Champions League Round 3 fixtures sees epic comebacks and upsets
Day 1 fixtures of Champions League round 3 group stage fixtures had some unexpected results and some amazing comebacks.
Group E
FC Nordsjælland held Italian champions Juventus to a 1-1 draw. Juventus are now yet to win a match or lose a match in the competition. FC Nordsjælland took the lead in the second half through Beckman. Juventus scored an equalizer in the 81st minute through Vucinic. Juventus are now 3rd in the group with 3 draws in 3 matches earning them three points, whereas FC Nordsjælland earned their first point yesterday.
Champions Chelsea lost to Shakthar in an away match. Shakthar took the lead very early in the match in the 3rd minute and then scored their second in the 50th minute. Teixeira and Fernandinho were the scorers. Brazilian youngster Oscar pulled one back for the Champions as the lost 2-1. Shakthar now lead the table with 7 points with one draw and 2 wins. Chelsea are second with 4 points.
Group F
BATE Borisov failed to produced the same performance they had against Bayern Munich as Valencia rampaged the 3-0. Spanish striker Soldado scored a hat-trick in a span of 23 minutes with one scored from the spot. Valencia are now 3rd in the group but with the same points as leaders BATE and second placed Bayern but behind only on away goals.
French side lost yet another match as they lost to Bayern Munich at home with Thomas Muller scoring from the spot the only goal and the winner of the match. Lille will now have a very slim chance of advancing with all the three teams above on the same points and with 2 wins and a loss.
Group G
Russian side Spartak Moscow got off their duck by securing their first win against Portuguese side Benifica. Moscow took the lead through Carioca in the 3rd minute. Benifica equalized through Lima in the 33rd minute. Moscow took the lead back one again in the first half in the 43rd minute through Jardel. Moscow are now 3rd in the group with 3 points and Benifica at the bottom with 1 point.
Catalans had a nerve cracking finish as they scored the winner in injury time through Jordi Alba. Celtic took the lead surprisingly in the 18th minute through Samaras. Barcelona managed to equalize late into the first half through a goal by Iniesta. The highlight of the match was the possession they maintained. They had 90 percentage of the possession as per UEFA Champions League statistics on their website. Barcelona are now sitting comfortably on top of the table with 9 points and 5 points ahead of their nearest team Celtic. At this rate Moscow, Celtic and maybe even Benifica will have to compete with themselves for the last spot.
Group H
Galatasaray got their first point of the tournament by managing a draw against Cluj. Cluj took the lead in the 19th minute but went down to 10 men in the 28th minute as Aguirregaray was booked a second time for a bookable offence. Despite having an one man advantage Galatasaray could only score an equalizer in the 77th minute through Yilmaz. Galatasaray are at the bottom of the table with one point and Cluj in second with 4 points.
Manchester United came back from a two goal deficit to win 3-2 against Sporting Braga. Braga went two up with a brace from Alan. It was Mexican Javier Hernandez who was the rescuer for the reds. Hernandez started alongside Van Persie and Rooney. Hernandez scored the first in the 25th minute for the reds. Then in the 62nd minute Johnny Evans scored the equalizer and then in the 75th minute Hernandez scored the winner for Manchester United. United now have 3 wins in 3 matches and are cruising into the next round. Braga are third in the group with 3 points.
Tags: Benifica, Chelsea, FC Nordsjælland, Juventus, Manchester United, Shakthar, Spartak Moscow, Sporting Braga
