Matchday four began with Massimiliano Allegri’s Juventus suffering a shock 2-0 defeat at Maccabi Haifa in a 2-0 draw thanks to a brace from Omer Atzili. It’s a historic win for the Israeli team and an embarrassing result for a Juve side who only fired one shot on target in the first half and showed little to push for. victory after Allegri’s substitutions at half-time. The Italian side have three points with two games to play, need results against PSG and Benfica and help elsewhere to qualify for the knockout stages. Juventus will need a lot of help going forward.
A heroic performance by Shakhtar Donetsk saw them draw 1-1 against Real Madrid in Poland a day after widespread Russian missile strikes on Ukraine brought the ongoing war between the two nations back to the headlines . Oleksander Zubkov opened the scoring in the 46th minute before Antonio Rudiger equalized deep into stoppage time, but it was a costly equaliser. Rudiger faced Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, although both players continued after receiving treatment. The draw puts Shakhtar in a good position to, at the very least, continue in the Europa League. They are a point behind RB Leipzig (who won 2-0 over Celtic), Shakhtar can qualify for knockouts if they can keep their form.
A red card to former Chelsea player Fikayo Tomori saw AC Milan fall to ten men as Chelsea won 2-0 away to take the lead in Group E behind goals from Jorginho and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang . It was another disappointing performance from USA international Sergino Dest after coming on in the game in the 37th minute as he missed a good chance to score, but Chelsea will also be concerned as Reece James injured his knee after being collided with Theo Hernandez and was replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta. His health will be a concern for Chelsea, and England boss Gareth Southgate will also be monitoring the situation as James could now join Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold in the physio room, with England’s deepest position returning now to Keiran Trippier.
Manchester City qualified for the Champions League knockout stage despite a goalless draw at home to Copenhagen. Pep Guardiola, who had points to play in the group, left Phil Foden, Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland on the bench in a game where they still should have had enough firepower to win. A Rodri flare was ruled out by a VAR review due to a handball from Riyad Mahrez who then had a chance to redeem himself from the penalty spot. He took a lukewarm run and shoved his penalty low, right and into the hands of Copenhagen keeper Kamil Grabara. City’s woes were compounded when Sergio Gomez was dismissed with a red card. City were able to qualify thanks to a 1-1 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla.
PSG and Benfica drew 1-1 again as Kylian Mbappe and Joao Mario’s penalties were overturned, but Marco Veratti will miss PSG’s next Champions League game due to an accumulation of yellow cards. Despite reports of Mbappe wants to leave the club he nearly played the hero but his late goal was ruled offside.
Champions League results
Tuesday, October 11
- Maccabi Haifa 2, Juventus 0
- FC Copenhagen 0, Manchester City 0
- Paris Saint Germain 1, Benfica 1
- Dinamo Zagreb 1, Red Bull Salzburg 1
- Borussia Dortmund 1, Sevilla 1
- AC Milan 0, Chelsea 2
- Shakhtar Donetsk 1, Real Madrid 1
- Celtic 0, RB Leipzig 2
Here are some takeaways from the early games
Juventus have been warned
After a disappointing loss to Maccabi Haifa, Max Allegri will be given at least until the end of the season when he managed Juventus but it is the comments made by club president Andrea Agnelli that should worry members of the club. ‘crew. He said: “It’s not the coach’s fault that we can’t even make a tackle. Allegri will stay at least until the end of the season.”
Juventus were better in the second half of the game having fine-tuned their formation, so it’s possible another disappointing start could see spells on the bench ahead for Leandro Paredes and American Weston McKennie. Both are essential to their national teams, so any drop in playing time ahead of the World Cup could be cause for concern. McKennie lost the ball eight times in the first half which helped Maccabi Haifa attack Juventus. He will have to be more careful with the ball as Juvetus’ attack and defense are struggling at the same time. The attack will only become more difficult for the team, with Angel Di Maria also picking up a hamstring injury.
An eye on the weekend for City?
Pep Guardiola usually finds himself in the spotlight for at least one game he surges in the Champions League, but with that draw against Copenhagen he may have had the right idea. With a critical Premier League clash with Liverpool to come this weekend, Guardiola opted against bringing in Erling Haaland despite needing a goal. But on the balance of the game, City could have wonhaving a goal ruled out and Mahrez missing a penalty.
It was a risky tactic to leave qualification for the Round of 16 in the hands of Borussia Dortmund, but it has worked thanks to City’s strong showing in the Champions League so far. But now they have to beat Liverpool to make the players rested in the draw worth it.