Champions League
Conference League
Premier League
Published on Dec, 11 2024
Matchday 6 of the Champions League league phase is halfway over and we've had our first team eliminated from being able to make the knockouts in RB Leipzig following their 3-2 loss to Aston Villa. There's worry for Real Madrid as Kylian Mbappe left their 3-2 victory over Atalanta with an injury after scoring a goal. The victory will lift Real Madrid back into contention for the top eight but they'll need help to get there.
It was quite an eventful day with four teams scoring three or more goals, but let's take a look at some of the highlights from Tuesday's fixtures.
Tuesday's Champions League scores
Girona 0, Liverpool 1
Dinamo Zagreb 0, Celtic 0
Atalanta 2, Real Madrid 3
Bayer Leverkusen 1, Inter 0
Brest 1, PSV 0
Shakhtar Donetsk 1, Bayern 5
Club Brugge 2, Sporting 1
RB Salzburg 0, PSG 3
RB Leipzig 2, Aston Villa 3
Player of the day: Marco Bizot, GK (Brest)
Facing PSV at home, Brest had a formidable opponent but was able to survive securing a 1-0 victory, and a large reason for that is the performance of Marco Bizot in net. The Dutch keeper made five saves to keep only his second clean sheet in Champions League play, pushing the French side one step closer to qualifying for the knockout stages. In their initial UCL voyage, Brest have punched above their weight and it has been a true team effort to do it scoring 10 goals and only conceding six in their matches so far.
Match of the day: RB Leipzig 2, Aston Villa 3
This match had everything from lead changes to tactical shifts which defined the game and of course a golazo, but we'll save that for later. Aston Villa rose to third in the table with this victory but to pull things off, they had to deal with RB Leipzig leveling twice in the 27th and the 62nd minute. An 85th-minute goal from Ross Barkley would prove to be the difference in the clash for Unai Emery's men, serving a dual purpose of knocking out RB Leipzig and putting Villa closer to an automatic spot in the last 16. That may not have happened if Jhon Duran hadn't been introduced at halftime and immediately scored, but that's the kind of impact that the Colombian has had during this season, scoring his third goal of this UCL campaign.
Best goal: Cristoph Baumgartner (RB Leipzig)
It may have been a match to forget for Leipzig but that doesn't mean that they didn't produce a memorable moment. It was a wild goal where Lois Openda kept his head up to pick out his attacking partner before Christoph Baumgartner hit a sweet volley into the top corner leaving Emi Martinez helpless.
Moment of concern: Mbappe goes off for Real Madrid
It should've been a result that Los Blancos celebrated but with another significant injury striking the club, it's a time where everyone will be holding their breath. Just after getting Vinicius Junior back and seeing how much his impact was missed with a goal and an assist in a victory offer Atalanta, Mbappe had to be taken off after only 36 minutes of play for what is being called a thigh injury. In that time, Mbappe scored a goal and put three shots on target, seeming to be on track for his best performance in a Real Madrid shirt. Now, depending on the severity of his injury, that could need to be rebuilt but only time will tell.
Biggest disappointment: Sporting CP's slide
Struggles were expected after Ruben Amorim left to take over Manchester United but four consecutive losses in all competitions later and Sporting CP could not only see a chance at the top eight in the league phase slip away. Only being on 10 points, they could be out of knockout contention altogether if this slide continues. Viktor Gyokeres can only do so much leading the line when the defense and midfield are letting him down, but this could go down as an epic collapse if the ship can't be righted.
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