Tag: Champions League

Arsenal fell short on the big stage again as their painful Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options.

Arsenal fell short on the big stage again as their painful Champions League semi-final exit against Paris Saint-Germain left Mikel Arteta to rue his club’s failure to provide him with enough attacking options.

Arteta’s side were unable to reach the Champions League for the first time in 19 years as PSG clinched a tense 2-1 win at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Trailing 1-0 from last week’s first leg in north London, the Gunners made a blistering start to the second leg but couldn’t convert their chances as Gianluigi Donnarumma’s superb saves inspired PSG’s 3-1 aggregate victory.

Arsenal were punished for those misses when Fabian Ruiz struck in the 27th minute before Achraf Hakimi’s clinical finish in the 72nd minute put PSG on course for the final against Inter Milan.

Bukayo Saka reduced the deficit with 14 minutes left, but it was too late for Arsenal to avoid the latest agonising flop of Arteta’s increasingly tortured reign.

Since leaving his role as Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City assistant to replace the sacked Unai Emery at the Emirates Stadium in December 2019, Arteta has rebuilt Arsenal after a bleak period prior to his arrival.

The Spaniard has turned Arsenal into serial title contenders and a force to be reckoned with in Europe.

But an FA Cup final victory against Chelsea in 2020 remains Arteta’s only trophy.

Losing the biggest game in their recent history leaves Arsenal facing a long summer of regret over their lack of success in the last two transfer windows.

Arteta’s Arsenal legacy is in danger of being tarnished by the club’s curious decision not to sign a prolific striker.

Injuries to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus forced Arteta to use Spain midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker with mixed results during the final weeks of the season.

But even before Havertz and Jesus were sidelined, Arsenal missed the ruthless cutting edge possessed by Premier League champions Liverpool and elite European teams like PSG.

Arteta had tried to remedy that shortcoming with a move for England striker Ollie Watkins during the January transfer window.

However, Arsenal were unable to convince Aston Villa to accept their £60 million ($79 million) offer, prompting a frustrated Arteta to admit he was “disappointed” when the window closed without reinforcements.

Arsenal gifted the Premier League title to Liverpool with 13 draws — six more than Arne Slot’s team — as their lack of killer instinct was exposed.

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And as Arsenal poured forward in waves at the start of the second leg against PSG, it was clear what a predatory forward would have added to their vibrant team.

The sight of Saka blazing over with an open goal at his mercy in the closing stages perfectly encapsulated Arsenal’s attacking woes.

Arteta praised Donnarumma as “the best player on the pitch” rather than blame his forwards.

But penalty area profligacy has been a recurring problem for Arteta throughout a reign that has promised more than it has delivered.

Without a Premier League title since 2004, Arsenal finished as runners-up to Manchester City for the last two seasons after squandering sizeable leads in the title race.

This season they couldn’t keep up with Liverpool’s relentless form, so attention switched to the Champions League.

When holders Real Madrid were demolished 5-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals, it seemed Arsenal might win the tournament for the first time to validate the Arteta era.

But that Achilles heel of errant finishing, combined with costly defensive mistakes, proved fatal against PSG.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice claimed they would need “big balls” and “magic moments” to beat Luis Enrique’s men.

Yet as Rice trooped miserably down the tunnel after the final whistle, it was painfully clear what they really needed.

“We were not strong enough in the boxes. That’s where we lost it,” Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard said.

“We have to learn from this. We did a lot of good things but it’s not enough.

“In front of goal is where games are decided and that’s where we have to be sharper. We have to use this pain in a good way.”

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Inter Milan are one victory away from Champions League redemption after Tuesday’s chaotic, mesmerising win over Barcelona, which propelled the Italians into their second final in three seasons.

Simone Inzaghi’s team had been in a fragile state in recent weeks after their treble bid went up in smoke, surrendering top spot in Serie A to Napoli and being dumped out of the Italian Cup by local rivals AC Milan.

