Monday 24 October 2016

Europa League Matchday Three Review

After the International break, European action resumed with the Europa League group stage reaching the halfway mark with matchday three.

A
Feyernoord sit top of the group after a narrow 1-0 win at home to Zorya Luhansk who remain without a win. The crucial strike came in the 55th minute from Jorgensen.

Manchester United are joint top after a comfortable 4-1 win at home to Fenerbache. The hosts took the lead on 31 minutes with a penalty from Paul Pogba before Anthony Martial added a second from the spot within three minutes.

Pogba struck again just before half-time with Jesse Lingard wrapping up the points just three minutes after the interval. The Turks had some consolation though as former United striker Robin van Persie netted six minutes from the end.

B
Apoel Nicosia remain atop the group despite a 3-1 defeat to Young Boys who claimed their first win. The visitors opened the scoring on 14 minutes through Efrem before Hoarau levelled four minutes later for 1-1. Hoarau put the Swiss side ahead on 52 minutes before confirming the win with a penalty on 82 minutes.

Olympiakos are level at the top after a comfortable 4-1 win over Astana who remain without a win. The hosts opened the scoring on 25 minutes through Figueiras before Elyounossi doubled the lead just nine minutes later. An instant third strike from Couto Junior put the Greek side in control but the visitors hit back with a Kabanaga strike on 54 minutes before being reduced to ten with the dismissal of Canas. The gloss on the win for the hosts came with Couto Junior scoring his second on 65 minutes.


C
FSV Mainz and RSC Anderlecht remain unbeaten after sharing the points in a 1-1 draw.

An early penalty from Malli after just ten minutes gave the Germans the lead but their hopes of a win were dented on 65 minutes as Teodorczyk salvaged the draw.

FK Qabala remain bottom of the group without a win after after a narrow 1-0 defeat to Saint Etienne.  The winning goal came on 70 minute with an unfortunate own goal for Ferreira Silva. 

D
AZ Alkmaar await their first win after a 2-1 defeat to Maccabi Tel-Aviv who claimed their first success. Scarione fired the visitors ahead on 24 minutes for a lead that lasted deep into the second half before Muhren levelled for the hosts on 72 minutes. The win was sealed with nine minutes to go as Golasa struck for 2-1.

Zenit Saint Petersburg maintained their 100% record atop the group as they came from behind to deny Dundalk who were on course for a famous win. The Irish side opened the scoring on 52 minutes through Benson before being pegged back by two goals in six minutes from the Russians as Mak levelled on 71 minutes with De Paula sealing the 2-1 win on 77 minutes.


E
AS Roma and Austria Vienna remain unbeaten after sharing the points  in a 3-3 draw. Holzhauser put the visitors ahead on 16 minutes with El Shaarawy levelling within three minutes before putting the hosts ahead on 34 minutes.

Florenzi extended the lead for the Italians on 69 minutes before a late double from Prokup and Kayode salvaged the draw.

Viktoria Plzen remain without a win after a 2-1 defeat to Astra Giurgiu. The visitors opened the scoring on 41 minutes through Alibec before benefiting from an own goal from Horava. Horava struck at the correct end on 86 minutes but it was to be just a consolation.

F -KRC Genk sit atop the group after a 2-0 win at home to Athletic Bilbao with Brabec firing them ahead on 40 minutes and Ndidi confirming the points with seven minutes to go.

Rapid Vienna and Sassuolo shared the points in a 1-1 draw which saw the hosts lead early on as Schaub struck inside seven minutes. The visitors claimed a point with a 66th minute equaliser from Schrammel. 

G
Celta Vigo and Ajax remain unbeaten after sharing the points in a 2-2 draw. The hosts led after 22 minutes via a strike from Ziyech before being pegged back by Fontas Prat's 29th minute leveller. Celta went ahead through Valenzuela on 52 minutes only to be denied the win by a 71st minute equaliser from Younes.

Standard Liege and Panathinaikos await their first wins after claiming a point each in a 2-2 draw. An early opener from Ibarbo put the Greeks ahead on 12 minutes before he doubled the lead on 36 minutes. A Paulo Da Silva penalty made it 2-1 just before half-time with Belpodil scoring on 82 minutes to salvage the draw.

