THE MARINERS REEL IN THE PROMOTION PLACES

Victory over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup and now a win away at Salford to leapfrog them in the League Two automatic promotion race. If there’s one thing that’s certain, Gary Neville hates fish.

There were ominous signs for Salford fans last week as they dominated the game away at Bristol Rovers but failed to come away with anything to show for it, meanwhile Grimsby stuck seven goals past strugglers Cheltenham to take themselves within a point of Salford and level as the league’s top scorers with Swindon.

The away side would go on to cement their places as the fourth tier’s premier goalscoring outfit by the end of the day, starting with the opener within the first minute of the game. Salford struggled to deal with a long throw from deep, the attempted clearance going only as far as Grimsby winger Charles Vernam on the edge of the Salford area. Some neat one-touch passing from the visitors culminated in midfielder Evan Khouri sliding home his fourth of the campaign and send the travelling fans wild behind the goal before their pies had even had chance to cool down.

The home side retaliated, some good build-up play from the right ended up with them working a decent goalscoring opportunity for Kallum Cesay. He managed to get a shot away but couldn’t direct the ball either side of Grimsby ‘keeper Christy Pym, who was equal to the effort and maintained his team’s early advantage.

Things went from bad to worse for Salford on the half-hour mark. Grimsby switched the play from right to left, dragging the Salford defence out of shape as they backpedaled from a counter-attack. Vernam was again found on the edge of the box, wiggling his way into some space just inside the area and firing a low shot beyond the keeper at the near post. Initially it looks like the goalie should do better, but the finish was really clever. Vernam let his shot off early and through a crowd of Salford bodies, wrong-footing the ‘keeper and leaving him rooted to the spot and unable to react in time to prevent the forward scoring his fourth of the season to add to his four assists. Lead doubled and the travelling faithful were ecstatic.

Just before the break, Salford forward Daniel Udoh profited from pressuring his centre-half into making an error and found himself one-on-one with just the ‘keeper to beat. His touch took him too wide, however, and Pym closed the gap well to make the save and keep the deficit at two goals as the half-time whistle blew.

The second half went exactly as Mariners gaffer David Artell would have wanted. His side sat in and coped excellently with the continued Salford pressure while still threatening with breakaways on the counter. Each side managed just one shot on target in the second period, neither effort testing the opposition goalkeeper particularly extensively. Karl Robinson rung the changes in his front-line to try and find a way through the steadfast Grimsby backline, but the visitors held strong and repelled any semblance of a Salford attack for the full forty-five. The final whistle rang out amidst the Greater Manchester grey and the away side travelled back to the blustering east coast with the spoils.

Grimsby ended the day inside the automatic promotion spaces and as the league’s leading goal-scorers, boasting the best goal difference to boot, an excellent end to the weekend for the Mariners. Their next big test is against fellow promotion-chasers Gillingham in two weeks time, a result in that game would bolster their credentials as a serious challenger for a space in League One next season. The result knocked Salford back a little, but they’re only two points behind their opponents and there’s plenty of football to be played. Robinson will no doubt be concerned that his side failed to break down the Grimsby defence in any meaningful way, if you’re going to get out of this league you need to show more than that in your home fixtures.

Neither side can afford to rest on their laurels. League Two offers a generous three automatic promotion spots alongside the play-offs, but that just means more teams are making a push for the top end of the table. The chasing pack are always circling like sharks waiting for you to make a mistake, and they tend to pounce as soon as they smell blood. Last time out, both Grimsby and Salford missed out due to dropping points on the final day, so nobody knows better than these two that every result matters.

It’s getting towards the busy winter period. Deep cup-runs and adverse weather will cause games to be postponed and makes the fixtures stack up – and the football comes thick and fast for everyone. There are at least sixteen teams in the division that will reasonably have their eyes on the promotion spots, a good run of results during this tricky period and a couple of shrewd January moves could catapult a team from the lower reaches of the table right into play-off contention. Salford and Grimsby will want to make sure they’re well clear of danger before the final day to avoid anymore heartbreak.

It’s horrible for the clubs that miss out, but it’s what makes the EFL as captivating as it is. Every game matters, no kick is wasted.

35 to go, will both these teams be celebrating come May?

We’re back for the second round of fixtures in this year’s Champions League as domestic leagues start to take shape across the continent.

For some teams this competition is a chance to build on fantastic league form and carry their momentum forwards, for others it’s an opportunity to arrest a slide and take a step back from their league duties and reset. Everyone’s had a bit of time to bed in new signings and new ideas, so we should start to be able to work out who really has the chops to go far in the tournament.

Plenty of huge clashes this week as rivalries are renewed, familiar faces return to their old stomping grounds and some Champions League new blood face tough tests against seasoned veterans. And there were loads of goals. Here’s how the games panned out.

The Results:

Tuesday 30th September

Atalanta 2-1 Club Brugge

In-form Greek winger Christos Tzolis has put his disappointing spell at Norwich firmly behind him as he scored a wonderful opener for the travelling Belgian side, another Champions League goal on top of his demolition of Rangers in the qualifiers. The hosts pulled through with two goals fairly late on to seal a crucial three points after they were turned over by holders PSG last time out. Mario Pasalic’s header was the difference between the two sides on a night where Atalanta dominated the chances but lacked the ruthless finishing touch they’ll need to go deep in the competition.

