Champions League Day 1: Reactions

Day 1 of Champions League 2017-2018

By
PerSources Contributor
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Chelsea 6-0 Qarabag:

It was expected from the start. We knew this game would be nothing but a warm-up game for Chelsea. With all due respect, Qarabag will be nothing but an opportunity for teams to improve their goal differential. Chelsea came in and dominated from the start and were able to coast their way to a whopping 6-0 victory. It was nothing but a way for the new or bench players to get some minutes in, and so the team’s confidence can grow. It’s the Champions League, so don’t expect their next games to be that easy.

 

Roma 0-0 Atletico Madrid:

Atletico were forced to face a replica of themselves. Atletico had a total of 21 shots with 10 of them being on target and couldn’t put one away. Though they’ll be glad to leave Rome with a point, they’ll be disappointed for not coming away with all three. Can’t rely on Griezmann to score every game if they want to be true contenders. I truly believe if Fernando Torres would’ve started, he would’ve given Atletico that center forward that they needed. Roma had some chances to score as well, but Dzeko continues to blow chances on the regular. They have too many quality players on offense to just sit back like that.

 

Manchester United 3-0 Basel:

United took care of business in what will most likely be their easiest game of the group stage. A comfortable 3-0 victory demonstrated United’s dominance on the field throughout the 90 minutes. However, having only 8 of 18 shots on target is something that they cannot afford to do going forward in the competition. As expected, they were able to coast to a victory against the weakest team in the group, but there is still room for improvement.

Sporting 3-2 Olympiacos

The fight for 3rd place in the group started off brilliantly. Sporting started off brilliantly and were up 3-0 before half, dominated the first half, and had the scoreline reflect their dominance. However, they were lucky to walk away with all three points after they almost blew a 3-0 lead (almost as bad as blowing a 4-0). An entertaining game from start to finish, to say the least. Both teams are far from Juventus and Barcelona, but I expect them to put up a great fight for third place.

 

Barcelona 3-0 Juventus

Barcelona won their rematch for last year’s Champions League in a dominating fashion. The home side out-shined the injury-plagued Juventus side in every aspect of the game. Lionel Messi broke his Buffon-curse by scoring a sensational brace, as his Argentine countrymen Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain were nowhere to be found. It was a bit hard for Dembele to adapt early on, but as the game progressed, he started understanding his role more and more. A healthy Juventus doesn’t let this score happen. Don’t expect their game in Turin to be the same

Benfica 1-2 CSKA Moscow

Benfica should be kicking themselves after this result. 73% ball possession with 23 total shots, but only 6 on target. They opened the score in the 50th minute but were not able to recover after Vitinho’s penalty 13 minutes later. It was ugly, but Moscow came away with a CRUCIAL win away from home. Both teams will be competing for second place in the group, and if Benfica can even dream about making it out of the group, they have to take care of business at home.

 

Bayern 3-0 Anderlecht

The early red card ruined any chance that Anderlecht had to win the game. In my opinion, the foul appeared to be outside of the box, but nonetheless, the red card is not up for debate. Bayern went on to easily dominate the rest of the game and win 3-0 without really breaking a sweat. Like Chelsea, it was a great opportunity for some of the bench players to get some minutes in. Nothing but easy work for Bayern.

PSG 5-0 Celtic

Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani all scored again against a noticeably weaker Celtic side. Though their last two games have been against weaker sides, it gives the new attacking trio an opportunity to learn how to play with each other before the serious games. Overall, PSG dominated from start to finish and showed that they have the offensive firepower to make any defense uncomfortable. As expected, Bayern and PSG will dominate the group, but MCN have to really figure things out before they play Bayern.

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