Author: Barkha Roy
Real Madrid – Union – 1:0
Real Madrid narrowly beat Union Berlin 1-0 in their Champions League Group C opener, spoiling the Bundesliga side’s debut in the competition. The match looked destined for a draw until the 94th minute, when Jude Bellingham scored his sixth goal of the season to secure Real Madrid’s sixth consecutive win.
The Spanish side controlled possession but struggled to break through Union Berlin’s solid defense, led by veteran Leonardo Bonucci. Joselu missed Real’s first chances. In the second half, Rodrygo had a shot saved and hit the post with a thunderous volley.
📱🤣 Admin really enjoyed @BellinghamJude‘s goal last night...#UCL pic.twitter.com/9BXz1kXFw1
– Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) September 21, 2023
Carlo Ancelotti’s side continued to press, and late substitutions from Federico Valverde and Toni Kroos intensified their efforts. However, Union Berlin held out until Bellingham’s late goal.
Rodrygo was the only Brazilian player in the match, showing promise in the second half, but he failed to score. Union Berlin face Portuguese side Braga in the next round, while Real Madrid visit Italian champions Napoli.
Braga – Napoli – 1:2
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Napoli secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Braga in a thrilling Champions League Group C match. The game was marked by missed chances for both sides.
Napoli took the lead late in the first half when captain Giovanni Di Lorenzo took advantage of a chance created by Victor Osimhen. Di Lorenzo’s shot bounced off the post and into the goal.
Braga, who returned to the Champions League after an 11-year absence, reacted in the second half. Striker Bruma equalized in the 84th minute with a well-placed header after a precise cross from Rodrigo Zalazar.
However, Braga’s hopes were dashed just four minutes later when Sikou Niakate inadvertently scored an own goal, deflecting a pass from Piotr Zielinski into his own net.
In the Napoli line-up, Brazilian defender Juan Jesus put in a solid performance, but received a yellow card towards the end. Some think he could have challenged Bruma’s header more effectively. Natan, another Brazilian international, came on later in the game but played a limited role.
For Braga, Brazilians Matheus Lima and Vitor Carvalho took part in the match. While Matheus showed composure and denied Napoli several chances, Carvalho performed relatively below expectations.
Benfica – Salzburg – 0:2
Meanwhile, in Group D, Benfica suffered a shock 2-0 defeat to Salzburg in the Champions League, a result largely shaped by a series of penalties and a red card. Salzburg missed an early penalty when Karim Konaté sent the ball over the bar, but soon had another chance due to a handball incident by Benfica.
Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin collided with Salzburg’s Strahinja Pavlović, resulting in the early penalty. However, Karim Konaté failed to take advantage of the opportunity. Benfica’s luck quickly changed when they conceded another penalty, when a deflected shot hit the crossbar and struck the arm of António Silva, who was trying to clear the ball. Silva was then sent off and this time Roko Šimić made no mistake when he converted the penalty.
Despite being down to 10 players, Benfica continued to threaten, with Ángel Di María leading the attack. However, Salzburg goalkeeper Alexander Schlager made crucial saves to prevent the goal. Salzburg took advantage of defensive lapses to score their second goal, with Oscar Gloukh netting after an assist from Šimić.
Although Benfica didn’t have any Brazilians in their starting line-up for this match, defender Morato came on early, replacing João Mário in the 16th minute, after defender Silva received a red card and was sent off. However, Morato ended up being responsible for Salzburg’s second goal when he gave away a back pass that inadvertently allowed Salzburg to counter-attack. In the 72nd minute, David Neres came on as a substitute, replacing Angel di Maria. Unfortunately, Neres had little or no impact on the match during his time on the pitch.
Real Sociedad – Inter – 1:1
Elsewhere, Inter Milan were held to a 1-1 draw by Real Sociedad in the opening game of their Champions League campaign. Despite leading Serie A with an impressive unbeaten run in the league, Inter struggled against Real Sociedad, who were making their first appearance in the Champions League group stage in a decade.
Real Sociedad were the dominant team for most of the match. The early pressure tactic paid off in the fourth minute, when Brais Méndez took advantage of a breakaway near the Inter box and scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Real Sociedad had chances to increase their lead, but missed chances, including a header from Robin Le Normand and a save from Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer, kept the score close.
Inter Milan began to threaten as the match wore on, and Lautaro Martínez came to the rescue with a goal in the 87th minute, his sixth goal in five games this season.
Carlos Augusto, a former Monza player, had an impressive debut for Inter, being the only Brazilian in the game, chosen by coach Simone Inzaghi to play the entire match. He made valuable contributions in both attack and defense and even provided the assist for Thuram’s goal, although the goal was later disallowed.