H
Konyaspor and Sporting Braga await their first wins of the group after they shared the points in a 1-1 draw. An early opener from Milosevic saw the hosts lead inside nine minutes before they were pegged back by Hassan's 55th minute leveller.

Shakthar Donetsk maintained their 100% record with a 5-0 rout against KAA Gent who suffered their first loss. An opener after just 12 minutes from Kovalenko was followed by strikes from Ferreyra and Bernard for a 3-0 advantage at the interval. The gloss on a dominant performance came as Taison and Malyshev struck on 75 and 85 minutes.


I
Red Bull Salzburg remain bottom of the group without a win after a narrow 1-0 loss to OGC Nice. The winning goal came early on as Pléa struck on 13 minutes which proved to be enough to seal the points.

Schalke 04 maintained their 100% record with a narrow 1-0 win away to Krasnodar. The winning goal for the visitors came after just ten minutes as Yevhen Konoplyanka slotted in.

J
FK Qarabag claimed their first win with a 2-0 win over PAOK Salonica. Quintana Sosa put the hosts in front on 56 minutes and a late goal from Amirgulyev confirmed the win.

Slovan Liberec await their first win after a 3-1 defeat to Fiorentina who remain unbeaten atop the group. An early brace from Nikola Kalinic on eight and 23 minutes put the Firenze 2-0 up before a strike from Seycik made it 2-1. Bababcar wrapped up the win for the visitors on 70minutes with the night ending badly for the Czechs with the dismissal of Breite. 


K
Sparta Prague moved atop the group standings with a 1-0 win over previous leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva. The crucial strike came in the 71st minute from Pulkrab.

Inter Milan claimed their first win with a 1-0 victory over Southampton. The Saints were toppled by a 67th minute effort from Antonio Candreva and the hosts were even able to hold on despite the dismissal of Brozovic in the 77th minute.

L
Villarreal remain atop the group after coming from behind to draw 2-2 at Osmanlispor. Two rapid strikes in as many minutes from Rusescu put the hosts 2-0 up before they were reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Guven on 53 minutes. The visitors took advantage quickly with N'Diaye striking for 2-1 on 55 minutes before a 74th minute leveller from Pato salvaged a point.

Steaua Bucharest remain without a win after they were denied late on by FC Zurich in a 1-1 draw. The Romanians led through a 63rd minute effort from Golubovic and looked on course for their first success but were denied by an 86th minute leveller from Koné.

Saturday 22 October 2016

Champions League Matchday Three Review

After the International break, European action resumed with the Champions League reaching the midpoint of the group stage with matchday three.

E
Bayer Leverkusen hosted Tottenham with the hosts looking for their first win after two draws . However, their run of draws continued as they shared the points with Spurs in a 0-0 draw.

Monaco remain atop the group after denying CSKA late on for a 1-1 draw. The Russians opened the scoring on 34 minutes with a strike from Traore and looked be on course for their first win.

However, the French side had other ideas and salvaged a point with Bernardo Silva extending his scoring run in the 87th minute.



F
Real Madrid continued their unbeaten start with a 5-1 routing of struggling Legia Warsaw who have lost all three of their games.

Gareth Bale opened the coring for the hosts after just 16 minutes before a strange three minutes for the visitors saw them fall 2-0 behind with an own goal from Jodlowiec followed by a Radovic penalty for 2-1. Asensio regained the hosts' two goal lead before second half efforts from Vazquez and Morata completed a 5-1 triumph.

Borussia Dortmund remain top of the group after a 2-1 win away to Sporting Lisbon. The Germans started superbly with a ninth minute opener from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. A second from Weigl doubled the lead just before the interval with the hosts pulling one back on 67 minutes through Cesar but it served as consolation as the visitors claimed the win.


G
Club Brugge continue to prop up the group after suffering their third consecutive loss as FC Porto claimed a 2-1 win. Vossen put the visitors into a 1-0 lead after just 12 minutes but their were pegged back just after the hour by Layun's strike for 1-1. The win was sealed in the final minute by Silva's penalty.

Leicester City top of the group with a 100% record after a  1-0 win to end FC Copehnagen's unbeaten start. The winner came five minutes before half-time from Riyad Mahrez. 


H
Dinamo Zagreb are still without a win as they slipped to a narrow 1-0 win at home to Sevilla who extended their unbeaten start. The winning goal came on 37 minutes as Man City loanee Samir Nasri struck.

