Hard agree, here. It’s going to make it harder for the U.S. to measure themselves (and improve) against the top teams when they don’t have more regular opportunities for playing against them.
I was never a huge Klinsmann fan, but he had the right idea in terms of scheduling tough friendlies against top European teams. But with Nations League games in the mix, there aren’t enough fixture dates available for that avenue for improvement.
Bayern steamrolling over Dinamo Zagreb 9-2 with four goals by Harry Kane, three of them penalties. Has anybody before scored three penalties in regular time in the CL? Another new record anyway, this was the 21st win in a CL opening game for Bayern in a row.
He was the first to score three pens in a single UCL match. 9 goals for a side is also a UCL record (there were quite a few 8’s). 9-2 just came up short of total goals in a match, Dortmund won 8-4 in 2016. Mueller now has the most appearances for the same side in UCL matches, and he celebrated with a late assist.
Ter Stegen with an absolutely terribly pass out of the back forces Eric Garcia to foul and Barcelona are playing down a man for 80+ minutes today.
Maybe the funniest thing about the new format is that Barca doesn’t even get to come back against Monaco in a second leg.
Dortmund smash Celtic, unbeaten this season so far, 7-1. Reminds me of last season, shaky performances in the Bundesliga, but they ace it in the CL.
How has Guirassy been? I was glad to see him move to BVB.
I haven’t seen the game (I don’t subscribe to channels that show the CL, don’t have the money), but at least he, again, scored twice (only topped by Adeyemi who scored a hattrick). He has been scoring steadily for the last four or five games, after he had a rough start into the season with some injuries.
Several mild upsets today.
Villa beats Bayern 1-0
Lille beats Real Madrid 1-0
Benfica beats up Altetico Madrid 4-0!
But just too many matches.
Those are three startling results. I got to watch Benfica dismantle Atletico, couldn’t hardly believe what I was seeing from a Simeone defense.
In great part thanks to my personal favorite psycho Emiliano Damián “Dibu” Martínez
Well, there is now no doubt about it: Ipswich are officially better than Bayern.
Was getting ready to type my Barca v Bayern post and Raphina scores within a minute! Bayern has been traumatizing for Barca for a decade now so I’m expecting them to lose this still.
#1/2 vs #5 striker of the past 20 years?
Kane ties it. Been completely one-sided since the 1st minute. Unless Barca figure out an adjustment I can’t see Bayern not scoring 2-3 more.
Shows what I know. Raphina’s having an amazing season. Was very unsure of him when Barca first signed him.
Barça leading 4 - 1 in the 74th minute, seems a good time to overcome that Bayern-trauma. I don’t know what Hansi Flick as done to Raphinha but it exceeds my wildest expectations.
In the meantime yesterday in the Santiago Bernabéu, a player made me hum an old Lou Reed tune:
Vinicius, you hit me with a flower
You do it every hour
Oh, baby you’re Vinicius
Vinicius, you want me to hit you with a stick
But all I’ve got is a guitar pick
Oh baby, you’re Vinicius
Poor Borussia Dortmund, leading 2 - 0 at half time, dreaming of a revanche for the CL final recently lost to Madrid, and then… dang!
Man, I did not think much of Vinicius his first season in Madrid; Sergino Dest pocketed him in their first El Clasico. Now he’s one of 3 people at RM that’s arguably the best in the world at their position.
Jesus.
Well, this round the two best Spanish teams gave our allegedly two best a good rubbing (is that the right expression in football lingo? I’m still sometimes uncertain), it seems.
Drubbing or rubbishing, not rubbing.
But all of them true in this case.