Kairat Almaty 0-5 Real Madrid

Kairat Almaty didn’t win the away leg in any of their three qualifying rounds for this tournament, they also never lost a home leg. After a tough run out in Lisbon they were looking forward to welcoming some sides making the long trip to Kazakhstan with the dream of picking up a few points, unfortunately the first team to turn up were Real Madrid. Kylian Mbappe is up to five goals in the competition, and thirteen this season, already after an impressive hat-trick today. The away side were expected to win, but to make the tricky away trip look so trivial was very impressive. That Mbappe up front looks like one for the future.

Atletico Madrid 5-1 Frankfurt

If you find yourself at a loose end and there’s a Frankfurt game on, I’d watch it. 47 goals for either side in their 8 games so far this season, the Frankfurt TV subscribers won’t be complaining about value for money at least. Conceding 13 in their last 3 will be of serious concern though, and the good goal difference built up in their big win over Galatasaray last time out is now null and void. Julian Alvarez continued his imperious form with another goal and two assists as Atleti put on the perfect after-show to their 5-2 victory over Real at the weekend.

Bodø/Glimt 2-2 Tottenham

The Norwegians will be absolutely kicking themselves here. After a hard-fought point against Slavia Prague, they came into this re-run of last year’s Europa League semi full of confidence. 2-0 up and cruising, and having missed a penalty, Bodø succumbed to the Spurs late pressure and had to settle for a point. An inspiring performance by the home side that will buoy them for their upcoming ties and reassure them that they do belong at Europe’s top table. Spurs have cause for concern, however, as their league form also begins to falter, they’ll have to snap out of this slump quickly to ensure they qualify strong out of the league phase.

Chelsea 1-0 Benfica

Jose Mourinho spent the pre-match processions grinning from ear-to-ear and reminiscing on his golden years as he returned to Stamford Bridge. Don’t get things twisted, he hasn’t softened with age. A battling affair with little quality settled by an own goal was about right, Benfica and Jose will be disappointed they didn’t take more away from a Chelsea side that have struggled as of late and are missing some key players.

Galatasaray 1-0 Liverpool

Another team that have shown flashes of weakness in recent weeks are Arne Slot’s Liverpool. They arrived in Türkiye hoping for another three points on their path to European domination, but Galatasaray had something else in mind. An early penalty was converted by star man Victor Osimhen to give the home side the lead before they dug in and soaked up waves of Liverpool pressure. The visitors couldn’t breach the defence of Gala, and had a late penalty call overturned by VAR, so they left with nothing but injuries to key players Alisson and Ekitike. Arne Slot will be hoping they aren’t too serious and their title defence isn’t hampered by a tough night in Türkiye.

Inter 3-0 Slavia Prague

Last season’s finalists have picked up where they left off with another domineering display to make it two wins from two so far. Two goals by clinical front-man Lautaro Martinez sandwiched Denzel Dumfries’ customary Champions League goal to give the Italian side a well-earned and comfortable victory. You can always tell it’s a World Cup year when Lautaro Martinez and Mbappe seem to ramp up the dial to 11. Slavia have a mountain to climb already after a draw at home to Bodø and now a big defeat here, if they’re to have any chance of getting through they’ll need a couple of shock results.

Marseille 4-0 Ajax

An impressive win for Marseille to continue their good league form, but as long as they continue to employ Mason Greenwood everything that club does means nothing. For Ajax it’s another defeat without scoring in this competition, their young side will have to find their feet fast if they’re to qualify for the later rounds with tricky ties against Chelsea and Galatasaray to come next.

Pafos FC 1-5 Bayern Munich

Harry Kane has 17 goals in 9 games this season. It’s coming home. I know it’s only Pafos, but following on from their victory over Chelsea, Bayern look like serious contenders. They turned up and turned over a side they should comfortably beat that could’ve easily turned into a tricky away day. Welcome to the Champions League, Pafos. Take your medicine, lick your wounds and move on. They showed some promise, and former Southampton man Mirslav Orsic scored a fantastic goal, a crucial tie against fellow newcomers Kairat Almaty awaits them in the next round.

Wednesday 1st October

Qarabag 2-0 FC København

You know the old saying, you wait around for an Azerbaijani side to score the first ever point for their nation in the Champions League and then six come at once. What a win for Qarabag to make it two from two this season, and in emphatic style as they dominated their Danish guests from minute one. It’ll be a big ask but Qarabag have a few winnable games, namely Athletic Club and Ajax, and it would be amazing to see them reach the knockouts. They’re the team I’m supporting from now on. København will be gutted, after a great point against Leverkusen when they probably deserved all three last time out you simply have to be beating teams like Qarabag if you want to see knockout football. They can still turn it around as they play Kairat Almaty, Villareal and Spurs, but it’s already starting to look like an insurmountable task.