Juventus sit atop the group after a narrow 1-0 win away to Olympique Lyonnais.The Italians were reduced to ten men just before the hour mark with the dismissal of Lemina. The hosts were unable to utilise their man advantage and fell behind to Cuadrado's 76th minute winner.


A 
Arsenal top the group after 6-0 hammering of Ludogorets who remain bottom of the group. Alexis Sanchez put the hosts ahead after just 12 minutes with Theo Walcott  and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain extending the lead to 3-0 either side of the interval. The remainder of the rout came from Mesut Ozil who struck a second half hat-trick in the 56th, 83rd and 87th minutes.

Paris Saint Germain also remain unbeaten after they defeated FC Basel 3-0.  The hosts took the lead five minutes before the interval through  Angel Di Maria before Lucas Moura doubled the lead just after the hour mark. The gloss on the win came late on with Edinson Cavani slotting in a penalty.






B

Benfica claimed their first success with a 2-0 win away to Dynamo Kiev who remain without a win. An early opener for the visitors saw Salvio  slot in a ninth minute penalty before Cervi confirmed the points just before the hour mark.

Napoli remain top of the group despite slipping to their first defeat as Besiktas won 3-2. The visitors struck first with Adriano scoring inside 12 minutes, Dries Mertens levelled on the half hour mark before Aboubakar regained the lead for the visitors. The sides were level on the hour as Gabbiadini struck from the spot for 2-2. However, the Turks were not to be denied their first win as Aboubakar sealed the win four minutes from the end.


C
Barcelona moved clear at the top of the group with a comfortable 4-0 win over Manchester City.  Lionel Messi fired the Catalan side ahead on 17 minutes and City did well to keep the score narrow past half-time.

However, the dismissal of former Barca 'keeper Claudio Bravo on 53 minutes for handling outside the box saw Barca take full control. Messi completed his hat-trick with two goals in eight minutes before the sides were level man wise with the sending off of Mathieu. Neymar completed the rout in the 89th minute.

Celtic remain bottom after falling to a 2-0 defeat to Borussia Monchengladbach. Lars Stindl put the visitors ahead just before the hour mark with Hahn confirming the points on 77 minutes.


D
Bayern Munich eased to a 4-1 win at home to a PSV Eindhoven side yet to claim their first win. Thomas Muller opened the scoring inside 13 minutes with Kimmich doubling the lead just eight minutes later.

Narsingh cut the gap for the visitors just before half-time but it was in vain as second half strikes from Robert Lewandowski and Arjen Robben completed the win.

Atletico Madrid continued their 100% record atop the group with a narrow 1-0 win away to FC Rostov. The visitors claimed the points with a 62nd minute winner from Carrasco.
 

Friday 21 October 2016

Gunners Join City On Top As Reds Held By United

After the International break, Premier League action resumed with game-week eight which saw a low scoring weekend overall.

The early-kick off on Saturday saw Chelsea host Leicester City and the champions mixed start to the season continued as they fell to a 3-0 defeat at the Bridge.

Diego Costa continued his fine scoring streak with the opener inside seven minutes before Eden Hazard doubled the lead just after the half hour mark. The gloss on the hosts' win came with Victor Moses' strike on 80 minutes.

Arsenal moved towards the top with a 3-2 win at home to Swansea who remain in the bottom three. A seven minute brace from Theo Walcott put the hosts 2-0 up before Gylfi Sigurdsson cut the gap before the interval.

Mesut Ozil regained the hosts' two goal advantage just before the hour mark but the Swans hit back again with Borja Baston striking on 66 minutes for 3-2. The Gunners held on for the win with ten men after the dismissal of Granit Xhaka with 20 minutes left of the 90.


Bournemouth moved clear of the bottom three with a 6-1 hammering of Hull City at the Vitality Stadium. Charlie Daniels fired the Cherries ahead inside five minutes before Ryan Mason levelled for the visitors. Steve Cook and a penalty from Junior Stanislas saw the hosts take a 3-1 lead into the interval.

Stanislas struck his second after the hour for 4-1 before Callum Wilson and Dan Gosling completed the rout in the 83rd and 88th minutes.

Manchester City missed the chance to move clear at the top as they salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Everton. 

