steven Berghuis did well to pick out Ghana international Mohammed Kudus who sent powerful effort in off the crossbar. However, the Reds left it late as defender Joel Matip nodded home Konstantinos Tsimikas' corner to seal maximum points.
Group B
FC Porto 4-0 Club Brugge
Club Brugge maintained winning start in fine style after thrashing FC Porto 4-0 at Estádio Do Dragao. The Belgian outfit got the breakthrough on 15 minutes after being awarded a penalty, which Ferran Jutgla converted for his sixth goal across all competitions.
Brugge doubled their lead shortly after the break as Jutgla turned provider to set up Kamal Sowah, before Andreas Skov Olsen added a third goal on 52 minutes. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Antonio Nusa wrapped up the scoring for Brugge on his debut for the Belgian side in the 89th minute.
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Atletico Madrid
Bayer Leverkusen bounced back from their opening loss to Club Brugge with a 2-0 triumph over Atletico Madrid on Tuesday evening. With the game seemingly headed for a draw, Robert Andrich opened the scoring for the Bundesliga outfit on 84 minutes before Moussa Diaby wrapped the points three minutes later.
Group D
Marseille 0-1 Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt got their campaign up and running with a 1-0 win over Marseille at the Stade Orange Velodrome. After starting the campaign with a defeat to Sporting Lisbon, the Europa League holders opened the scoring on 43 minutes courtesy of a strike from Jesper Lindstrom.
Source: www.snl24.com
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