Category: Football

Champions league group stage: Arsenal scores 6

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With a masterful display at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal blasted Lens for six goals to earn their spot in the UEFA Champions League knockout stage.

In an incredible first half, Mikel Arteta’s team scored five goals and again tore apart Lens with some of their finest offensive play.

After 13 minutes, Kai Havertz opened the score with a flick-on goal from Gabriel Jesus. Eight minutes later, the Brazilian doubled the lead with a beautiful finish after cutting onto his right foot on the edge of the box.

A six-minute burst of goals saw Gabriel Martinelli score the best goal of the game with a stunning drive that curled into the far bottom corner after the ball deflected in off Bukayo Saka from close range to make it 3-0.

Arsenal kept playing amazing football, and Martin Odegaard kept the score safe. A late penalty kick from Jorginho added even more lustre to a result that gave the Gunners first place in Group B with a game remaining, allowing Arteta to focus on the Premier League heading into a busy December.

Arsenal was defeated by Lens, a respectable team, in their first group stage encounter. However, all of the top clubs on the continent would have taken note of how Arteta’s team decimated them at the Emirates.

This kind of performance marks a team as a possible champion, and Arsenal demonstrated that they have an abundance of weapons this year.

The two summer additions, Havertz and Declan Rice, were especially noteworthy for their effect. They are both playing excellently in the middle of the park and are pushing the Premier League runners-up from the previous season to new heights.

Havertz stole the show in the first half, starting the game right in the heart of things and scoring the goal that his early efforts earned to make it two in a row. Havertz was one of several Arsenal players who distinguished out on a fantastic night.

That gave the German player a lot of confidence, and he performed brilliantly ever after. He appeared in dangerous spots in the midfield and looked like the player that first drew Chelsea’s attention when they signed him in 2020 after he was released by Bayer Leverkusen.

Though he hasn’t shown much of a strutting Havertz throughout his time in London, the Gunners might be in for something amazing in the upcoming seasons if this performance serves as the catalyst for his career at the club.

Man United faces a real chance of missing out on the round of 16 draw on December 18 since there are currently 12 confirmed clubs.

The three-time European champion went behind 3-2 early in the second half and by two goals after 18 minutes against Galatasaray before being caught up in a thrilling 3-3 draw.

Another top team is Real Madrid. Following a 4-2 victory over Napoli in second place, the record 14-time champion will take first position in Group C.

Top-seeded teams avoid other group winners like reigning champion Manchester City and are seeded in the round of 16 draw on December 18. Moreover, teams cannot be matched up against national rivals.

On a night when there were thirty-one goals scored from the other six games, Bayern and Copenhagen drew 0-0.

Salzburg’s 0-0 draw with Real Sociedad set up a final-game matchup between second-place Inter Milan and San Siro for first place in Group D. Three weeks ago, Sociedad and Inter both made progress.

Union Berlin and Braga tied 1-1, although Braga may still go forward by defeating Napoli on December 12.

Mikel Arteta’s team easily defeated RC Lens 6-0 to win Group B and advance to the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, and Martin Odegaard were among the five goals the Gunners scored in an incredible first half. A late penalty kick by Jorginho completed the demolition job.

Champions League Night: Man City Made Huge Comeback Against RB Leipzig

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Manchester City trailed 2-0 at halftime but Pep Guardiola was proud of his team’s patience in turning that deficit into a late triumph.

Guardiola pulled off a brilliant move early in the second half by substituting Julián Álvarez and Jérémy Doku. Both played crucial roles, with Doku’s skill with the ball setting up the winning move for the former before Phil Foden set Álvarez up.

The last time City trailed by two goals at halftime was in a Premier League match at home against Tottenham back in January. After Guardiola’s team scored four goals in a row, the manager called his players and the entire team “happy flowers.” Tonight, City’s goal was to secure the top spot in Group G, and this victory guarantees them that. However, the manager brought up the peculiarly disjointed display, even if they had already gone 29 games without a loss in Europe.

We were fortunate, Guardiola admitted. After Chelsea [a 4–4 tie], we received two warnings: we were careless and needed to win the duels. It’s a fantastic night in terms of qualification; 15 [points] out of 15. We could do better if we discussed the game. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if we would make a comeback based on how we were playing in the first half. Not because we won the last CL and were City; you have to work for it, and there are times when you need to do better.

Manuel Akanji was the first important duelist to be defeated. He permitted Janis Blaswich, the goalkeeper, to punt the ball out of his hands, allowing Loïs Openda to run in and roll the ball past Stefan Ortega for the first goal.

City responded with a flurry. In a moment as chaotic as the home team’s play, Bernardo Silva won a free kick, dropped it on Rúben Dias’s head, and the defender turned it over. Here was the second part of the disastrous defense. Xavi Simons fired a quick ball down the left touchline that was intercepted by Openda, who spun Dias and denied him a chance to recover because of his slow speed. After leaving Josko Gvardiol on the ground, the striker zigzagged towards the goal and defeated Ortega once more.

This meant that City’s lead in the fight for the group title was now down to only two goals due to goal differential. To salvage this game, though, Guardiola felt that a team chat at halftime was more important than anything else.

He decided to bench the unfortunate Dias in the hopes that Nathan Aké, his successor, would be more capable. There is no way City could have been worse during this time, with the 45 minutes leading up to the half being the worst in recent memory under Guardiola. Faster passing, quick touches, and greater positioning were desperately needed to bring Erling Haaland into the game.

When Leipzig lost control, City outpaced them in a fashion unknown of the Champions League winners. Usually, City’s cunning pierces that strategy, but not until tonight. Thus, eight minutes into the second half, Guardiola substituted Doku and Álvarez for Kyle Walker and Jack Grealish.

Álvarez touched the ball to Foden, who tapped to Haaland, whose cold-eyed strike eliminated Blaswich as a factor, and an instant payout ensued. In a record-low 35 appearances, it was Haaland’s 40th in the tournament and his 12th against this opposition. Guardiola declared: “He smashes the mark.” It benefits him. Haaland just could not stop breaking records.

The home crowd came alive and City sensed a victory as Marco Rose substituted his two-goal scorer Openda, signaling a shift in momentum. Through the equalizer, the shift persisted. After Aké stroked the ball, Gvardiol found Foden with a crossfield pass. Then came a class moment from City No. 47, whose dart forced Mohamed Simakan to watch as it finished through Lukas Klostermann’s knees and in, making the score 2-2.

For the final moment at the 86th minute, Doku initiated the attack. Doku with swift skills passed the ball to Foden in the first post and with a deflection from Foden’s through Alvarez netted the winning goal.

“I told the guys [at half-time] we made them angry,” stated Rose. They had, and City bounced back nicely. But as Guardiola hinted, his team might not be able to react quite so forcefully the next time.