Here’s what happened in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, in case you missed it…
The results
Zenit St Petersburg 1, FC Porto 1 | Borussia 0, Arsenal 1 | Ajax 1, Celtic 0 | Barcelona 3, AC Milan 1 | Chelsea 3, Schalke 0 | Atletico Madrid 4, Austria Wien 0 | FC Basel 1, Steaua Bucuresti 1 | Napoli 3, Marseille 2
The day’s main talking points
1. Dortmund gets a taste of its own medicine: Dortmund has earned a reputation as the classic counter-attacking side the past few seasons, expertly soaking up the opposition’s pressure before flooring them with a quick sucker-punch. On Wednesday, it was Arsenal who pulled “a Dortmund,” taking everything the Germans threw at them – and getting outplayed in the first half – before scoring against the run of play through Aaron Ramsey in the 62nd minute. Dortmund swarmed the Arsenal box throughout the contest, but the Gunners did well to repel the attacking forays of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Neven Subotic and Robert Lewandowski, as well as closing the space in midfield whenever the Germans were in possession. The pace picked up in the second half with both sides flying, but it was Dortmund who looked the more likely to score. And then out of nothing, Arsenal broke the deadlock, with Ramsey heading home off a priceless attacking sequence begun by Mesut Ozil. This was a big win for the Gunners, especially after their home loss to Dortmund two weeks ago. A statement victory such as this one not only put the Londoners top of their group – and dropped Dortmund to third and in danger of crashing out – but it also sent a message to Manchester United and the rest of the Barclays Premier League teams: Arsenal is for real.
2. Hulk more like Bruce Banner: Hulk’s tying goal kept Zenit St. Petersburg in contention in Group G, but the Brazilian striker was far from his best against Porto as he continued his struggling ways for the Russian club. Hulk (real name Givanildo Vieira de Souza) did well to pounce on a Porto defensive miscue before finishing into an empty net. It was his near-misses, though, that defined his performance on the day against his former team. His tame penalty attempt in the second half was easily saved by Porto goalkeeper Helton, prompting Sportsnet commentator Craig Forrest to note, “He took that like Bruce Banner, and not (the Hulk)!” Hulk had two more opportunities to win later on. He broke in on goal late and went to ground easily under a challenge from a Porto defender as the scoring chance went begging. Then at the death, his curling free kick was easily blocked by Helton. Three times, Hulk had a chance to decide the game. Three times, he came up short. This was in keeping with the trend of his underwhelming and underachieving performances by Hulk since his big money move to Zenit last year. We’ve witnessed only brief glimpses of the Hulk we were accustomed to seeing at Porto before his transfer to Russia. More often than not, the Brazilian striker has looked more like Bruce Banner than Hulk during his time at Zenit.
3. Beware of Atletico Madrid: Barcelona clinched a second round berth with two games to spare after putting the sword to AC Milan at Camp Nou. Ho hum. No surprise there, right? But would it surprise you to learn that Atletico Madrid also booked its place in the knockout round on Wednesday with two games remaining? It shouldn’t. Los Colchoneros have been one of the most consistent sides of the group stage thus far, winning all four of their games with relative ease and outscoring the opposition 12-2. The Spanish team has received balanced scoring – star striker Diego Costa only has three goals – and boasts a stout defence, anchored by Brazilian Miranda and Uruguay’s Diego Godin, that has hardly looked troubled. No doubt that Atletico has benefitted from a somewhat easy group, but the Spaniards have quietly and effectively gone about their business. Led by the dangerous Costa, Atletico has won 14 of its 15 games overall since the Spanish Supercup in August. You don’t want to face them in the second round.
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Match of the day
A lot of the focus was on the other Group F match between Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal, but Napoli and Marseille put on quite the show in Italy. This contest featured lovely volleyed goals, several swings in momentum and a late decider from Gonzalo Higuain in Napoli’s 3-2 win.
Goal of the day
Samuel Eto’o’s first goal was a gift from Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand. The Cameroonian’s second, though, came about after some smart buildup play. Teammate Willian made a probing run down the middle, drawing the defence out in the process, and slipped a pass across to Eto’o who took a touch and before powering it home just inside the post.
Save of the day
Zenit St. Petersburg’s Yuri Lodygin made many fine saves on the day against Porto, but his best came in the 69th minute. Porto’s Jackson Martínez pounced on a giveaway and unleashed a blistering effort from distance that swerved and looked destined for the lower corner. Lodygin did extremely well to fly to his right and touch the ball around the post.
Tweet of the day
Stefan Bienkowski hits the nail on the head:
Good win for Arsenal. Interesting to see Dortmund get a taste of their own sucker-punch football for a change.
— Stefan Bienkowski (@SBienkowski) November 6, 2013
Six pack of facts
Samuel Eto’o has scored for four different teams in the Champions League: Chelsea, Barcelona, Inter Milan and Mallorca.
Arsenal is the first English club to win away at Dortmund since Manchester United in the 1963-64 Fairs Cup.
Lionel Messi has scored seven goals against AC Milan – No player has scored more often against the Italian outfit in the Champions League/European Cup.
Hulk has been involved in all three of Zenit’s goals in the Champions League this season – two goals and one assist.
Marseille has scored in each of their three previous Champions League games in Italy, but has conceded 11 times in those matches.
Celtic has not kept a clean sheet away from home in the Champions League/European Cup (excluding qualifiers) since November 1988.
Stats courtesy of OPTA
Burning questions
Why did Schalke goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand linger so long on the ball on the play that led to Samuel Eto’o’s first goal?
How much danger is Borussia Dortmund really in of not making it out of the group stage?
Should teams be leery of potentially facing Atletico Madrid in the knockout round?
3 stars
1) Gonzalo Higuain: The Argentine striker bagged two goals to lead Napoli to a big win over Marseille kept the Italian outfit in contention in Group F and also eliminated the French.
2) Samuel Eto’o: The Cameroonian veteran showed that he’s still capable of magic, netting a brace in Chelsea’s win over Schalke.
3) Yuri Lodygin: The Zenit goalkeeper was outstanding against Porto, making many crucial saves to keep the Russian club in the contest against Porto.
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