The hosts had a first half penalty from Kevin De Bruyne saved by Maarten Steklenburg which proved costly as Romelu Lukaku put the Toffees ahead on 64 minutes. Stekelenburg was on course to prevent City from levelling as he saved a penalty from Sergio Aguero but was unable to deny an equaliser a minute or so later from Nolito.


Stoke City remain in the bottom three despite a 2-0 win over fellow strugglers Sunderland at the Bet365 Stadium. A first half brace from Joe Allen sealed the points as he continued his scoring run in the eighth and 45th minutes.

Tottenham had the chance to close up at the top as they visited West Brom at The Hawthorns. A tight game between the two sides saw a late show to confirm the points.

Former Spurs midfielder Nacer Chadli fired the Baggies in front only for his effort to be cancelled out by an 89th minute leveller from Dele Alli.



The evening game saw a London Derby as Crystal Palace hosted West Ham United. The Hammers have had a mixed start to the season but boosted their position with a 1-0 win at Selhurst Park.

An early strike from Manuel Lanzini was enough to secure the points as the visitors held on despite the dismissal of Aaron Cresswell with 15 minutes remaining.

Sunday's early action saw Middlesbrough hosting Watford with a stunning 54th minute  from Jose Holebas sealed a 1-0 win for the visitors.



The day's other game saw Southampton hosting Burnley at St Mary's Stadium. The Saints secured a 3-1 win with Charlie Austin striking an opener in the 52nd minute before Nathan Redmond doubled the lead on the hour.

Austin stuck a third for the hosts from the spot before Sam Vokes got the Clarets off the mark on 72 minutes.

Monday night saw fierce rivals Liverpool an Manchester United face off at Anfield. A tight game saw the Reds denied the chance to move joint top as the sides shared he points in a 0-0 draw.

 

Thursday 6 October 2016

Spurs Cut City's Lead While Reds Overcome Swans

Ahead of the International break, game-week seven of the Premier League saw a close run programme with just five sides scoring twice and jut five shut-outs overall.

Friday night saw Everton host Crystal Palace with the Blues hoping to keep up their good start to the season. Their hopes were boosted with the opening goal on 36 minutes from Romelu Lukaku. However, they would share the points due to a leveller from Christian Benteke which came five minutes after half-time for 1-1.

Saturday's early kick-off saw Swansea City host Liverpool with the Reds looking to close up at the top of the league. They suffered an early blow though as Leroy Fer slotted the Swans into the lead inside nine minutes. The visitors replied through Roberto Firmino just before the hour mark before sealing the win seven minutes from the end with a penalty from James Milner. 



After a good start, Hull City have slipped away and they hosted in-form Chelsea looking to bounce-back. However, the Blues were more than a match for them as they claimed a 2-0 win with two strikes in the space of six minutes after the hour mark. Willian opened the scoring before Diego Costa confirmed the win.

Sunderland looked to move off the bottom of the league as they hosted West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies opened the scoring on 36 minutes as Nacer Chadli continued his scoring form for 1-0. The visitors were denied the win late on as Patrick Van Aanholt levelled on 83 minutes to salvage a 1-1 draw for the hosts.


Watford and Bournemouth met at Vicarage Road looking to boost mixed starts to the season and they shared the points in a 2-2 draw.

Callum Wilson gave the Cherries the lead on 31 minutes before an equaliser from Troy Deeney drew the Hornets level. Josh King regained the lead for the visitors only for the hosts to hit back within two minutes as Isaac Success Ajayi levelled with his first goal for Watford.

West Ham United haven't had the best start at their new home and they looked to boost their spirits as Middlesbrough visited London Stadium. A tight first half saw the sides remain level at 0-0 before a Cristhian Stuani opener for 'Boro came on 51 minutes. The sides would share the points though as Dmitri Payet levelled for the hosts on 58 minutes for 1-1.



Sunday's action began at Old Trafford as Manchester United hosted a Stoke City side eager to get out of the bottom three. A tight game despite their differing league positions saw the score remain 0-0 past the hour mark.

United broke the deadlock through substitute Anthony Martial only to have the potential of three points ended eight minutes from the end as Stoke salvaged a point through Joe Allen who made it 1-1.

Leicester City and Southampton have had mixed starts to the season after fine campaigns last season and they continued their mixed starts with a 0-0 draw.



