Get caught up on the best from the week in the UEFA Champions, Europa, and Conference Leagues with our latest installment of the European Week in Review.
Matchday six of European football came and went in a flash, and it’ll be the last round of fixtures for over a month. Some have cited that they’re already feeling burnout from the sheer length of the new format, but there was still so much to enjoy from the midweek action.
Only two group stage editions remain of the Urban Pitch European Week in Review, but the commitment remains. The best games, storylines, and moments all under one roof; here we go.
Best of Tuesday
Leverkusen 1-0 Inter: Nordi Mukiele wins it at the death as the impervious Inter finally concede.
Girona 0-1 Liverpool: It’s almost boring at this point. Liverpool remain perfect in the UCL.
Leipzig 2-3 Aston Villa: Emery’s super subs do the business again, as Leipzig become the first team eliminated.
Best of Wednesday
Dortmund 2-3 Barcelona: It could’ve easily been the game of the week. End-to-end action throughout, but Barça once again show their championship mettle.
Juventus 2-0 Manchester City: The Premier League Champions are on the verge of group phase elimination.
Milan 2-1 Crvena zvezda: Abraham’s late goal makes it four wins in a row for the Rossoneri.
Best of Thursday
Viktoria Plzeň 1-2 Manchester United: Late heroics from Rasmus Hojlund saved United and pushed the club into the automatic qualifying portion of the table — for now at least.
Malmö 2-2 Galatasaray: More late drama saw a stoppage time equalizer from Malmö in front of their home crowd. The result keeps the club alive in the competition, albeit barely.
Ajax 1-3 Lazio: A fantastic build-up led to a match-sealing screamer from Pedro in the 77th. Lazio look to be the team to beat in the Europa League thus far.
Game of the Week: Atalanta vs. Real Madrid
The current Serie A leaders played host to the defending European Champions in a highly anticipated matchup that lived up to the hype.
After three losses in their opening five games, Los Blancos absolutely needed a victory, but it was the worst possible time to play Atalanta. La Dea were unbeaten in the UCL before kickoff, and their Serie A position spoke for itself. Nine straight wins in all competitions and 14 games unbeaten coming into this game was monstrous form.
Plenty of that is down to their mastermind, Gian Piero Gasperini, one of the most underrated and under-appreciated managers in world football, and this performance from his team was another display for those who continue to sleep on him.
However, when it comes to Real Madrid, throw form out the window. The visitors started the game in the ascendency and it resulted in a moment of magic from their star man inside 10 minutes.
Kylian Mbappe’s landmark 50th UEFA Champions League goal was a thing of beauty. His first touch to evade the attention of the defender, and a ruthless, venomous strike into the bottom corner both served as a reminder to so many just how good he is and can be. Unfortunately for Mbappe and Madrid, half an hour into the fixture he went down with a thigh injury and had to be subbed out. He’ll miss at least 10 more days.
The Frenchman’s injury took the wind out of Madrid’s sails massively and the latter stages of the first half were controlled by Atalanta, culminating in a penalty given away by Aurélien Tchouaméni and speared into the top corner by Charles De Ketelaere.
Scoring on the stroke of halftime so often tilts momentum heavily, and Atalanta looked to be the more confident side in the opening phases of the second half. However, a sensational three-minute spell from the Galacticos silenced their newly-spry opponents.
Two goals from their other two superstars turned the game completely on its head. Vinicius Jr.’s fifth goal of his UCL campaign was a prime-time poacher’s finish and was quickly followed up by Jude Bellingham’s sixth club goal in his last six games.
Mbappe, Vini, and Jude all scored, a Madrid fan’s dream, and something we thought we’d be seeing much more often. Surely it was smooth sailing from here — but 10 minutes later Atalanta had a goal back. Ademola Lookman’s strike was eerily ‘Mbappe-esque’ as he cut inside and arrowed the ball into Thibaut Courtois’ near post. The goal kickstarted a sequence of Atalanta attacks that lasted to the end, and they were nearly rewarded at the death.
