Round 2 of the UEFA Champions League lived up to its billing as the league table starts to take shape. The heavyweights stamped their authority on smaller teams, while there were a few surprising results as well. Without further ado, let’s take a quick recap of how things unfolded.
Key Match Summaries
The biggest draw of this week’s action was undoubtedly the meeting between defending champions Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona. PSG registered a comeback 2-1 win over the Catalans, thanks to goals from Senny Mayulu and Goncalo Ramos. Ferran Torres gave Barca the early lead, but Ramos stole all three points with a late winner.
It was business as usual for Real Madrid as they hammered Kairat Almaty 5-0 with Kylian Mbappe bagging a hat-trick. Brahim Diaz and Eduardo Camavinga were also among the goals.
The biggest upset of this week was Galatasaray’s 1-0 win over Liverpool. The Reds were hoping to bounce back after a narrow loss to Crystal Palace, however, Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty was enough to seal all three points.
Chelsea were reduced to ten men against Benfica on Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge, but the Blues won 1-0 thanks to an own goal from Richard Rios.
Bayern Munich thumped Pafos 5-1 with a Harry Kane brace, and strikes from Michael Olise, Nicolas Jackson and Raphael Guerreiro. The victory helped the Bavarians go top of the UCL standings after two rounds.
Manchester City were surprisingly held to a 2-2 draw by AS Monaco. Erling Haaland scored a first-half brace, but the Ligue 1 side stole a point with a very late penalty from Eric Dier.
The Gunners picked up a 2-0 comfortable win as they hosted Olympiacos at the Emirates. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring in the 12th minute while Bukayo Saka scored in the injury time of the second half.
Newcastle United hammered four goals past Union Saint-Gilloise after a brace from Anthony Gordon. Nick Woltemade and Harvey Barnes also made it to the scoresheet.
Atletico Madrid continued their winning form with a thumping 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt,. Antoine Griezmann scored his 200th goal for Atleti after Giacomo Raspadori and Robin Le Normand put their team 3-0 ahead.
Guiliano Simeone and Julian Alvarez were also on the scoresheet, while Jonathan Burkadt scored a consolation strike.
Tottenham were held to a 2-2 draw by Bodo/Glimt, as Jens Petter Hauge scored a brace for the hosts. However, Micky van de Ven cut down the deficit in half before Jostein Gundersen’s own goal earned Spurs a precious point.
Elsewhere, Inter Milan defeated Slavia Praha 3-0, while Marseille hammered Ajax 4-0. Qarabag upset Kobenhavn 2-0 while Leverkusen pulled away with a 1-1 draw against PSV. Borussia Dortmund defeated Athletic Bilbao 4-1, while Napoli outmuscled Sporting 2-1. Juventus played out an entertaining 2-2 draw with Villarreal. Atalanta edged out Club Brugge 2-1.
Standout Players and Performances
Jens Petter Hauge registered a perfect 10 rating as per SofaScore’s weekly ratings. He scored a brace and had 86 touches and 90% pass accuracy. Kylian Mbappe (9.6) was also among the highest-rated players this week following his hat-trick. Harry Kane (9.3) scored twice and was the difference maker in Bayern’s statement victory.
Uğurcan Çakır (8.5) was the highest-rated goalkeeper after making four saves against Liverpool. Dean Huijsen (8.5) and Alessandro Bastoni (8.8) were the best-rated defenders, helping their respective teams keep a clean sheet.
Martin Odegaard (8.5) recorded an assist and had 88 touches on the ball against Olympiacos. Among wingers, Michael Olise (8.7), Julian Alvarez (9.5) and Igor Paixão (9.6) shone bright with multiple goal involvements.
League Table & Impact
After two weeks of UCL action, Bayern Munich occupy the top spot, followed by Real Madrid and PSG. Inter Milan and Arsenal are close behind, alongside Qarabag, as the teams that have won both their games.
Dortmund, Man City, Tottenham and Atletico round off the top ten, followed by Newcastle, Marseille and Club Brugge. Barcelona have fallen to 16th place, followed by Liverpool and Chelsea. Atalanta, Juventus and Bodo/Glimt occupy the last remaining playoff spots. Benfica, Athletic, Ajax and Kairat have yet to win a single point.
Injuries and Suspension Updates
Chelsea’s Joao Pedro was sent off against Benfica and will be suspended for their next match. Trent Alexander-Arnold and Giovanni di Lorenzo will be available for their respective teams after serving their suspensions.
Looking Ahead
The drama continues on Round 3 with two mouth-watering matches as Arsenal will host Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid will face Juventus.
Barcelona hosts Olympiacos, while PSG will travel to Leverkusen. Villarreal faces Manchester City and Chelsea prepares to welcome Ajax. AS Monaco’s next test is against Tottenham, and Liverpool will travel to Eintracht Frankfurt. Bayern will host Club Brugge, while Newcastle will face Benfica.
Pafos will make the incredibly long journey to face Kairat, while PSV will take on Napoli. Inter Milan’s next challenge is against Union Saint-Gilloise, and Dortmund will face Copenhagen.