But beating star-studded Barca, and the incredible manner in which they did it, has completely changed the atmosphere at Inter, who are now bullish about their chances of being crowned kings of Europe for the fourth time.

Inter will take on either Arsenal or Paris Saint-Germain in Munich, knowing their task will be nowhere near as difficult as it was two years ago, when they were narrowly beaten by possibly the best Manchester City team of the Pep Guardiola era.

That single-goal defeat to City in Istanbul was a bitter one for Inter, who felt they were the better team on the night, bridging a monstrous financial gap with the mega-rich Premier League club with tactical nous and desire.

“We’ve been thinking about this since the day after we lost the last final,” said captain Lautaro Martinez, almost sobbing with joy after the final whistle.

“Now we’ve got to rest and finish the season well, knowing we have another opportunity to make history.”

Inter have always had the reputation of being an anarchic, crazy club, as capable of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory as they are winning major titles.

Their 7-6 triumph over Barca, which flipped one way and the next over the course of two barely believable legs, fully lived up to their nickname of “Pazza (mad) Inter”.

Martinez had been a doubt right until the eve of the match but recovered from a hamstring injury in time to both score and win a penalty which gave Inter their 2-0 half-time lead.

And Francesco Acerbi would ordinarily get a nosebleed being as far forward as he was to send the tie into extra-time with his first-ever Champions League goal, at 37 years old, just as it looked like Raphinha had sealed a stunning comeback win for Barca.

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The Catalan giants could barely believe what they were seeing when super-sub Davide Frattesi guided home his extra-time winner, unused to being the team on the end of landmark defeats and frustrated at how their at times untouchable play failed to bear its expected fruit.

If anything, Tuesday’s win felt like a mark of destiny for a grand old team who have had to battle desperate financial difficulties and an enforced change of ownership just as Inzaghi has made Inter one of Europe’s pre-eminent sides.

“We were up against a great team, but we’ve been raising our game for the last four or five years, every single year, and we’re so proud of that,” said Martinez.

Inzaghi risked ending the season with nothing but criticism after trying to fight on three fronts with a budget that is dwarfed by those of Europe’s other major clubs.

Inter, like the rest of cash-strapped Serie A, can no longer attract the world’s top stars, so Inzaghi has had to create a team unit, a spirit that shines through on the big occasion.

Victory in Munich would be just reward for a coach who joined a club in turmoil in 2021 following the departure of both Antonio Conte and a clutch of star players, and he was close to the sack not long before Inter reached the Champions League final two years later.

Inzaghi’s ability was questioned after Inter lost a dramatic Serie A title battle with Milan in his first season and then finished 18 points behind 2023 champions Napoli.

But he has since risen to become one of football’s elite coaches, and now he and Inter have the chance of a lifetime to win club football’s biggest prize.

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Arsenal dumped out holders Real Madrid as a 2-1 win on Wednesday completed a 5-1 aggregate victory for Mikel Arteta’s side and set up a Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The Gunners’ 3-0 quarter-final first leg triumph last week gave them a vital cushion in the Spanish capital as they made the final four for the first time since 2009.

Bukayo Saka, who missed a first-half penalty, sent Arsenal ahead, and although Vinicius Junior levelled the 15-time winners were never close to making up the deficit.

Gabriel Martinelli rubbed salt in their wounds with a stoppage-time winner for Arsenal, who are yet to lift the Champions League trophy.

“We knew we were going to suffer, but we knew we were going to win,” Declan Rice, who netted two stunning free-kicks in the first leg, told TNT Sports.

“It’s such a special night for this club, it’s a historic night for this club… we want to win this competition.”

Los Blancos, far more brittle than when they won a Champions League and La Liga double last season, were convinced they could turn the game around, but created too little against Arsenal’s tight defence.

The Premier League side held their nerve to reach the semi-finals for only the third time in their history.