Union St. Gilloise 0-4 Newcastle

Howay. Eddie Howe’s Geordie boys have failed to hit the heights of last campaign up until this point, still grieving the loss of Alexander Isak to Liverpool, but they certainly turned it around in Belgium. Pope was called into action on occasion, but mostly to parry long-range efforts as the hosts struggled to deal with Newcastle’s steadfast defence. A deflected goal and a couple of penalties isn’t the prettiest way to win a game, but they all count, and Newcastle were excellent value for their win. USG have seen their goal-difference evaporate after their win over PSV and will hope they can bounce back for a sticky run in of Inter, Atletico and Galatasaray in their next three.

Arsenal 2-0 Olympiacos

Another routine win and professional display from The Arsenal as well as getting vital minutes into the legs of Saka as he returned from injury with a goal off the bench. Arteta’s side are getting very good at beating good teams they have the edge over without overthinking things, positive signs ahead. The Greek side drew at home to Pafos in the last round and have Barcelona and Real Madrid to come, so their qualification chances are slim, maybe Marinakis can loan a few of his Forest players over there to get them over the line.

Barcelona 1-2 PSG

This game epitomises what’s best about the new format. Two of the favourites, and probably the two best sides from last year’s tournament, battling it out in a pulsating game in the league phase. PSG will be delighted with the result, particularly as they are still operating without Marquinhos, Desiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé. Teenage forward Senny Mayulu has really stepped up to the plate in their absence, PSG have another star on their hands.

Bayer Leverkusen 1-1 PSV

Not the result either side wanted, but the one they’re going to have to settle with. This was an opportunity for a reaction for both of these teams against struggling opposition after disappointing outings last time out. Neither team were up to the task of overcoming their failings and winning the game, so a draw it’ll have to be. Both teams will have to get a grip of themselves quickly to save themselves from embarrassment as ties against top teams await them next time out.

Dortmund 4-1 Atheltic Club

Athletic Club made a long-awaited return to European Football’s top table this season, and with two losses from two it’s looking like they won’t be sat there very long. They haven’t won in any competition since the 31st of August and have the Qarabag super team to contend with next time out. They have some tricky games coming up but it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see them get a point or two against Newcastle, Atalanta and Sporting, good results here combined with wins against Qarabag and Sparta could see them still reach the play-off places. For Dortmund it’s 8 goals in 2 games and an emphatic win this time out, combine this with their unbeaten start in the Bundesliga and things are looking bright for Niko Kovac’s side. Of course, they’ll somehow have to beat Bayern if they’re to win anything domestically.

AS Monaco 2-2 Manchester City

What is happening at Manchester City? Their usual robotic ruthlessness and efficiency has been replaced by a wishy-washy inconsistency and inability to see out games against good teams. Erling Haaland is still playing like a man possessed and more than capable of dragging them though, but someone else is going to have to contribute if they’re to seriously compete on any fronts this year. They should’ve turned over this Monaco side but only marginally edged them in chance and shot creation despite having 71% of the ball – far from good enough by Pep’s high standards. For Monaco, an excellent point at home against a tough side ahead of a run of four matches in this competition they could feasibly win, it might be time for a return to the knockouts for the Ligue 1 club. Always nice to see Eric Dier pop up with a goal too.

Napoli 2-1 Sporting

What is in the water at Manchester United? Last year, Scott McTominay left to join Napoli and set the world alight, becoming a cult hero in Naples and winning Serie A MVP. This week, Rasmus Højlund scored a brace in the Champions League to win the game for Napoli, both assisted by Kevin De Bruyne. The Dane took both his goals excellently, particularly his first which was great centre-forward play, to take his tally to 3 in 5 for his new club. Both Sporting and Napoli now sit on 3 points apiece and will be looking to push into the top 8 positions as they each have favourable draws coming up, particularly the Italian side.

Villareal 2-2 Juventus

Villareal’s high-flying La Liga form is yet to translate continentally as they snatched a late draw at home to Italian giants Juventus. Former Juve loanee Renato Veiga scored a last-minute header to condemn his old side to a fourth consecutive draw. Villareal face Man City in the next round and Juventus have Real Madrid, so it’ll be difficult for either of them to turn their European form around immediately. Both will be aiming for the play-off spots but so is everyone else, and someone has to fall short.

Game of The Round:

Barcelona 1-2 PSG

The repeat of last year’s semi-final did not disappoint, a pulsating affair that could have gone either way fell the way of the holders.

PSG lined up once again without their recently-crowned Ballon D’Or champion Ousmane Dembélé, who was absent through injury. Last year’s man of the match in the final Désiré Doué also missed out as well as captain Marquinhos and Kvicha Kvaratskhelia. Barcelona had their fair share of missing players too, Gavi and Raphinha the headliners alongside first-choice ‘keeper Joan Garcia.

If this is both of these sides putting out makeshift elevens I dread to think how they’ll look at full tilt, both put on an excellent display worthy of winning any game.

They each profited from rare defensive lapses in concentration, the Barcelona goal coming off the back of a misplaced pass from Vitinha, which was punished by some quick passing play and finished by Ferran Torres. The equaliser came from a missed interception, allowing youngster Senny Mayulu to receive the ball and finish well while under pressure from Pau Cubarsi.

