Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
LONDON: As two of the wealthiest and proudest clubs in Europe, Manchester United and Paris St Germain expect to be contenders to win the Champions League.
Both lost their games in Group ‘H’ on Wednesday after shambolic moments that left last season’s finalists PSG at risk of failing to advance to the knockout rounds.
United’s 2-1 loss at Istanbul Basaksehir included a defensive lapse that gifted the Champions League newcomers their first-ever goal in the competition.
“It’s like Under-10s football,” United great Paul Scholes, working for British broadcaster BT Sport, said of leaving 35-year-old forward Demba Ba to run unchallenged from his own half and score when Basaksehir cleared the ball from a corner.
PSG finished their 2-1 loss at RB Leipzig with nine men after Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe were sent off in the second half.
PSG had eased past Leipzig in last season’s semi-finals in August, and a repeat looked possible on Wednesday even without injured superstars Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
Angel Di Maria had given the French champion a sixth-minute lead but his penalty was saved 10 minutes later.
Leipzig’s win, sealed by Emil Forsberg’s second-half penalty, added to a stunning week for Germany’s four clubs. Bayern Munich and Borussia Moenchengladbach each scored six in away wins on Tuesday.
Dortmund settled for just their three first-half goals — two from Erling Haaland — in a 3-0 win at Club Brugge.
Lionel Messi scored as Barcelona overcame a depleted Dynamo Kiev 2-1 while Cristiano Ronaldo’s first Champions League game this season, after a Covid-19 infection, was an easy win for Juventus at Ferencvaros.
Chelsea proved too strong for Rennes, with Timo Werner twice converting from the penalty spot in a comfortable 3-0.
After opening the Champions League with impressive wins at PSG and a rout of Leipzig at home, United were strongly favoured to follow up at Basaksehir.
United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer described his teams defending for Ba’s goal as “unforgivable”.
“You don’t just turn up and get three points in the Champions League. We weren’t good enough, that’s it. It’s not easy to be positive when you’ve lost the way we did,” Solskjaer told BT Sport.
Ba collected the ball just inside his own half and raced through to beat goalkeeper Dean Henderson on 13 minutes, with Edin Visca smashing in a second after Juan Mata was stripped of possession.
Anthony Martial’s header made it 2-1 before halftime and the three-time European champions were denied a stoppage-time leveller by defender Alexandru Epureanu’s goalline clearance.
United still lead the group on six points, tied with Leipzig and three ahead of PSG. Basaksehir’s win was the first for any of the four Champions League debutants in this seasons competition.
Di Maria had given PSG an early lead in Germany but he then crucially missed a penalty for the French champions, who were missing both Neymar and Kylian Mbappe due to injury and ended the contest with nine men.
Christopher Nkunku levelled before half-time for Leipzig and Forsberg converted from the spot in the 57th minute before the visitors had both Idrissa Gueye and Presnel Kimpembe sent off.
“It’s difficult. It’s maybe our fault because we didn’t get the second goal and then made a mistake on the penalty,” PSG boss Thomas Tuchel told RMC Sport. “There was a red card, it’s then hard, 10 against 11. There were too many things going against us.”
Unlike PSG’s struggles, Barca and Juve look well set to advance from their Group ‘G’.
Making his 150th appearance in European competition, Messi dispatched an early penalty at Camp Nou after he was fouled in the area and Gerard Pique headed in Ansu Fati’s cross on the hour.
Viktor Tsygankov grabbed a consolation for coronavirus-hit Dynamo as Barca, winless in four games in La Liga, recorded their third successive Group G victory to stay three points clear of Juventus.
“We are happy because we won,” said Barca coach Ronald Koeman. “But we have to play better than we did today. We have to improve, above all without the ball, where we haven’t played well.”
Ronaldo made his first start for the Italian champions since September after testing positive for Covid-19 in a 4-1 win at Hungarian side Ferencvaros.
However, the Portuguese star was outshone in Budapest by Alvaro Morata, whose two goals put Andrea Pirlo’s team in control.
Paulo Dybala added a third before an own goal from Lasha Dvali, with Franck Boli netting for the hosts in the final minute.
Chelsea strolled to victory at home against Rennes who saw defender Dalbert sent off after conceding two penalties in the first half.
Werner took over spot-kick duties from Jorginho and confidently tucked both away before Tammy Abraham turned in a third for the Blues on 50 minutes.
Frank Lampard’s men have yet to concede in Group ‘E’ and are level on seven points with Sevilla, who rallied to defeat Krasnodar 3-2 despite the dismissal of captain Jesus Navas late in the first half.
Goals from Magomed Suleymanov and Marcus Berg, the second a penalty, put Krasnodar ahead in Spain but Ivan Rakitic pulled one back for Sevilla before the break.
Morocco striker Youssef En-Nesyri struck twice in four second-half minutes to floor Krasnodar and leave the Russians alongside Rennes on just one point.
Haaland notched a brace to send Dortmund top of Group ‘F’ on six points, one clear of Lazio, with Brugge another point behind in third. Thorgan Hazard had opened the scoring in his native Belgium.
Felipe Caicedo’s late equaliser earned Lazio a 1-1 draw at Zenit Saint Petersburg after Aleksandr Erokhin had struck in the first half in front of some 17,000 fans in Russia.