“We lost against a superior Arsenal, and we have to accept it,” Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois told Movistar.

“We’ve had the happy part of football many times, and then there’s the sad part, which is today,” added coach Carlo Ancelotti.

Kylian Mbappe chested home in the opening stages but was clearly offside, with the forward gesturing to the crowd to turn up the volume to create the fabled aura which helps Madrid pull off near-impossible feats at the Santiago Bernabeu.

David Alaba was booked for hacking down Saka as Madrid tried to add the grit they badly lacked in their first leg demolition in London.

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Arsenal were awarded a penalty seemingly out of the blue when the VAR booth instructed French referee Francois Letexier to review an incident from an earlier corner.

Raul Asencio pulled back Arsenal forward Mikel Merino in the area, and Letexier pointed to the spot, to the bemusement of the home crowd.

Saka stepped up to take it, but his poorly executed Panenka, skewing off to the left, was saved by Courtois.

It spurred Real Madrid on, and soon they had a penalty of their own when Mbappe hit the turf after Rice tussled with him.

However, after a lengthy VAR review, Letexier was called to take a second look, and he then decided Rice had not fouled the French superstar.

The breaks in play, along with Arsenal’s dallying at every opportunity, disrupted Madrid’s momentum, and Raya did not need to make a save in the first half.

“We didn’t have the accuracy upfront,” said Courtois.

Martin Odegaard, facing his former employers whom he joined as a ‘wonderkid’ a decade ago, helped forge Arsenal’s opening goal after 65 minutes.

The Norwegian linked with Merino, who slipped Saka in behind, and the Englishman made amends for his penalty blunder with an ice-cool dinked finish.

Four goals ahead in the tie, Arsenal thought their work was done, with defender William Saliba not concentrating on the edge of his box in possession.

Vinicius stole the ball away from him and beat the out-of-position Raya to level, two minutes after Saka’s opener.

Madrid’s increasingly slim hopes were dashed when Mbappe limped off with an ankle problem with 15 minutes remaining, and Martinelli made sure with a cool finish after Merino set him up.

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Barcelona are through to the Champions League semi-finals with a 5-3 aggregate win, despite losing 3-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday with Serhou Guirassy hitting a hat-trick.

Holding a 4-0 lead after a dominant performance in Catalonia, the visitors were made to sweat as Dortmund and Guirassy nearly pulled off a stunning turnaround.

Guirassy put Dortmund in front with a Panenka from the spot with 11 minutes gone and headed them two goals clear early in the second half.

Dortmund sensed a sensation, but Barcelona hit back, Fermin Lopez forcing Ramy Bensebaini into an own goal with just over half an hour remaining.

Guirassy reignited Dortmund’s belief with a third on the 76th-minute mark, and the final stages may have been different had Julian Brandt not been offside before scoring with 11 minutes remaining.

Despite losing their first competitive game in 2025, Barcelona are through to the semis, keeping their dream of a remarkable treble alive, 10 years after last completing the feat by winning the Champions League in Berlin.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick praised Dortmund’s performance and said his side “need to focus on the positive, not the negatives”.

“What the team has shown in the past few weeks is incredible. We’ve got a lot ahead of us this season. We’re a step further, but we’re not even close to the end,” added the German.

Barcelona, considered title favourites, will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in the final four.

Clearly outclassed in the first leg, Borussia Dortmund will take inspiration from Tuesday’s performance, not least the goal-scoring form of Guirassy.

The 29-year-old Guinean, who has spent most of his career bouncing between the first and second divisions in Germany and France, now has 13 Champions League goals this season- more than any other player.

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“I’m proud of what we were able to do. Barcelona are a strong team, but we fought until the death. We showed what we can do,” Guirassy said to Amazon Prime.

Despite a big first-leg lead, Hansi Flick made good on his pre-match pledge to continue attacking, opting against resting any of his attacking trident of Robert Lewandowski, Lamine Yamal or Raphinha.

