Author: Amrit Santlani
The 2023-23 season of the UEFA Champions League kicked off on Tuesday night and the first round of matches was already quite dramatic. In Group F, also known as this season’s “group of death”, Paris Saint-Germain took the lead after beating Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at home. Meanwhile, AC Milan drew 0-0 with Newcastle United. In Group E, Feyenoord took the lead after beating Celtic 2-0, while Lazio picked up a late point to share top spot with Atlético Madrid.
PSG – Borussia Dortmund – 2:0
Second-half goals from Kylian Mbappe and Achraf Hakimi gave PSG an important win at the Parc des Princes. The visitors started the game promisingly: Donyell Malen had an early sight of goal, but his shot was saved.
Vitinha was extremely unlucky to hit the outside of the post, the ball came back out and Dortmund survived. Luis Enrique’s pep talk at half-time lifted the team’s spirits. Dortmund were lucky that Niklas Sule was not sent off for a suspected handball, but in the second half the German was guilty of handball and Mbappe converted from 12 meters.
Hakimi then succeeded against his former club, securing the three points with a close-range Moroccan goal after a fine team move with Vitinha. In the 79th minute, Bynow-Gittens had the chance to reduce the deficit, but hit the post, and Ramouche’s goal in stoppage time was disallowed for offside.
Brazilian defender Marquinhos kept things tight for PSG at the back, as he completed the entire game on an impressive night.
Milan – Newcastle – 0:0
After losing 1-5 in the Milan derby in Serie A, Pioli’s side were hoping to rehabilitate themselves in the eyes of their fans at the San Siro.
Newcastle, who hadn’t played in the Champions League since 2007, were under enormous pressure – Nick Pope made seven saves in the first half alone.
AC Milan regretted their missed chances as Tommaso Pobega forced Pope into a great save from his long-range shot, and the goalkeeper was also on hand to deny Olivier Giroud’s shot at the far post.
Rafael Leão missed two great chances, one in each half, and the Portuguese headed over the bar. But after attacking the whole game and taking 25 shots, Milan could have conceded a goal in the last minute of added time. Sean Longstaff had the visitors’ only shot on goal in the 95th minute, but Sportiello deflected the ball out for a corner.
Brazilian midfielder Bruno Guimarães struggled to impose his authority as Milan won the battle in midfield, but he completed the ninety minutes.
Lazio – Atlético – 1:1
Lazio hosted Atlético at the Stadio Olimpico and it was a thrilling match with a fairytale ending for the hosts. Diego Simeone’s men took the initiative early on and were rewarded for their efforts when Pablo Barrios opened the scoring from 25 meters out, his shot deflected by Daichi Kamada, leaving goalkeeper Provedel in the lurch.
Both teams struggled to add to their tally and Atlético looked destined to take all three points, but goalkeeper Ivan Provedel proved to be the unlikely hero.
Atlético Madrid failed to clear their lines from a Lazio corner, and the ball fell to Luis Alberto. The striker crossed and the goalkeeper headed the ball back for Jan Oblak, who was stunned, to equalize the game.
Brazilian full-back Felipe Anderson failed to make an impact on the game and was substituted after the hour mark. Young full-back Samuel Lino impressed once again in his first start and was substituted in the 79th minute.
Feyenoord – Celtic – 2:0
In the other Group E match, Feyenoord beat Celtic. Calvin Stangs scored in the 45th minute. In the 65th minute, Lagerbelke received his second yellow, leaving Celtic with fewer players, but Brazilian Paixão failed to score a penalty, hitting the goalkeeper (who was immediately substituted). In the 68th minute, Holm was shown a straight red, leaving Celtil with nine men. In the remaining time, Feyenoord scored three times, only Jahanbakhsh’s goal being saved. The other two shots were from outside the area.