10 things you might have missed in the Champions League tonight

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Lots of big games and two or three glamour ties took place Wednesday night in match-day three of the UEFA Champions League group stage. 

Tottenham, Liverpool, Barcelona, Atletico, Inter and Dortmund were all involved on a night that promised much and delivered.

Here’s 10 things you might have missed from the evening’s European football.

1. Kane scored again for Spurs away in Europe

Harry Kane has scored 7 goals in his first 7 away matches in the Champions League – only Seydou Doumbia and Kylian Mbappe can match that total (also 7).

The England forward headed home to put Spurs in front against PSV Eindhoven from a crafted left-footed Christian Eriksen cross.

Kane headed the ball down; the ball beating the static Zoet to get his seventh away goal in a row.

Trouble is a combination of suspect refereeing and a lack of ruthlessness, not to mention a bit of individual calamity, let PSV back in to end the game 2-2.

2. Henry makes his managerial Champions League debut

The evening’s away game against Bruges was Thierry Henry’s first in the Champions League, and it was his first point earned at the helm of the principality side.

With injuries to Diego Bengalio and Danijel Subasic, 20-year-old goalkeeper Loic Badiashile came in for Seydou Sy, who made multiple key errors in the league against Strasbourg.

The game ultimately ended 1-1, with goals from Moussa Sylla for Monaco and Wesley Moraes for the Belgians.

3. Iker Casillas saved another European penalty

Iker Casillas saved from the 18-year spot to take himself to 4 UCL penalties saved, not including penalty shootouts.

The former Spain international has saved 19 in his career: 15 with Real Madrid, 2 with Spain and 2 with Porto. The last one coming in 2007 against Lazio.

Just one ‘keeper has saved more, Hans-Jorg Butt, the former Leverkusen and Bayern man.

4. Rafinha starts (and scores), while Dembele and Malcom are benched for Barca

Barcelona took on Inter at the Bernabeu Wednesday night, and the blaugrana were without Lionel Messi who is out with a broken arm.

Valverde, rather surprisingly, opted to start midfielder Rafinha as opposed to Ousmane Dembele or Malcom, two fast wingers more clearly fitted to the forward role.

Even without Messi, Barca coped admirably enough, beating Inter 2-0.

Barcelona 2-0 Inter: the major winners and losers as King Arthur is crowned at Camp Nou

READ MORE: Barcelona 2-0 Inter: the major winners and losers as King Arthur is crowned at Camp Nou

5. Axel Witsel scored for Dortmund 

Not exactly known for his goalscoring, a strike from Belgian Axel Witsel was the difference in the first-half as Dortmund took the match against Atleti 4-0.

That was Witsel’s first Champions League goal since 2015, when he struck for Russian side Zenit against Valencia.

The result means Dortmund are top with nine points in Group A.

6. Salah scored again for Liverpool

You probably didn’t miss this, but Salah scored twice against Red Star Belgrade, meaning he’s now got 50 goals in 65 games, an immense achievement.

Talk of the Egyptian not being in the kind of form he was at the start of 2018 seems a bit unfair when you consider he’s hit six this season in all competitions.

After the weekend, where he scored a spectacular goal against Huddersfield, he hit another two in Europe to put Liverpool top of Group C.

7. Lozano impresses for PSV

The Mexican had a stellar World Cup and showed Wednesday night why he may ultimately end up at one of Europe’s biggest sides.

Involved in most of PSV’s dangerous breaks, the youngster stole the ball from a dawdling Toby Alderweireld to smuggle the ball into the back of the net for the first goal, by way of a deflection.

And the 23-year-old was taken down by a rash lunge by Hugo Lloris, who saw red, perhaps harshly.

Lozano’s now been directly involved in 15 goals in 15 games for PSV in all competitions, 11 goals and four assists.

8. Achraf Hakimi, on loan from Real Madrid, provides a hat-trick of assists for Dortmund

The Moroccan teenager, playing as a left-back in Favre’s Dortmund team, created three assists for his side as Atleti were beaten 4-0.

Diego Simeone’s men were turned over alarmingly easy in the end, conceding three goals in the second half.

The final one, assisted by Hakimi, was put in by Jadon Sancho, no less.

9. Brozovic stops a Suarez dribbler 

This is just a lovely bit of intelligent defending from Inter’s Brozovic. Knowing Luis Saurez has a penchant for the daisy cutter-style free-kick, he quickly chucked himself to the ground to fill the gap vacated by the jumping Inter players, in the process blocking the ball.

The shot might have been wrong-footing Handanovic; a nice bit of foresight from Luciano Spalletti if he had any say in it on the training field.

10. Napoli very nearly beat PSG

Napoli led the Parisiens for the vast majority of this game, two goals from Dries Mertens had the Italians headed to a famous away victory and they were 2-1 up deep into added-time when Angel Di Maria fired in a pearler of a left-footed shot past a stranded Ospina.

The point ensures PSG stay in touch with both Napoli and Liverpool, with Liverpool now top in Group C with six points, with Napoli and PSG on five and four respectively.

The post 10 things you might have missed in the Champions League tonight appeared first on Squawka News.



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