With coach Niko Kovac admitting Dortmund needed a “miracle” to reach the semis after the debacle in Catalonia, the hosts’ task got a little harder when captain and centre-back Emre Can was ruled out with injury just before the match.

But Dortmund raced out of the blocks, Guirassy and strike partner Maximilian Beier going close inside the opening 10 minutes before Pascal Gross was the victim of a clumsy foul in the box by Wojciech Szczesny.

Guirassy stepped up to the spot and was nerveless, calmly unleashing a Panenka to get the hosts underway.

Borussia Dortmund sliced Barcelona open repeatedly without reward until half-time but made it count four minutes into the second-half, with Guirassy heading in a Ramy Bensebaini assist from a corner.

With Dortmund’s 81,355-strong Westfalenstadion smelling blood, Barcelona’s familiar response was to send their attack down the right, and the move paid off almost immediately.

After Yamal’s cross was half-cleared, Fermin Lopez found himself in the teenager’s channel, whipping a pass towards Lewandowski, which Bensebaini hit into his own net.

With Barcelona content to control possession as the clock wound down, Guirassy relit the hosts’ hopes when he scored his third in the final quarter of an hour, blasting in from close range after some delightful dribbling from teenage winger Julian Duranville.

The home fans erupted when Brandt scored three minutes later, but the midfielder was offside, allowing Barcelona a breather.

Barcelona managed to hold on despite waves of energetic Dortmund attacks in the final stages to remain on track for the treble.

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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) survived a second half onslaught to beat Aston Villa 5-4 on aggregate and reach the Champions League semi-finals despite a 3-2 defeat on Tuesday.

The French champions were cruising towards the last four when full-backs Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes struck in the first 27 minutes to add to their 3-1 first leg lead.

Youri Tielemans pulled a goal back for the English side before half-time, and two goals in two minutes from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa transformed the tie early in the second period.

PSG were thankful to goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma for keeping Unai Emery’s men at bay and preventing another famous collapse in the Champions League knockout stages.

“At the end, we got them suffering like we did,” said Emery. “To get this level is the next step forward that I want to try to build with Aston Villa.”

Villa boss Emery was in charge of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) when Luis Enrique’s Barcelona overturned a 4-0 first-leg deficit with a dramatic 6-1 win in 2017.

Luis Enrique again emerged victorious over his compatriot, but this tim, he was the one who watched his team almost blow a seemingly unassailable lead.

“I have to say that match for us is something that allows us to grow up and try to compete even better,” said Luis Enrique. “On the whole two matches we deserved to win and we are very happy because it’s the second year in a row in the semi-finals.”

Aston Villa had not experienced a European night like this since 1983, and there was an embarrassing moment for the hosts before a ball was kicked as the Europa League anthem was played instead of the famous pre-match hymn of the Champions League.

Luis Enrique’s surprise decision to start Bradley Barcola ahead of Desire Doue was justified just 11 minutes in when he sprinted down the left, and Emiliano Martinez spilled his cross into the path of Hakimi, who fired home the opener.

Another blistering break from the visitors cut Villa open as Ousmane Dembele squared for left-back Mendes to stroke in his fourth Champions League goal of the season and second of the tie.

Villa’s refusal to give up the fight was rewarded when Tielemans’ deflected effort pulled a goal back before half-time.

Villa fanatic Prince William and his son George were among the home support that were in raptures as what seemed an impossible fightback came closer to reality.

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McGinn’s deflected effort flew into the top corner to restore parity on the night at 2-2.

Emery’s decision to start with Marcus Rashford up front ahead of top scorer Ollie Watkins was a controversial one before kick-off.

Rashford has been reborn since a January loan move from Manchester United.

The England international was denied a goal by a stunning save from Donnarumma.

But from the resulting corner, Rashford nutmegged Fabian Ruiz, skipped past Vitinha and cut the ball back for Konsa to slot in at the near post.

A Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) side that looked imperious in the first 45 minutes were suddenly all at sea as Villa missed a series of chances to take the game to extra time.

Donnarumma produced more brilliant saves to deny Tielemans and then Marco Asensio against his parent club.

Willian Pacho blocked Ian Maatsen’s goalbound effort in stoppage time to deny Villa at the death.

But they have surpassed expectations in their first experience of the elite level of European football for over four decades.

For PSG, their quest to win the competition for the first time goes on and they have rarely had a better opportunity to end that wait.

Arsenal are their likely semi-final opponents as the Gunners take a 3-0 quarter-final, first leg advantage away to holders Real Madrid on Wednesday.

On the other half of the draw Barcelona will face either Inter Milan or Bayern Munich in a heavyweight clash.

But Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are arguably the continent’s form side, and with the Ligue 1 title long since sewn up, can focus entirely on conquering Europe in Munich on May 31.

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Paris Saint-Germain clinched the Ligue 1 title on Saturday with a 1-0 win at home against Angers as they prepare for a Champions League quarter-final showdown with Aston Villa.

PSG needed just a draw in front of their own fans to be confirmed as champions again, having started the day a huge 21 points clear of nearest challengers Monaco with seven matches left.

Desire Doue’s strike early in the second half decided the game in PSG’s favour, allowing Luis Enrique’s team to take the title with six matches still to play.

It is a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title for the club from the French capital and their 11th in the last 13 seasons, highlighting the extent to which they have dominated domestically since being taken over by Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.

“Our ambition is to win everything,” said captain Marquinhos, who has now won 10 titles since joining the club in 2013, to broadcaster beIN Sports.

“It is a nice feeling. It is the reward for the work we have put in throughout the season, for our consistency, and the team deserves it,” added the Brazilian centre-back, who will be suspended for the first leg against Villa.

PSG’s overall tally of 13 French league titles is three more than Saint-Etienne, who are the next most successful club with 10 but have not been champions since 1981.

Marseille have won nine titles, while Nantes and Monaco have each been champions on eight occasions.

The extent to which winning the French league has become a routine exercise for the Parisian outfit helps explain why celebrations were far from excessive on a beautiful spring day in the city.

However, Luis Enrique was raised aloft by members of his coaching staff while the PSG players undertook a lap of honour of the Parc des Princes pitch.

The trophy ceremony will take place at a later date, with PSG maintaining their focus on the European clash with Villa, who visit the Parc des Princes for the first leg of their quarter-final on Wednesday, before the return in England on April 15.

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However, PSG have another objective in their sights in the league, one which would make this title triumph stand out above all others.

They remain undefeated after 28 matches, with 23 wins and just five draws, and are on course to become the first team to complete a Ligue 1 campaign without losing a game.

The closest any French side has come to an unbeaten season remains Nantes, who went undefeated through their first 32 matches before losing their only game on the way to winning the title in 1994/95.

That was a 38-game season, while PSG will only play 34 matches in this campaign, with the league having recently been reduced from 20 clubs to 18.

They will not play again in Ligue 1 until a home meeting with Le Havre on April 19, with next week’s trip to Nantes postponed to April 22 in order to allow PSG to recover in between the two legs of their tie against Villa.

Ousmane Dembele, PSG’s top scorer with 32 goals in all competitions this season, was rested at kick-off against Angers, having netted twice in the 4-2 midweek win over second-tier Dunkerque in the semi-finals of the French Cup.

Bradley Barcola, the team’s second-top marksman on 18 goals, was also left out of the starting line-up and it was far from a vintage performance by the home side.

They were perhaps fortunate early on when Angers forward Esteban Lepaul ran through on goal before being outmuscled by Willian Pacho, the challenge a fair one in the eyes of the referee.

Doue was on hand to convert from a Khvicha Kvaratskhelia cross 10 minutes into the second half as he scored his 11th goal in all competitions since signing from Rennes at the start of the season.