Barcelona’s defensive line was simply too high as they pushed for a winner later on, PSG caught them on the break with Hakimi in miles of space out wide on the right. If there’s any full-back in the world you don’t want to give that room to at the moment, it’s probably him. He whipped a low cross into the path of substitute Gonçalo Ramos ,who had beaten the offside trap, and he tapped home the winner beyond the reach of Szczesny.

The Parisians take the spoils in the end, but expect both sides to progress fairly comfortably from the league phase. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a repeat of this fixture in the final come May.

Player of The Round:

Mbappe and Kane put on dazzling displays, but the big boys pulling the minnows’ pants down is more expected than exceptional.

Højlund scored twice for Napoli, but it is actually the man that provided both goals that is my player of the round. Belgian magician Kevin De Bruyne.

As a fan of a team outside the Premier League, and thus never having to suffer at the hands of Kevin De Bruyne, he has been one of my favourite players to watch for years. Fans may be tempted to think the 34 year old is past it and winding down, but that’s certainly not been the case so far.

Both assists are vintage KDB. For the first he wiggled out of danger on the edge of his own box with a 1-2 before driving forward with the ball. He beat two players and made it into the Sporting half before slipping Højlund through on goal to score. The second was a delightfully worked corner routine that ended with him whipping an inch-perfect cross onto the strikers head for 2-1 and to win the game.

Bellissimo from De Bruyne, and anyone that can make Rasmus Højlund score twice is deserving of the player of the round.

Table:

Early days! But a fantastic start for Qarabag mixing it up there with the big boys on 6 points from a possible 6. A lot of teams are in and around where you’d expect them to be, now comes the real test of their consistency to see if they can stay out front and cement their claim on those top eight spots.

For some, a turnaround is needed. Benfica and Ajax are Champions League regulars and to have no points from two games is unacceptable, particularly with the manner of their performance. Can they dig themselves out of this hole to claw back a place in the knockouts?

Bodø/Glimt sit just inside the play-off spots and could come to rue missed chances against Spurs as they should’ve come away with all three points. Liverpool and Barcelona came into the tournament as some of the favourites and will be hoping their defeats this time out are an anomaly rather than a trend.

The Champions League returns in three weeks’ time and the players have an international break to attend to in the interim. Will the break do some teams good and they’ll come back refreshed and revitalised to make a push for the top eight? Or will it halt their momentum and see them sink into the elimination places?

Gameweek 3 coming up next, and the table should really start to take shape. It’s already make or break for some teams.

SCHUMACHER’S SIDE OVERTAKE WIGAN

It was Bolton who took home bragging rights on Derby day, ending a curse of longer than ten years without beating the Latics on home turf in style.

It was a summer of upheaval for Bolton, only three players that started the game today were even at the club last season, as manager Steven Schumacher got stuck into his first summer transfer window after joining the club in January. There were some teething problems integrating so many new faces, with just a single win in their first six games and a remarkable four consecutive 1-1 draws, but things seem to be looking up for the Trotters.

The sides came into the game today with Wigan lingering just outside the Play-Offs and Bolton a point behind them, and Wigan have had their rivals’ number in recent years. Prior to this weekend Bolton hadn’t won on home soil since January 2015 and had only recorded an away win on one occasion since, in April earlier this year. Wigan fans could be forgiven for sauntering down the road to play their neighbours oozing with confidence due to their recent record, but Wanderers soon put a marker down and silenced the rowdy away support.

Barbados international Thierry Gale was one of those new boys who struggled to adapt to English football after signing from Poland in summer, although recent performances have improved as he settles into the team and gels with his new colleagues. He fired a warning shot well over the bar early on, wiggling away from his marker with ease and putting a drop too much power behind the ball from outside the box. The warning wasn’t heeded, however, and he gave his side the lead after fifteen minutes. Josh Cogley was given too much time to deliver a low cross from the right that wasn’t dealt with by Wigan ‘keeper Sam Tickle, who got a strong hand to it but was only able to divert the ball directly into the path of Gale. The winger reacted quickly to turn the ball into the roof of the net with aplomb for his first league goal for his new club.

Any questions as to how well he’s settled should now be answered, just five minutes after he scored Bolton’s first he then went and set up the second. Wanderers won the ball back in their half and quickly broke down the left, Gale drove forwards into the empty space in front of him and players started to pack the box. He used every yard of his pace to get to the edge of the Wigan box then looked up to find fellow new-boy Marcus Forss unmarked in the area. The pass was pinpoint and the finish matched, the Finn’s first-time effort proved too powerful for Tickle to get anywhere near it and the home fans were in dreamland. 2-0.

Bolton always begin a new League One season as one of the favourites, they’re a huge club at this level and their fanbase demands excellence. Eyebrows were raised at the decision to select young Mason Burstow to lead their line for this campaign, the Hull loanee only scored twice in 32 games for his parent club last season and only once for Sunderland the season previous. Having now scored five goals in his first nine league appearances, Burstow has certainly silenced those critics.

The latest instalment was something special indeed. Goalscorer Forss capitalised on some lapse Wigan defending, latching on to a lazy pass between defenders to win the ball high up. He laid it off to Ethan Erahon who played a first-time ball through the midfield to find Burstow in space. Nobody got close enough as the striker jinked past a weak challenge and fired a stunning effort from 25 yards into the bottom-left corner. Three goals without reply and the Bolton players were really starting to enjoy themselves.

