Things We Learned from the Champions League

By Brian Lofrumento | 22nd October 2009

Things We Learned from the Champions League | read this item

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real madrid dejected Another exciting Champions League week is in the books, and before we switch gears back to the Premier League, let’s have a look at ten things we learned from the midweek Champions League fixtures.

10Tuesday is for goals. Fans and neutrals around the world were treated to some thrilling matches on Tuesday. The ball hit the back of the net a staggering thirty-one times on Tuesday, and for fans trying to keep up with all of the goals it became too fast and furious. Half of the games played had four or more goals, and among the thrillers was a frantic 4-3 win for Fiorentina over Debrecen.

9Wednesday is for cards. If Tuesday will forever be remembered for its goals, Wednesday’s action brought red card after red card. There were six red cards shown during Wednesday’s eight Champions League games, and Bayern Munich even ended the match with just nine men.

8When the mighty fall, they fall hard. The magic of the Champions League was on display once again this midweek as quite a few of the tournament’s “minnows” caused upsets. Barcelona, heavy favorites over Russian champions Rubin Kazan, were embarrassed at the Camp Nou as they lost 2-1. Rangers got destroyed 4-1 at home to Unirea, Inter drew Dynamo Kiev at home, and AZ got an admirable draw against Arsenal in Holland.

7Own goals are better than no goals. This round of matches also brought an abnormal amount of own goals. Seven own goals were scored in the sixteen matches on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the pick of the bunch was the match at the Ibrox. Rangers were fortunate enough to be on the right side of a second minute own goal, but to return the favor in the second half they gave Unirea two of their own. Three own goals in one match is pretty rare, but anything can happen in the Champions League.

6The special one isn’t so special. When Jose Mourinho left Chelsea a few years ago everyone pointed to the fact that he didn’t accomplish his mission of landing Stamford Bridge’s first Champions League trophy. At Inter, the Nerrazuri just want to bring home a long overdue European crown, but yet again it looks like Mourinho can’t get the job done. Inter dropped two more points at home to Dynamo Kiev, leaving them at the absolute bottom of Group F.

5Money can’t buy a Champions League. Speaking of clubs trying to win a Champions League, Real Madrid have spent astronomical amounts of money just to win their most beloved tournament. Real has seldom showed signs of weakness this season, but on Wednesday night AC Milan showed that Los Blancos can be taken down, even at the Bernabeu. Real Madrid showed glimpses of strength, but in the end heart won.

4It’s easy to win, not so easy to defend. Real Madrid aren’t alone in their sorrows. It was mentioned above that Barcelona was upset at home to Rubin Kazan, but even outside of just the result, Barca are showing exactly how hard it is to defend a Champions League crown. There’s a reason it hasn’t been done in two decades, and people who thought Barca would run away with it this season need to rethink their predictions.

3The return of the Rossoneri. AC Milan is a sleeping giant in Europe. The last team to successfully defend their crown (in 1989 and 1990), the Rossoneri were extremely disappointed to miss out on last year’s campaign and were even more disappointing domestically. Now, though, with a new, young manager at the helm in Leonardo, Milan finally looked lively and invigorated. Their win against Real Madrid showed that the talent is there, and at long last the passion was back. Watch this team.

2France means business. When people talk about the world’s top leagues, they often refer to the Premiership, La Liga, Serie A, and – to an extent – the Bundesliga. This week Ligue 1 clubs gave a pleasant reminder as to why France’s premier division is one of Europe’s elite. Lyon impressed in their win over Liverpool, Marseille won on the road, and French champions Bordeaux grabbed a historic 2-1 win over German giants Bayern Munich.

1Comeback city. Can anyone remember a time when so many teams came from behind to win? This was certainly an exciting week for the Champions League, and punters worldwide were living on the edges of their seats as matches swung from one side to the other. Seven of the winners on Tuesday and Wednesday came from behind to win, with only six teams winning after grabbing the first goal. The Chelsea match was the only one that looked clear cut, and all of the other matches could have gone either way at any point. Exciting stuff indeed!

Did this Champions League round tickle your fancy? Have your say below!