That proved enough for PSG to win the game and take the title, maintaining Luis Enrique’s record of having won every domestic trophy since he took over prior to last season.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Brest scored in injury time to beat Monaco 2-1, meaning Marseille can go above the principality club into second with a win on Sunday against Toulouse.

Lyon came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 in Saturday’s other Ligue 1 game, a key encounter in the fight for Champions League qualification.

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Real Madrid produced a gritty display to reach the Champions League quarter-finals with a 4-2 win on penalties against rivals Atletico Madrid, following a 1-0 defeat after extra time on Wednesday.

Diego Simeone’s team dominated the record 15-time champions at the Metropolitano Stadium for much of the match.

However, Real Madrid has never been eliminated by Atletico in this competition. After Conor Gallagher scored in the first minute, Madrid fought hard to secure a 2-2 aggregate draw.

Thibaut Courtois made several saves to thwart Julian Alvarez, and Vinicius Junior blazed a penalty high and wide for Madrid.

In the shoot-out Alvarez scored for Atletico, but his effort was controversially ruled out for seeming to touch the ball twice because of a slip as he shot.

“The ball didn’t move,” complained Simeone. “I want to believe they saw he touched it (twice).”

Marcos Llorente also missed for Atletico, and Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger struck the winner for the reigning champions, who will face Arsenal in the last eight.

“I had to pick the coldest players possible (for penalties),” said Real coach Carlo Ancelotti.

“I think it’s a lottery still, a toss-up. Today it came in for us — Atletico go out with their heads held high because they played at a good level.”

Atletico played with caution in the first leg despite trailing, willing to take a single goal deficit back to the fiery Metropolitano stadium, where they believed they could really turn the heat up on their arch-rivals.

Real Madrid knocked Atletico out in the 2017 semi-finals in the final European game at the Vicente Calderon, with this being the first time the derby has been played at Atletico’s new home in the Champions League.

After defeats by Madrid in the 2014 and 2016 finals, the latter on penalties, and elimination on every other occasion the teams have met in the competition, Atletico were desperate to change the narrative but came up fractionally short.

“I think we played a great match, but unfortunately, we lacked a bit of luck,” Atletico goalkeeper Jan Oblak told Movistar. “The truth is that one feels pain; it hurts a lot.”

Atletico came flying out of the blocks and took the lead after just 27 seconds through Gallagher, levelling the tie on aggregate.

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Rodrigo De Paul’s low ball in from the right was not cut out by Raul Asencio and former Chelsea midfielder Gallagher lunged in to beat Courtois from close range.

“We came out as if it was already won, and in the first move, they scored a goal against us, and that messed us up a lot,” Madrid midfielder Fede Valverde told Movistar.

Atletico were content to sit deep and soak up pressure as Real Madrid pushed the ball around in their territory but were also ready to spring forward on the counter.

Courtois saved on three occasions from Alvarez, who had scored a brilliant goal in the first leg.

With Atletico controlling the game, Real boss Carlo Ancelotti brought on Eduardo Camavinga and Lucas Vazquez in search of fresh energy.

Madrid soon produced their best attack of the game, with superstar trio Vinicius, Jude Bellingham and Kylian Mbappe combining on a rapid counter.

Mbappe skipped away from Jose Gimenez and then was dragged down by the desperate Clement Lenglet for a penalty before he could shoot.

Vinicius stepped up, facing down a red wall of whistling Atletico fans behind the goal, and buckled under the pressure, firing high and wide.

Madrid shaded extra-time as both teams looked tired but pushed themselves to their limits with the match on a knife-edge.

Mbappe stepped up first from the spot and sent Oblak the wrong way, with Bellingham following suit after Alexander Sorloth netted for Atletico.

Alvarez slipped as he smashed home the hosts’ second penalty, and after a VAR review, it was ruled out as he had touched the ball twice as he struck it.

