Wednesday night’s action
Crvena Zvezda earned their first points of the league phase in style, overcoming an early setback to claim a dominant victory. The match began with a blow for the hosts as Ermedin Demirović volleyed the Bundesliga side into the lead just five minutes in.
However, the Crveno-beli quickly responded through Silas, who is on loan from the visitors, calmly slotting home a side-footed finish to restore parity.
The hosts seized control in the 31st minute when Rade Krunić powered a header into the net from Youngwoo Seol’s pinpoint cross, giving them the lead. In the second half, substitutes made the difference as Mirko Ivanić delivered a cushioned header, and Nemanja Radonjić netted twice to seal an emphatic victory.
Player of the Match: Rade Krunić (Crvena Zvezda)
Sturm Graz clinched their first points of the Champions League campaign, with Mika Biereth’s debut goal in the competition sealing a vital victory in Klagenfurt.
The Austrian side showed promise early on, but it was the visitors who had the best chance of the first half when Iván Martín fired over following a sharp attacking move. Meanwhile, Sturm Graz created opportunities of their own, with Paulo Gazzaniga producing a crucial save to deny William Bøving.
The breakthrough came in the 59th minute, as Denmark Under-21 striker Biereth converted from close range to end Sturm Graz’s dismal run of 11 consecutive losses in the competition.
Player of the Match: Oriol Romeu (Girona)
Benfica snapped Monaco’s unbeaten run in a thrilling encounter at the Stade Louis II, coming from behind to claim a dramatic victory.
Monaco struck first in the 13th minute when Eliesse Ben Seghir slotted home Aleksandr Golovin’s precise low cross. Benfica leveled early in the second half, with Vangelis Pavlidis finding the net to ignite the contest.
Chaos ensued in a frantic ten-minute spell, featuring disallowed goals for both sides and Monaco’s Wilfried Singo receiving a second yellow card. Despite being down to ten men, Monaco reclaimed the lead in the 67th minute through substitute Soungoutou Magassa.
Benfica, however, staged a late comeback with two sublime headers. Ángel Di María orchestrated the turnaround, delivering pinpoint crosses for Arthur Cabral and Zeki Amdouni to seal the win and hand Monaco their first defeat of the campaign.
Player of the Match: Ángel Di María (Benfica)
Aston Villa extended their unbeaten defensive run at home with a hard-fought draw against Juventus at Villa Park.
Villa came close to an early lead when Ollie Watkins’ effort was pushed behind by Juve goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio. Just before the break, Lucas Digne nearly broke the deadlock, but his curling free-kick struck the crossbar.
Juventus almost snatched the advantage in the second half, only for Emiliano Martínez to produce a stunning save to keep out Francisco Conceição’s goal-bound header. Later, Manuel Locatelli’s brilliant block thwarted John McGinn, preserving Juventus’ unbeaten away record.
Player of the Match: Francisco Conceição (Juventus)
Ngal’ayel Mukau’s double led Lille to a hard-fought win over Bologna, with the Ligue 1 side claiming all three points in their Champions League clash.
Bologna thought they had taken an early lead, but Thijs Dallinga’s goal was disallowed for offside. Lille responded strongly, with Alexsandro striking the post before Mukau broke the deadlock just before halftime, reacting quickly after his initial shot was blocked.
The hosts made history in the second half when Jhon Lucumí scored Bologna’s first-ever Champions League goal to equalize. However, their celebrations were short-lived as Mukau struck again, converting Matias Fernandez-Pardo’s precise pass to restore Lille’s lead and secure the win.
Player of the Match: Ngal’ayel Mukau (Lille)
Celtic recovered from an early setback to earn a hard-fought draw against Club Brugge at Celtic Park.
The visitors capitalized on a defensive mix-up in the first half, with Cameron Carter-Vickers inadvertently turning the ball into his own net. Neither side created clear-cut chances before the interval, leaving the hosts with work to do in the second half.
Celtic came out strongly after the break, and their persistence paid off when Daizen Maeda unleashed a stunning strike to level the match. Both teams pushed for a winner, with Ferran Jutglà’s late goal for Brugge disallowed, ensuring the spoils were shared.
Player of the Match: Daizen Maeda (Celtic)
GNK Dinamo 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
A stunning goal from Jamie Bynoe-Gittens helped propel Borussia Dortmund to their fourth league phase victory, with a commanding performance against their opponents.
Dortmund, last season’s runners-up, dictated the tempo from the start, with Ramy Bensebaini and Donyell Malen both rattling the woodwork in the early stages. Just before halftime, Bynoe-Gittens broke the deadlock with a brilliant strike, cutting in from the left before unleashing a powerful effort into the net.
The lead was extended in the 56th minute when Algerian international Ramy Bensebaini rose to meet Pascal Gross’ corner, heading home emphatically. Substitute Serhou Guirassy sealed the win late on, calmly finishing to cap a dominant display.
Player of the Match: Ramy Bensebaini (Dortmund)
Liverpool extended their flawless league phase record and secured a place in the knockout phase play-offs with a 2-0 victory, despite both teams missing penalties.
The hosts broke the deadlock early in the second half with a well-executed team goal. Alexis Mac Allister linked up with Conor Bradley to set up the opening strike. Moments later, goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher made a crucial save, denying Kylian Mbappé from the penalty spot.
Liverpool had their own chance from the spot, but Mohamed Salah sent his penalty wide, striking the post. However, the Reds added a second through substitute Cody Gakpo, who headed in from a brilliantly taken short corner by Andy Robertson, sealing the win.
Player of the Match: Alexis Mac Allister (Liverpool)
PSV Eindhoven 3-2 Shakhtar Donetsk
PSV pulled off an incredible turnaround, scoring three goals in the final minutes to snatch victory after trailing 2-0.
Shakhtar took control in the first half with goals from Danylo Sikan and Oleksandr Zubkov, giving the hosts a comfortable lead. However, their fortunes changed in the second half when Pedro Henrique was sent off, leaving Shakhtar with ten men.
Malik Tillman began PSV’s fightback with a superb free-kick to reduce the deficit. He then delivered a brilliant solo goal to level the score, inspiring the visitors to push for more. In dramatic fashion, Ricardo Pepi struck deep into stoppage time to complete PSV’s remarkable comeback.
Player of the Match: Malik Tillman (PSV)
SOURCE: http://uefa.com
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