The hosts continued to look dangerous on the break as the half came to a close, Gale nearly scoring another as the ball was won back on the edge of the Bolton area and launched up towards the forward. He brought the ball down excellently and used his pace to fashion himself a chance but his shot was straight at the goalkeeper. Half-time, 3-0, and those patient Bolton fans were finally starting to believe the curse might be broken.

Wigan boss Ryan Lowe made three changes at the break to try and pull his side back into contention. These changes did manage to stop Bolton from scoring another, for five minutes. If the second goal was lax defending then this was inexcusable. Under no pressure, substitute Luke Robinson hoofed a routine clearance straight up into the air and Bolton players began to circle like sharks. Morgan Fox attempted to head the ball back to his goalkeeper for safety but misjudged the power and left his pass short, allowing Forss to pounce and tap home an easy finish for his second and Bolton’s fourth of the day to put them well out of sight.

Wigan did reply with one goal back, it was a real beauty and a shame it will be lost to the archives as a consolation goal in a game the club will certainly want to forget. Marquee signing and reality TV star Paul Mullin worked a yard of space at the top of the box and whipped the ball across the goal and tucked it just inside the far post. This was the forward’s third league goal of the season but he is yet to score in a win as Wigan struggle to string a decent run of results together to make a meaningful play-off push.

The rest of the game petered out on the pitch to a joyous chorus of Bolton chants off of it, the home fans basking in the glory of an emphatic Derby day victory. As great as a big win over your biggest rivals is, Bolton fans will be hoping this result is part of a bigger picture and can help catapult them up the table and finally back to the second tier for the first time in seven years. They’re beginning to garner a reputation for being League One’s nearly-men, missing out on the play-offs late last season and losing in them the two seasons previous. Schumacher has broken one curse already and will be hoping he can be the man to break another and finally leap the final hurdle out of League One.

As far as Wigan are concerned, their ability to remain in the division despite innumerable financial woes over the years is seriously impressive. They’re still rebuilding and it will be a while until they return to the days of FA Cup trophies and European football, but if they can carry on recruiting smartly and developing their young players into stars they could find themselves competing in the Championship again soon. They ran out impressive 3-0 winners against high-flying Doncaster last time out so will be hoping this result is just a blip, albeit a frustrating one against their arch rivals.

Bolton can spend the weekend bouncing and Wigan licking their wounds. Both will have their eyes fixed further up the table, as many of their fellow play-off contenders dropped points in a crazy game weekend of League One action. 37 games to go, lots of twists and turns to come. The one thing we know for sure is whoever ends up in those promotion places will have had to have worked extremely hard to get there.

Who knows – we may even see a repeat of this fixture in the Play-Offs.

Red cards, late goals and huge upsets as the Champions League returned for 2025/26 this week in its usual dramatic fashion.

The Champions League is back in a big way, European football’s premier competition certainly doesn’t do things by halves. We saw some teams make their debuts, the return of some old faces and the usual suspects lining up once again all with dreams of lifting the big one in Budapest next May.

Across most of Europe the domestic football season has only just begun so there isn’t a lot of data to go on, and teams are beginning to feel each other out. Here’s how the first round of fixtures went down.

The Results:

Tuesday 16th September

Athletic Club 0-2 Arsenal

Athletic Club made their return to the Champions League for the first time since 2014/15. They were pretty handily beaten by a professional Arsenal display with both goals coming off the bench, Martinelli’s strike just 34 seconds after he entered the field. The Gunners have worked hard and spent big to improve their depth over the summer – can they go further than last season’s semi-final? And if not, how long until Arteta runs out of excuses?

PSV 1-3 Union St. Gilloise

Belgian champions Union St. Gilloise made their Champions League debut with an impressive win away at regulars PSV. USG’s team is cobbled together for very little money in comparison to other sides in the competition and is a real credit to their recruitment department. Captain Christian Burgess was playing in the English third tier for Portsmouth when they picked him up in 2020, now he’s leading his team out in the Champions League. USG have a tough draw but this result will give them so much confidence ahead of a tricky tie against Newcastle. PSV will hope the result isn’t a sign of things to come if they are hoping to repeat their successes from last season, reaching the round of 16.

Benfica 2-3 Qarabag

Qarabag came from 2-0 down to beat Benfica 3-2 away and cost Bruno Lage his job. If rumours are to be believed, Jose Mourinho is in line for the position. He will be relishing Benfica’s upcoming trip to Chelsea. Qarabag are the first Azerbaijani team to record a win in the competition, and with winnable ties against København, Athelic Club and Frankfurt in their draw, could they be a surprise inclusion in the knockout phase? Even if they lose their next 7, they’ve done their country proud.

Juventus 4-4 Dortmund

The Juve game was 0-0 at the break and you’d be forgiven for turning over or switching off completely. The longest gap between goals in the second half was an excruciating 12 minutes – Juventus pulling level from 4-2 down with 2 injury time goals from Vlahovic and Lloyd Kelly of all people. He’s a long way from Bristol City now. Both teams have failed to make a meaningful impression domestically in recent years and will be hoping their solid starts to the league season will translate continentally for a deep run in this competition. I wouldn’t expect either to win it though.