Oblak saved from Vazquez’s weak penalty to put Atletico back on track, but it was short-lived as Llorente crashed his penalty off the bar.

Oblak dived the right way for Rudiger’s decisive penalty, getting a hand to it, but he could not keep it out as Madrid marched into the last eight, after winning their sixth shoot-out against Atletico from six.

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Barcelona made sure of second place in the Champions League on Wednesday after being held to a 2-2 draw by plucky Atalanta, who failed in their mission for direct qualification for the last 16.

Hansi Flick’s team finished the new single league phase second on 19 points, ahead of Arsenal and Inter Milan on goal difference thanks to goals from Lamine Yamal and Ronald Araujo.

Barcelona had the chance to claim the top spot after Liverpool lost at PSV Eindhoven and twice went ahead but were pegged back in the 67th and 79th minutes by Ederson and Mario Pasalic.

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The match looked set for a grandstand finish when Pasalic poked home Marten de Roon’s pass but the Italians’ hopes of a historic win at the Montjuic Olympic stadium vanished when Giorgio Scalvini was stretchered off after falling awkwardly on his shoulder with three minutes remaining.

Defender Scalvini, who has missed most of the Champions League season with a serious knee injury, left the field moments after Atalanta made their last substitution of the evening, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini’s team with 10 men for the final minutes.

Barcelona will now face one of Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Monaco or Brest in the last 16 while Atalanta will have to brave the play-offs after dropping out of the top eight and finishing ninth.

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Mohamed Salah helped Liverpool to stay perfect in the Champions League on Tuesday while holders Real Madrid bounced back from their defeat at Anfield to topple in-form Italians Atalanta.

Elsewhere, struggling Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) gained a vital win at Salzburg, while Bayer Leverkusen edged Inter Milan to move second.

Aston Villa, in their first appearance in the continent’s elite club competition for 41 years, maintained their bright progress beating Leipzig 3-2 to sit third.

The first eight teams qualify directly for the last 16 with those placed ninth to 24 entering a play-off round.

In Spain, Salah’s 63rd-minute penalty proved decisive against dogged debutants Girona to extend the Premier League leaders’ record to six from six in the revamped format of Europe’s flagship club competition.

Under new coach Arne Slot Liverpool are virtually assured a place in the last 16.

“If you ask me about all six games, I’m really pleased with all the results… (but) I’m far from pleased about the performance tonight,” Slot told reporters in Girona.

“(We had) hardly any control at all over the game, maybe the second half was a bit better but then I’m trying to be positive.”

Mohamed Salah sent Paulo Gazzaniga the wrong way to net his 50th Champions League goal, pulling the Egyptian level with Filippo Inzaghi as the 10th-highest goalscorer of all time in the competition.

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The winger is out of contract at the end of the season but his 16 goals across all competitions have been essential in Liverpool’s superb first half of the season.

While Liverpool are sitting pretty with two league phase rounds to come early next year, kings of Europe Real Madrid, beaten 2-0 by Liverpool last time out, have work to do to ensure their progress into the knockout phase.

Kylian Mbappe gave Real a 10th-minute lead before hobbling off injured in Atalanta, his strike was cancelled out by Charles de Ketelaere’s penalty in first-half additional time.

Real coach Carlo Ancelotti started Vinicius Junior for the first time since a hamstring problem last month. The Brazilian had Real back on top before the hour, with Jude Bellingham also on the scoresheet for a 3-2 win over the Serie A leaders.

The hard-fought victory moved Real up to 18th on nine points and will have helped to settle any nerves at the 15-time European champions ahead of games against Salzburg and Brest in January.

PSG put the wheels back on their stuttering campaign with a much-needed 3-0 defeat on the road at Salzburg.

The French champions went into this encounter in the 25th with just four points and three goals scored after five matches.

They approach their last two league outings in provisional 24th – the final berth for the playoffs ahead of Wednesday’s games.