A battle at the top saw Tottenham Hotspur host current leaders Manchester City with the visitors looking to extend their perfect start.

However, Spurs had other ideas and they took a fortunate lead inside nine minutes as Aleksandar Kolarov hit into his own net. The lead was doubled before half-time by Dele Alli and the hosts did well to maintain their 2-0 lead and hand City a first loss of the season.

The final game of the weekend saw Burnley hosting Arsenal with the Gunners looking to close up at the top. They did just that with a last-gasp winner from Laurent Koscielny to secure a 1-0 win.

Wednesday 5 October 2016

Europa League Matchday Two Review

Ahead of the International break, Matchday two of the Europa League group stage saw some teams looking for consecutive wins while other hoped to bounce back from opening losses.

A
After opening with a draw, Fenerbache hosted a Feyernoord side who looked for consecutive wins. The Turkish side kept up their unbeaten start with a narrow 1-0 win over the Dutch with an early strike from Emenike sealing the points.

Manchester United looked to bounce back from their opening loss by hosting Zorya Luhansk who hoped to remain unbeaten. The hosts claimed their first success of the stage with a narrow 1-0 win with the crucial strike coming from Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

B
FC Astana and BSC Young Boys faced off looking to get off the mark after both suffering opening defeats. They did just that in a tight game which saw them share the points in a 0-0 draw.

Olympiakos hosted Apoel Nicosia with both sides looking to secure back-to-back victories after opening successes. The spoils went to the Cypriots as they struck after just ten minutes through Soteriou to secure the narrow 1-0 win.


C
FK Qabala looked for their first points as they hosted FC Mainz who hoped to remain unbeaten after a draw. The visitors opened the scoring four minutes before the interval through Muto only to be pegged back by two goals in five minutes either side of the hour mark. Gurbanov levelled with a penalty before Zenjov put the hosts 2-1 up. Cordoba levelled for 2-2 before a Oztunali effort on 78 minutes sealed a 3-2 win for the Germans.

After unbeaten starts, St Etienne and Anderlecht faced off with the visitors looking for back-to-back victories. The sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw that saw the Belgians open the scoring via a Tielemans penalty just after the hour before a last gasp strike from Roux salvaged a draw.

D
Dundalk looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted Maccabi Tel-Aviv who searched for the their first points. The Irish side claimed an historic victory with the crucial strike coming on 72 minutes from Kilduff for 1-0.

Zenit St Petersburg hoped to claim consecutive wins as they welcomed fellow unbeaten side AZ Alkmaar. The Russians opened the scoring on 25 minutes through Kokorin before taking full control before the hour mark with a De Paula goal and a second from Kokorin for a 3-0 advantage. The points were wrapped up by a Criscito penalty on 66 minutes before Shatov rounded off the 5-0 rout.



E
After winning/drawing their opening games, Austria Vienna and Viktoria Plzen met in a battle to remain unbeaten. They remain unbeaten after sharing the points in a tight 0-0 stalemate.

Roma looked to continue their unbeaten start as they face Astra Giurgiu who searched for their first points. The Italians took just 15 minutes to open the scoring as Kevin Strootman made it 1-0. A rapid three goal spree for the hosts saw Fazio and Salah striker either side of an own goal from Silva Dornellas to complete a 4-0 rout.

F
Athletic Bilbao looked for their opening points as they hosted Rapid Vienna who hoped to seal consecutive wins. The hosts got off the mark in the group with a narrow 1-0 win which came from Urkiaga just before the hour mark.

Another battle between opening losers and winners saw Genk host Sassuolo and alike the other game in the group the hosts secured the win, this time with a 3-1 success. An early opener from Karelis was followed by a doubling of the lead by Bailey on 25 minutes. The points were wrapped up just after the hour mark as Buffel made it 3-0.



G
Ajax hoped to seal back-to-back victories as they hosted fellow unbeaten starters Standard Liege. The hosts made it two wins in a row with a 28th minute strike from Dolberg to seal a 1-0 success.

After an opening draw, Celta Vigo hosted a Panathinaikos side after their first points. The Greeks will have to wait to kick-start their campaign as they suffered a 2-0 defeat via a late show from the hosts. Guidetti made it 1-0 with just six minutes left before Wass confirmed the win in the 89th minute.