Real Madrid 2-1 Marseille

Real Madrid are like a baddie in a film you love to hate. They’re evil, but it wouldn’t be the same without them. They were down to 10 men for the last 20 minutes after Dani Carvajal’s reckless sending off but Kylian Mbappe converted both of his penalties to win the game. Never bet against Real in this competition.

Tottenham 1-0 Villareal

Rounding off Tuesday’s action, Thomas Frank took charge of the first Champions League game of his career. He managed the game well, settling in after taking the lead early and never really looking like losing it. Spurs have one of the more favourable draws they could’ve gotten in this tournament so will be hoping for a strong league stage finish – automatic qualification to the last 16 via finishing in the top 8 is certainly within reach.

Wednesday 17th September

Olympiacos 0-0 Pafos FC

Pafos FC made their first ever appearance in the competition, and the Cypriot side earned a battling point away at Olympiacos. David Luiz (yes, that one) started for Pafos but was substituted with an injury after half an hour, and former Olympiacos player Bruno Felipe received a red card after just 26 minutes. Still, the away side worked hard to take home a point, Olympiacos manager Jose Luis Mendilibar will be furious with his team for not picking up all 3 points with tricky games against Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid on the horizon.

Slavia Prague 2-2 Bodø/Glimt

Another debut! This time for last year’s Europa League semi-finalists Bodø/Glimt. They scored twice late on to rescue a point from 2-0 down in Prague. The hosts definitely had the better of the chances and will be gutted they haven’t seen out the win, but Bodø also missed a penalty at 1-0 down which could’ve made it a very different tie. The sides involved maybe weren’t as flashy as you’d expect from the Champions League but it was an excellent, pulsating game of football.

Ajax 0-2 Inter

Marcus Thuram continued his excellent goalscoring form at the start of the season, he now has 5 goals in 4 matches across Serie A and the Champions League. Ajax were limp and uninspiring, the home crowd will be disappointed they didn’t show more. Inter reached the final last year and will be hoping to go one better – but I fear it may be a difficult campaign for the ageing Italian side as Father Time catches up with them.

Bayern Munich 3-1 Chelsea

All four goals in the Bayern game were scored by Englishmen (including Chalobah’s own goal) – a great sign for Thomas Tuchel! Kane and Palmer are the headline players and they didn’t disappoint, both getting on the scoresheet and Palmer having another disallowed. Bayern dominated the ball and created some excellent chances, Michael Olise played about as well as you possibly can as a forward without scoring or assisting. Deserved winners and Chelsea’s enormous squad will have to bounce back, luckily they’ve only got Manchester United next.

Liverpool 3-2 Atletico Madrid

The late, late show arrived in Liverpool once again this season against Atleti. The home side have won every game this season in the 83rd minute or later, most of their goals coming in stoppage time. Cardiologists across Liverpool are working overtime! Had Atleti clinched a point, it would’ve been a robbery, but that’s what they’re best at under Simeone. Liverpool will need to start closing games out earlier if they’re to have a serious push at a seventh Champions League title this season, but I’m sure as their signings bed in they will hit full stride.

PSG 4-0 Atalanta

Defending champions PSG look as terrifying as last year, dispatching a good Atalanta side without really looking like they were trying. Désiré Doué and Ousmane Dembélé missed the game through injury too, so when they’re back who knows how scary it could get? Atalanta will have to try and forget this result and write it off as playing the best team in the world at their peak. Brugge, Prague, Marseille and Frankfurt next, four fixtures the side from Bergamo will be eyeing as potential wins to get them through to the knockouts.

Thursday 18th September

Club Brugge 4-1 AS Monaco

A superb victory for the Belgians, mirroring the success of compatriots USG as they handily dispatched a Monaco side that have started life pretty strongly in Ligue 1. Monaco could barely lay a glove on Brugge as the game ran away from them with the home side taking a 3-0 lead into the half. Ansu Fati scored a consolation goal in stoppage time on his debut for the club, but Brugge had already taken their foot of the gas as they cruised to a valuable 3 points to open their European campaign.

FC København 2-2 Bayer Leverkusen

The Xabi Alonso magic seems to have worn off at Leverkusen, with their team picked apart and new manager Erik Ten Hag relieved of his duties after just three games they look a shadow of their former selves. Alejandro Grimaldo bailed them out once again with a stunning free kick, his third direct free kick goal already of the season. The Danes will be buoyed by their strong performance but gutted to drop two points to a stoppage time own goal. Still, a lot to build on as they face a trip to Qarabag next time out.

Frankfurt 5-1 Galatasary

If you just looked at the scoreline you would be forgiven for thinking this was a demolition job. The Turkish side took an early lead and then, through a catalogue of misfortune and horrifying defending, Frankfurt scored five without answer. You have to watch the highlights to believe what happened here, the final goal in particular was a masterclass in how not to defend. Frankfurt will be delighted with a big win to aid their goal difference and I can only imagine the words exchanged in the Galatasary dressing room. They have won all five of their league games this year and only conceded once, so it was a real shock to their system when the goals kept flying in. Positives wise; it can’t get worse, can it?