Bayern swept aside Ukraine side Shakhtar Donetsk in Gelsenkirchen 5-1. Fellow Bundesliga giants Leverkusen became the first team to score against Inter in this year’s competition in a 1-0 win that lifted them five points adrift of Liverpool at the top of the league.

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Holders Real Madrid kicked off the defence of their Champions League crown on Tuesday with a battling 3-1 win at home to Stuttgart in their first game of an expanded tournament.

Kylian Mbappe put Madrid ahead straight after half-time but Stuttgart equalised through Deniz Undav’s header before late goals from Antonio Rudiger and Endrick sealed victory for the Spanish giants.

Stuttgart had the better of an entertaining opening period but Carlo Ancelotti’s team have a habit of grinding out victories when up against the wall and they took the three points despite the visitors’ impressive efforts.

“We suffered at the start because we lost a lot of duels… the important thing was to win and we won, so everything’s good,” said Madrid coach Ancelotti. “You always have to fight at the start of the season, when you aren’t at your best.”

Mbappe reached five goals for the season in seven appearances across all competitions by opening the scoring when he raced into space at the start of the second half.

“I know I can do more, each game I feel better and now I’m scoring goals, and I’m happy here,” Mbappe told Movistar.

“(The game was) hard, but it’s the Champions League — it’s always difficult, but we won at home, we won the first game,” he continued.

“What we know is that the Champions League has changed and it’s important to win quickly to see if we can qualify quickly or not.”

Ancelotti selected full-back Dani Carvajal in central defence with Eder Militao not fit enough to start, while Jude Bellingham and Aurelien Tchouameni returned from injury to play in midfield.

Real Madrid have lacked a certain balance after stalwart Toni Kroos retired in the summer and the game lurched from end to end under the Santiago Bernabeu lights.

Bundesliga side Stuttgart had more of the ball and the most dangerous chances in the first half, with Enzo Millot heavily involved.

The French midfielder dragged an early shot wide and forced Thibaut Courtois to tip over his dangerous effort from range, the best of a handful of saves by the Belgian.

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At the other end, Kylian Mbappe had two shots saved by Alexander Nubel as he sought his first Champions League goal for Madrid.

Rodrygo had a shot narrowly deflected over while Madrid were awarded a penalty when Maximilian Mittelstadt appeared to catch Rudiger with a clumsy swipe, but the referee cancelled the decision after a VAR referral showed no contact was made.

Courtois thwarted Angelo Stiller and Undav hit the crossbar for Stuttgart, but they were brought crashing down to earth at the start of the second half.

Just 21 seconds after the interval Mbappe found the net, teed up unselfishly by Rodrygo. It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it and many did, still on their way back to their seats from the Bernabeu bars.

The former Paris Saint-Germain striker was not able to win the club game’s biggest prize while playing in France and his desire to lift the trophy matches Madrid’s obsession with it.

Stuttgart did not get the memo and after Vinicius crashed an effort against the crossbar, the German side levelled.

Jamie Leweling came close himself with a flurry of attempts before hooking a corner back into the danger area for Undav to head past Courtois.

Ancelotti sent 18-year-old Brazil striker Endrick on for the final 10 minutes, hunting a winner to get the holders’ trophy defence off to the perfect start.

The goal arrived swiftly, but not from Madrid’s galaxy of attacking stars. Instead, it was from centre-back Rudiger, who nodded home from Luka Modric’s corner in the 83rd minute.

Vinicius missed a golden chance to seal Madrid’s win but his compatriot Endrick made no mistake with his only opportunity, drilling home from the edge of the box at the death.

The forward opted not to pass to his more experienced teammates and took his shot early, catching out goalkeeper Nubel.

“He’s a kid with a lot of quality and he showed it,” added Courtois. “Obviously he showed personality by not passing to Vini or Kylian and shooting there himself.”

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