Oct 222015
 

The European Champions League was back in action with a lot of expectations from fans around the world. With lots of Europe’s elite teams going head to head it was sure to be an eye catching encounter in the match day 3 of the competition.

Barcelona were away against BATE club and it required the magic of croatian midfielder Ivan Rakitic to break the deadlock for the team. He was in terrific form scoring two goals as they ran out winners in the game that ended 2-0. Bayern Leverkusen goalkeeper Bernd Leno was to blame as the team drew 4-4. Arsenal hosted Bayern Munich at the Emirates stadium and although they did go into the match as the underdogs they came on top with goals from Oliver Giroud and Mesut Ozil. Elsewhere in group F Olympiakos got a goal over Dinamo Zagreb which meant Arsene Wenger’s team remain bottom of the table.

After a 2-0 win over West Ham this weekend, Chelsea couldn’t muster much against Dynamo Kiev in Sweden and they shared the spoils in a goalless draw. Hulk continued his scintillating form for Zenit as they trashed Olympique Lyon 3-1, this means the Russian team has now won all three of their Champions League matches. PSG stars were below par against a weak Madrid team with the later having the better chances of the game though they couldn’t covert it to goals. Anthony Martial scored his first Champions League goal sparing the blushes for team captain Wayne Rooney who had missed a couple of chances to put the team ahead. The young french striker made up for his errors that gave CSKA Moscow the lead after conceding a penalty with a hand ball. Athletico Madrid were the highest winners beating Astana 4-0 while Manchester City got a 2-1 victory over Sevilla. This match day made a change to the fact that the big teams smash their way past through the group stages, now they have to work to earn it.

Sep 172015
 

It was poised to be a memorable night for Messi as he clocked 100 games in the prestigious UEFA Champions League. Everybody expected him to mark the night with a goal or at the very least an assist but none of that happened. Instead it was Alessandro Florenzi who was in the spotlight with an incredible lob to rob Barcelona of their lead as he advanced down the right flank before lifting the ball over Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s head. The ball looked like it was going out till it hit the bar and went in. This was to be a night he would never forget as not even Lionel Messi could match this feat.

Barcelona had earlier taken the lead through a wonderfully timed header from Luis Suarez as he perfected his run onto a cross from team mate Ivan Rakitic. Barca dominated for most of the game and looked to build on their advantage and add more goals but young Florenzi had other plans. He carried the ball from the right back position, crossed the half line and unleashed an unexpected shot that Ter Stegen didn’t see coming. Although many were quick to blame the keeper but it wasn’t his fault as nobody expected the Italian international to shoot from that distance. That strike turned out to be one of the greatest goals the Champions League has ever seen.

Luis Enrique came back to the ground he called home back in 2011-2012 and was even given an ovation by the home fans but a victory was not the result on his return instead he lost one of his players to a serious injury in the second half. Messi had some moments in the game too but it wasn’t enough to seal all three points for Barcelona as what was supposed to be his night ended up being Florenzi’s night.