Manchester City 2-0 Napoli

Kevin De Bruyne’s homecoming was cut short as he was sacrificed to restructure the team following a sending off. Against 10 men for 70 minutes, Man City cruised through the game without breaking a sweat. Scandinavian robot Erling Haaland also registered his 50th Champions League goal on his 49th appearance in the competition. Freak.

Newcastle 1-2 Barcelona

If I was Anthony Elanga today I’d be ignoring everyone in training. He put two chances on a plate for Gordon and Barnes as well as finding Joelinton for a free header with a corner and none were finished off. Marcus Rashford followed up with two goals and won the game for Barca, begging the question – could Ruben Amorim be wrong about something? Surely not. Gordon scored late but Barcelona take the 3 points back to Catalonia and continue their impressive unbeaten start to the season.

Sporting CP 4-1 Kairat Almaty

The Kazakhstani side were the only Champions League debutants to lose on their first appearance this year as Sporting ran out big winners in a professional display. Much like Club Brugge earlier in the night, Sporting were 4-0 and relaxing as they let in a late consolation goal. They will be pleased to come away with an expected victory, especially after the embarrassment suffered by their neighbours Benfica this week. Sporting were able to make substitutions early to rest key players and set themselves up nicely for a push to finish inside the top 8 this year. Kairat Almaty may struggle this year, but their draw has at least ensured they get to tour some of the most famous grounds in Europe and welcome some huge teams to Kazakhstan, and who knows? They might pick up a shock win.

Game of The Round:

Juventus 4-4 Borussia Dortmund

A great selection of games to choose from this week as the new Champions League season opened with a bang. I considered giving Qarabag their flowers, but it really couldn’t have been any other game.

Juventus had the better of a stale first half, forcing a couple of saves out of Gregor Kobel but nothing spectacular. We went into the break at 0-0 and I certainly didn’t think this would be the game I’d choose for this section.

In the second half, the game exploded.

Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi opened the scoring seven minutes after the restart, wiggling into a yard of space on the edge of the box and firing a low shot into the bottom-right corner well beyond the reach of Di Gregorio.

Not to be outdone by his former schoolmate, Juve starlet Kenan Yildiz continued his scintillating start to the season by curling a beautiful shot from the top of the box into the far-side top corner to level things up eleven minutes later. Another spectacular goal for the youngster’s growing catalogue.

Just over a minute later, Dortmund midfielder Felix Nmecha fancied a go. The German side drove forwards from kick-off, Adeyemi cut the ball back and Nmecha bent a first-time shot into the top-right corner from just outside the box.

A whole two minutes passed before Dusan Vlahovic levelled things up again. Despite an impressive goalscoring record for The Old Lady, the striker has been sidelined by the additions of Jonathan David and Lois Openda. Despite this, he has still made his contribution count with 2 goals from the bench in Serie A already this season. Undeterred by his new backup role, the Serb continues to work hard. Yildiz split the defence with a perfectly-weighted ball and Vlahovic controlled well and finished hard and low past Kobel for 2-2.

Seven minutes without a goal and fans were starting to get restless. Thankfully, Dortmund right-back Yan Couto put an end to the dry spell with a lovely low strike from just inside the box that squeezed inside the near post. He drove into open space over the halfway line all the way to the Juventus area with the ball but was dispossessed by Thuram. Possession was quickly won back and played back to Couto, who pushed it ahead of him into an open gap in the box and fired home. It was a lovely strike but the keeper absolutely has to do better at his near post, and somebody has to close the space to Couto as he was left to roam free in the Juventus box.

The fourth Dortmund goal was controversial, VAR unsurprisingly at the heart of it. Defender Lloyd Kelly got down low to block a shot from Serhou Guirassy and the ball clipped his arm on its way through. Kelly went to ground quickly in order to get himself in the way of the shot, and his arms were pretty tight to his body and cushioning his body from the fall. It was a baffling decision and I really don’t see where else he was supposed to have his arms, nevertheless, penalty given and dispatched calmly by Bensebaini.

4-2 to the away side. 6 minutes added on. All wrapped up?

4 minutes into the stoppage, goalscorer Bensebaini stalled on the ball for too long in Dortmund’s defensive third and couldn’t clear his lines. His clearance hit Kalulu, who quickly whipped a lovely cross to the edge of the six-yard box where Vlahovic was lurking. The striker buried the chance, as he always seems to do, and grabbed the ball from the back of the net for a quick restart. Time was running out, but Dusan Vlahovic didn’t think it was over yet.

In the final minute added on, Juventus broke away quickly up the field. The ball made its way to Vlahovic down the right, who cut inside and floated a lovely cross on his left towards the back post. And who should be arriving? Lloyd Kelly of all people. The Englishman broke free from three covering defenders in yellow and sent his diving header into the bottom corner beyond Kobel, who remained rooted to his spot in disbelief. 4-4. Four. Four.

The introduction of Dusan Vlahovic completely flipped this game on its head, another two goals and an assist from the bench for the big Serb and you’d imagine he’ll have a pretty strong case to be leading the line from the start in their next game. The Italian side will be hopeful of a rare deep venture into the competition, they haven’t even been to the quarter-finals since 2018/19 (or been within 10 points of the Serie A title since 2019/20), but if they are to achieve their dreams they have to tighten up defensively. Some of the marking and closing down on display was atrocious, and although most of the goals were great finishes, Di Gregorio has been suspect in the league and was terrible for Dortmund’s third.