Thirty seconds from time, Lookman was the threat again as he fired a driven pass across the face of the goal right onto the boot of substitute Mateo Retegui, who had the goal at his mercy but just couldn’t keep his shot on the right side of the crossbar. An agonizing way to lose for Atalanta, but a much-needed win for Madrid.
Top Storyline of the Week: The Future Becomes Clearer
Confirmed in round of 16 or knockout phase play-offs: Liverpool & Barcelona ✅#UCL pic.twitter.com/Na2SzmZuwi
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 12, 2024
The first stage is rapidly coming to a close and we can begin to try and accurately predict some of the matchups we may see come both the playoffs and round of 16.
Several teams at both the top and bottom of the league have secured their fates, either qualifying for at least the playoffs or being eliminated. As the final two weeks arrive, things will only become clearer.
The most interesting thing given the new format is how teams are seeded. Theoretically, those automatically qualifying into the round of 16 will receive easier draws, but the underperformance and slow starts we’ve seen from some of the bigger teams have given the league table a very interesting look.
As things stand, giants like Bayern, Atleti, Milan, and Juve are all set to go through the grueling playoff process, with Manchester City and Real Madrid further down in the unseeded places. To simplify, Liverpool’s reward for their perfection so far in the UCL could very well be a round of 16 meeting with the current title holders.
A look further down the table reveals another intriguing subplot, as PSG grabbed a vital three points in their last-ditch attempt to claw their way into the playoffs. The Ligue 1 leaders are in 25th, just on the wrong side of the playoff cut-off spot of 24th. Their final two games are against Manchester City, who sit one point above them, and Stuttgart who are level but below on goal differential.
The fixture between PSG and City will be must-watch, and the outcome will have massive ramifications for both teams, as well as the whole league going forward.
Best Moments of the Week
Michael Olise Sparkles
We’ve seen our fair share of stunning performances across Europe this season, and this showing was right up there from Michael Olise.
His big-money move from Crystal Palace has already bore several fruits for Vincent Kompany and Bayern Munich, and this week’s 5-1 demolition of Shakhtar had the Frenchman’s fingerprints all over it.
We’ll get to his goal involvements in due course, but his overall levels through the game were superb. Winning duels, creating chances, driving his team forward time and time again; he seems to get better with each passing game and that’s a frightening prospect for every defender in world football.
Olise picked up his third and fourth goals of this UCL campaign so far in a performance that was almost tear-jerking. His penalty in the 70th minute was near-perfect, and his second goal — Bayern’s fifth — was a piece of art.
Olise picked the ball up midway into the Shakhtar half before splitting two onrushing defenders and floating past a further two bodies on his way to goal. His last touch of genius was the slightest of body feints to sit down the goalkeeper allowing him to slot it into an empty net. It’s a genuine goal of the tournament contender.
Atletico’s Dominant Frontmen Continue to Blaze Their Trail
We really couldn’t let another week go by without speaking about Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann. It was the second UCL game running that both of Diego Simeone’s strikers scored as they dispatched Slovan Bratislava 3-1 this week. Álvarez picked up his fifth goal in as many games with a truly glorious opening goal before a Griezmann brace sealed the deal.
Three UCL wins on the spin for Atleti have propelled them into 11th and ensured they are in prime position to challenge for an automatic berth into the round of 16. If that is indeed to happen, their dynamic duo up top will have to continue to lead by example.
As Things Stand, Champions League
League Leaders: Liverpool (+12 goal differential)
Top Scorer: Robert Lewandowski (7)
Assist Leader: Mohamed Salah (4)
Bottom of the Table: Young Boys
As Things Stand, Europa League
League Leaders: Lazio (+11 goal differential)
Top Scorer: Barnabás Varga (5)
Assist Leader: Dries Mertens (4)
Bottom of the Table: Dynamo Kyiv
As Things Stand, Conference League
League Leaders: Chelsea (+17 goal differential)
Top Scorer: Christopher Nkunku (5)
Assist Leader: Kevin Denkey (4)
Bottom of the Table: Larne FC
