We’re halfway through the group stages of the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. Get caught up with the biggest moments and storylines in our newest edition of the European Week in Review.
After a week of domestic cup competitions, the UEFA circuit ran hot once more with all three of Europe’s men’s competitions back in action. With half of the group stage games for the Champions League and Europa League now in the books, things are interestingly taking shape.
We’re back again with the Urban Pitch European Week in Review, your one-stop shop for recapping the best fixtures, hearing about the best game this week, and getting everything in between.
Best of Tuesday
Celtic 3-1 Leipzig: Leipzig are the biggest disappointment thus far, yet to register a single point.
Liverpool 4-0 Leverkusen: Luiz Díaz’s hat trick takes Liverpool to the top.
Real Madrid 1-3 AC Milan: A Kylian Mbappe-sized problem needs solving in the Spanish capital.
Best of Wednesday
Barcelona 5-2 Red Star: Barça are box office, the UCL’s most lethal attack.
PSG 1-2 Atletico Madrid: The most Diego Simeone win you’ll ever see.
Inter 1-0 Arsenal: Some serious pressure beginning to mount upon Arsenal and Mikel Arteta.
Best of Thursday
Nice 2-2 Twente: Four goals, red cards for each team. Cinema.
Galatasaray 3-2 Tottenham: Even with 10 men, Spurs nearly did it.
Lazio 2-1 Porto: Pedro rolls back the years in stoppage time to keep Lazio perfect.
Game of the Week: Sporting vs. Manchester City
You really couldn’t ask for a better storyline this week.
With Ruben Amorim taking charge of his final home game for Sporting before his move to Manchester United, of course, his opponent was his soon-to-be biggest rival when he gets to the Old Trafford dugout. Manchester United fans, Sporting fans, Premier League fans; the eyes were all on this game with everyone looking to get a sneak peek at what they could possibly see in England soon. Amorim’s side didn’t disappoint.
Things certainly did not begin smoothly though, as a Hidemasa Morita mistake allowed Phil Foden to smash home the opening goal for City within five minutes. Viktor Gyökeres equalized things in the 38th minute, making amends for a botched 1v1 opportunity shortly after the opening goal.
A late first-half equalizer shouldn’t be a big deal for a club like City, who have been riding a record 26-match unbeaten streak in the UCL, right? Wrong. The second half was a completely different world.
Twenty seconds after the restart, Sporting had their first lead of the game. Three minutes later, Sporting won a penalty. Before some fans came back from the restroom, the hosts were 3-1 up. At points, it felt eerily similar to some of Pep Guardiola’s matchups with former Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær — City’s opponents content to live without the ball for large portions of the game and choose to strike on the counterattack with veracity and deadly precision.
Penalties were a massive story of this game though, and City had a chance to pull a goal back midway into the second half from the spot, but Erling Haaland inexplicably slammed his penalty into the bar. Ten minutes later they were truly made to pay as Sporting had their second penalty of the night, and Gyökeres flushed his attempt to secure an emphatic UEFA Champions League hat trick.
For Amorim, it was the best sign-off possible, and for Guardiola, his first taste of battle with his new foe and perhaps a learning opportunity.
Top Storyline, Champions League: The Top Four Tells the Story
If you were to ask a set of UCL fans to predict what the top four would look like midway into the group stages, it would be farfetched to say any would have gotten more than one team correct. Liverpool sit top of the league with no blemishes on their record thus far, but second to fourth is where things become so intriguing. The rest of the usual suspects are absent. No Bayern Munich, no Manchester City, no Leverkusen, and perhaps most surprisingly, no Real Madrid.
As it stands, Sporting CP, AS Monaco, and Brest make up the remainder of the top four teams, all of which have massively exceeded expectations. This is a microcosm of the much larger picture. A further look shows that the gap between second and 16th place is just three points, with the gap to the final playoff spot in 24th being five points. The results have been truly chaotic, and the consistency with which we see juggernauts matched up against one another means it’s increasingly difficult for teams to string together a consistent run of form or results.
I would be willing to put my house on the current top eight not being where they are come the final match week, but trying to bet on which teams will secure the automatic knockout spots and which teams miss out is an entire story on its own.
Top Storyline, UEFA Europa League: Lazio are For Real
The Italian outfit made it four wins from four in a 2-1 victory over FC Porto on Thursday night. It was a real slugfest, and it was not until second-half stoppage time that Lazio had their winner. Pedro made it three goals in as many Europa League games, and ensured that Lazio would end the night as the only team in this competition yet to drop a single point.
There are currently eight teams still unbeaten in the Europa League, the most of the three tournaments, and it shows just how tough it will be to win this competition this year. Lyon, Roma, Porto, Rangers, Real Sociedad, and Manchester United all sit outside the top eight currently, and they would all no doubt back themselves to be in and amongst it by the time playoffs come around. Keep your eyes on this league.
Top Storyline, UEFA Conference League: Chelsea Are in a League Above
It’s becoming difficult to talk about anyone but Chelsea in the Conference League. Another week, another absolute drubbing of their opponents in Europe’s third-tier competition. It was FC Noah’s turn this week, and unfortunately for the traveling fans from Armenia, this game was well and truly over by the 20-minute mark.
It was 6-0 in favor of the Blues by halftime, and a Christopher Nkunku second-half brace pushed the final score to 8-0, moving Chelsea’s goal tally to an astonishing 16 in three matches.
Despite clearly looking a level above the other teams in this competition, Chelsea are level on points with five other teams as things stand. The most impressive of these is Legia Warsaw, who are the only team yet to concede in the competition, despite playing a formidable Real Betis in match week 1. If you had to pick a “best of the rest” it would undoubtedly be the former Polish champions.
Moment of the Week: Arne Slot’s Reds Spoil Xabi Alonso’s Return to Anfield
Before Liverpool announced that Arne Slot would fill the huge vacancy left by Jurgen Klopp, many Reds fans were clamoring for former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso to take over at Anfield. To be fair, it made all the sense in the world: A former player who knew everything the club was about, right at the top of the managerial wishlist after his historic season with Bayer Leverkusen. In the end, Alonso decided to stay, much to the chagrin of Scouse fans at the time.
Fast forward a few months and their new manager who has rapidly won their love came face to face with the one that got away. The first half played out fairly evenly before the hosts turned it up in the second half behind a Luiz Díaz hat trick and a Cody Gakpo goal.
The performance pushed Liverpool to the top of the table, while Alonso’s side now sit in 13th place. At first place in both the Premier League and UCL, life is good for the Reds.
As Things Stand, Champions League
League Leaders: Liverpool (+9 goal differential)
Top Scorer: Viktor Gyökeres (5)
Assist Leader: Mohamed Salah (4)
Bottom of the Table: Slovan Bratislava
As Things Stand, Europa League
League Leaders: Lazio (+9 goal differential)
Top Scorer: Samu (4)
Assist Leader: Brian Brobbey (3)
Bottom of the Table: Dynamo Kyiv
As Things Stand, UEFA Conference League
League Leaders: Chelsea (+13 goal differential)
Top Scorer: João Félix (4)
Assist Leader: Kevin Denkey (3)
Bottom of the Table: FC Petrocub