Player of The Round:

Lots of contenders this week, but I’m swaying towards Marcus Rashford for his brace away at Newcastle.

Deemed not good enough for the worst Manchester United side in history, Rashford marked his return to England with a fantastic brace at St. James’ Park. The second goal in particular was a beauty.

The first was a smart header in the centre of the box from a Kounde cross to give his side the lead. The winner then came minutes later as he latched onto a loose ball and fired a wicked shot across Pope and into the back of the net. An astounding performance for Rashford on his comeback tour in front of the onlooking Thomas Tuchel – much to consider for the German.

The Table:

Not worth reading into at this stage! Champions PSG lost 3 times in the groups last year and won the lot.

Frankfurt, Club Brugge, USG & Sporting will be especially pleased to get big wins on the board early doors as goal difference may come into play. The prize money from winning a group stage game will be huge to some of these sides too, particularly Qarabag who will be ecstatic with their victory in Lisbon.

PSG and Inter showed us why they were finalists last year and all the teams you’d expect to do well have done. Expect the fight for those top 8 spots to heat up over the next few weeks as the two game rest is vital for those sides competing on multiple fronts this year. Football is becoming increasingly about the whole squad as opposed to the XI, so who’s strengthened best this summer? Who will be there lifting the trophy in Budapest come May?

There’s plenty of football between now and then. Let’s see.

SUPER HOOPS SLAY DRAGONS

Wrexham fell to another defeat at the Racecourse as they continue to find life after their triumphant return to the second tier isn’t always sunny. The Red Dragons only lost twice at home all season last time out and are having a hard time adjusting, equalling that tally just five games into the new campaign.

The R’s, however, are experiencing an uptick in form after a busy summer transfer window. Their new signings are finding form and fitness and putting the humiliating 7-1 defeat at Coventry well behind them with back-to-back convincing wins as they look to climb the table.

The away side opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Captain Jimmy Dunne’s long throw from the right was brought under control by Richard Kone, who’s eventual shot was blocked into the path of Rumarn Burrell. His close-range effort was straight at the goalkeeper, but the ball ricocheted into the defending Conor Coady and trickled into the empty net. It wasn’t pretty but they all count.

Coady almost made up for his unfortunate error immediately, sending a looping ball from his own half over the QPR back line and straight into the path of Ryan Hardie. The new Wrexham number nine did well to get on the end of the pass but could only direct it agonisingly wide of the post as he still searches for his first Championship goal for his new club.

New signing Richard Kone is looking like a steal for QPR, as he scored just before half-time to double their lead and net his third in as many games. Hindsight is 20:20, but it’s a wonder half the league weren’t queuing up for his signature with a striker of his quality available for just a reported £3m. His goal today came after some great one-touch buildup from QPR, the ball finding its way to Kone 25 yards out. He took two touches and Coady backed off, allowing the forward to unleash a devastating shot from the top of the box into the Wrexham goal via the crossbar and send the R’s into the break two goals to the good.

The second half started much the same, Wrexham stopper Okonkwo being tested again by a bending shot from Martinique international Jonathan Varane. Wrexham fashioned a few chances of their own, but nothing capable of beating an on-form Paul Nardi in the QPR goal. This prompted Phil Parkinson to make three changes on the hour to try and breathe some fire into the Dragons’ performance.

Just six minutes later, Kieffer Moore did what he does best as he rose highest to meet a Lewis O’Brien corner and nod the ball into the net beyond a helpless Nardi. One goal back and on the hunt for another, Wrexham commited more men forward.

Pushing for an equaliser would be their eventual downfall. Dunne swung his foot at a loose ball on the edge of his own area to clear the danger following an extended period of Wrexham pressure that ended up travelling nearly the length of the pitch. Veteran Coady showed his age as he trudged through treacle chasing the pass, QPR frontman Burrell ran his heart out to beat him to the ball despite giving him a 20 yard head start. His heavy touch into the box caught Okonkwo off-guard and he was unable to close the gap before the ball was dinked over him for 3-1. Game over.

America’s sweethearts never give up though, Wrexham carried on searching for a way back into the game but it just wasn’t to be. Substitute Sam Smith came closest, sending a Nathan Broadhead cross wide with a free header from the edge of the six-yard box. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t scored and he’s not the only one.

The full-time whistle rang out in Wales and the home faithful are getting used to the unfamiliar taste of disappointment once again. Plenty of action for the neutral as a solid display from both keepers and some interesting finishing kept the score down to just the four goals. We’re only five games into the season, but Wrexham’s plethora of summer additions will have to start gelling soon to avoid spending the better part of their return to the championship looking back over their shoulders at the relegation zone. QPR started poorly, but have put some good performances together as of late and looked like scoring every time they came forward today. With some favourable fixtures coming up and Kone in scintillating form, if the R’s can tighten up defensively expect to see them pushing for the Play-Off spots in the near future.

QPR look resurgent and Wrexham can’t buy a win, and they’ve certainly tried.