H
Gent hoped to extend their unbeaten start as they hosted Konyaspor who looking to bounce back from an opening loss. The hosts secured the points with a 2-0 win courtesy of two first half strikes from Saief and Neto.

Shakthar Donetsk and Standard Liege met hoping to keep up their unbeaten starts with a win and draw each in the opening week. The Ukrainians claimed the points with a 2-0 win that saw them strike inside five minutes through Stepanenko before they were reduced to ten men just after the interval by the sending off of Fred. Despite the man disadvantage, they went further ahead just nine minutes later through Kovalenko and held on for the win.




I
After an opening victory, Schalke 04 looked for a second as they hosted Red Bull Salzburgwho hoped to claim their first points. The Germans led early with a strike from Goretzka before an own goal from Caleta-Car doubled their lead. Howedes looked to have confirmed the win with a 57th minute effort for 3-0 but a 72nd minute goal from Soriano pulled it to 3-1 which was how it ended.

FC Krasnodar and OGC Nice faced off in the second group battle between opening winners and losers and alike the other game, the hosts secured consecutive wins. Smolov fired the hosts ahead with Dos Santos doubling the lad on 33 minutes with Mario Balotelli making it 2-1 just before the interval. A second from Dos Santos from the penalty spot made it 3-1 before the French side pulled it back to 3-2 on 71 minutes through Cyprien. However, the points were wrapped up late on as Silva Ferreira struck twice in the final four minutes for 5-2.

J
After opening draws, Fiorentina and FC Qarabag met looking for their first win of the stage. The visitors suffered a blow on the half hour mark with the dismissal of Yunuszada and the Italians took full advantage with three goals in six minutes before half-time. A brace from Babacar sandwiched an effort from Kalinic for 3-0 at the interval. A second half brace from Mauro Zarate saw him strike in the 63rd and 79th minutes to open up a 5-0 lead. The visitors avoided being shut-out though due to a late strike from Ndlovu. 

Also looking to build on opening draws were Slovan Liberec and PAOK Salonica and unlike the other game in the group, it was the visitors who continued their unbeaten start as they claimed a 2-1 win. The hosts started perfectly with a Komlichenko strike inside the first minute before being pegged back by a 10th minute penalty from Athanasidis who completed the turnaround with his second goal with eight minutes left of the 90.


K
After both opening with a win, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Southampton met hoping to remain unbeaten. They did just that as they shared the points in a tightly-knit 0-0 draw.

Sparta Prague and Inter Milan faced off looking to bounce back from opening defeats. The Czechs made a stunning start with a brace from Kadlec giving them a 2-0 lead after just 25 minutes. Inter hit back midway through the second half through Rodrigo Palacio only to be reduced to ten men just four minutes later with the dismissal of Ranocchia. The hosts sealed the win less than a minute later as Holek made it 3-1.

L
After an opening defeat FC Zurich hosted an Osmanlispor side in the hunt for consecutive victories. The hosts opened the scoring just before half-time through Schonbacher only to be pegged back midway through the second half by Maher for 1-1. The hosts regained their earlier lead with a strike from Causevic with 11 minutes to go and it proved to be enough to seal their first points.

Villarreal hoped to claim consecutive wins as they travelled to face Steaua Bucharest who themselves looked to get off the mark. The Romanians started the better of the two as they took the lead after just 20 minutes through Muniru before being pegged back just nine minutes later by a leveller from Santos Borré. Both sides pushed for a winner but were forced to a share of the points with the Spanish side moving atop the group table.

Monday 3 October 2016

Champions League Matchday Two Review

Ahead of the International break, Matchday two saw some sides looked to record back-to-back wins while others hoped to claim their first success of the campaign.

E
Tottenham made the long journey to CSKA Moscow looking to bounce back from an opening loss. They did just that by securing a narrow 1-0 win courtesy of a 71st minute strike from Son Heung-Min. 

Monaco looked for consecutive victories as they hosted Bayer Leverkusen who drew their opener. The sides shared the points in a 1-1 draw that saw the game remain scoreless past the hour before Javier Hernandez fired the Germans ahead. The hosts salvaged the draw with a last-gasp leveller from Glik. 


F
After an opening win, Borussia Dortmund hosted Real Madrid who also looked to add to their perfect start. An early strike from Pierre Aubameyang put the hosts ahead before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled just before the interval. Raphael Varane put the visitors ahead on 67 minutes only for them to be denied the win by a late equaliser from Andre Schurrle for 2-2.

Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw faced off with both looking to bounce back from opening losses. The hosts secured all three points with two first half strikes from Ruiz and Bas Dost for a 2-0 win.



G
After drawing their opening game, FC Copenhagen hosted Club Brugge who were looking to bounce back from an opening loss. The sides remained level into half-time before the Danes ran riot as they raced into a 3-0 lead with a Denswil own goal followed by efforts from Delaney and Santander. The rout was completed late on by Jorgensen for 4-0.

Leicester City had hopes of consecutive wins as they hosted former winners FC Porto. The Foxes did indeed secure back-to-back wins with a 25th minute strike from Islam Slimani enough to claim the three points.



H
After an opening defeat, Dinamo Zagreb looked to stage a shock as they hosted Juventus. Sadly for the Croatians, they were easily beaten with Juve going into the interval 2-0 ahead after strikes from Miralem Pjanic and Gonzalo Higuain. The Italians sealed the win before the hour mark as Dybala struck and the rout was completed five minutes from the end by Dani Alves for 4-0.

Sevilla looked to back up their opening draw with a win as they hosted Olympique Lyonnais who had claimed an opening win. This time around it was to be the hosts who took the points with a narrow 1-0 win coming courtesy of a 52nd minute strike from Ben Yedder.



A
Arsenal and FC Basel faced off at the Emirates both looking to remain unbeaten after opening draws. The Gunners struck early through Theo Walcott after just seven minutes and he doubled the lead on 25 minutes for 2-0. The lead proved to be too much for the Swiss to overcome as 'The Arsenal' moved top of the group.

After also drawing in the opening week, Ludogorets Razgrad and Paris Saint Germain went head-to-head. The hosts took an early lead through Natanael with 15 minutes played before the French champions levelled four minutes before the interval through Blaise Matuidi. The comeback was complete on the hour mark as Edinson Cavani struck a five minute brace for 3-1.


B
Besiktas looked to remain unbeaten as they hosted Dynamo Kiev who also hoped to claim their first win. The Turks opened the scoring through Ricardo Quaresma just before the half hour but the Ukrainians drew level just after the hour mark through Tsyganov to ensure a share of the points.

Napoli were in the hunt for consecutive victories as they hosted Benfica who looked to build on their opening draw. The Italians struck first as Marek Hamsik opened the scoring on 20 minutes before a rapid treble just before the hour saw Dries Mertens score a brace either side of a penalty from Milik for a 4-0 lead. The visitors staged a comeback with strikes from Guedes and Salvio but to no avail in the 4-2 loss.



C
Barcelona looked to build on a huge opening win as they travelled to face Borussia Monchengladbach who looked for their first win. The hosts struck first as Thorgan Hazard fired in on 34 minutes before Arda Turan levelled for the Catalans just after the hour mark. The turnaround was complete on 73 minutes as Gerard Pique sealed the points for the visitors.

After an opening humiliating loss, Celtic hosted a Manchester City side looking for consecutive wins. The Scots made a superb start as Moussa Dembele struck inside three minutes before Fenandinho drew City level on 11 minutes. Raheem Sterling scored for both sides in the space of eight minutes with an own goal on 20 minutes gifting the hosts the lead before he levelled for City for 2-2. Celtic went ahead for a third time as Dembele scored his second just two minutes after half-time but City hit back again through Nolito on 55 minutes and a six-goal thriller was how it ended as the sides shared the points.



D
After both securing opening wins, Atletico Madrid and Bayern Munich faced off hoping to remain unbeaten. The hosts opened the scoring in the 35th minute with a strike from Carrasco and they held on to the narrow lead to claim the narrow 1-0 win.

FC Rostov and PSV Eindhoven both hoped to get off the mark in the group and they did just that as they shared the points in a 2-2 draw. Propper fired the Dutch into the lead after just 14 minutes only for the hosts to level in the 28th minute through Poloz. The hosts completed the comeback with Poloz's second just nine minutes later but a Luuk De Jong effort just before the interval salvaged a draw.

Sunday 2 October 2016

City Stay Top While Reds Demolish Hull

After a busy week, the review has to be missed out and just the results posted but it will resume with game-week seven ahead of the International break.