The rationale behind these changes predictably comes down to having more games, and therefore more revenue, but it’s also part of a wider conversation about ensuring future generations of fans remain faithful consumers. Each team will play 10 different opponents in a mixture of home and away fixtures-the top eight will automatically advance, while those that finished nine through 24 will enter a playoff. The reformed Champions League will be expanded from 32 to 36 teams, consisting of a single league rather than eight groups of four teams. The best thing about this week’s results is that we get rematches of these games in a fortnight’s time, part of a wonderful quirk in the Champions League group-stage schedule and one that will be eliminated when the new format goes into effect. Elsewhere, FC Salzburg increased Wolfsburg’s miserable run by beating them 3-1 and extending their lead at the top of Group G, Barcelona got their first Champions League win, Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer was back on his bullshit in Lisbon, and Chelsea dispatched Malmo with ease. United were bottom of Group F at halftime but ended the night in first place. They came back from 2-0 down to beat Atalanta 3-2 at Old Trafford, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the winner. Wednesday’s drama was not so widespread, but it still saw Manchester United confound and delight in equal measure. Jesse Marsch’s Leipzig side responded well after conceding an early goal, going up 2-1 in the Parc des Princes, but couldn’t withstand PSG’s attack-Lionel Messi equalized in the 67th minute and gave PSG the lead after converting one of two dubious penalty decisions that went PSG’s way in the game (Kylian Mbappé missed the second in stoppage time after Messi, who was on a hat trick, deferred to him to take it).Įlsewhere, Ajax hammered Dortmund, Sporting beat Besiktas, Manchester City swept aside Club Brugge, and Real Madrid beat Shakhtar Donetsk, avenging last season’s two group-stage defeats and going level on points with group leaders Sheriff- Sheriff!-who lost to Inter at San Siro. Not to be overshadowed, Paris Saint-Germain and RB Leipzig alternated between periods of dominance and impotence with PSG ultimately prevailing 3-2. The Internal Reckoning of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández This Is Peak Mo Salah France’s Win Over Spain Was a Prelude to an Epic Rivalry in the Making After the game, Simeone and Jürgen Klopp sparked a mini-controversy by not shaking hands. Amid all of that, Naby Keita scored an otherworldly volley that would’ve been the highlight of almost any other game. By the time he scored his second goal in the 78th minute, Griezmann had scored twice and been sent off, as if trying his best to win Diego Simeone’s approval. And more brilliance from Mohamed Salah, whose brace in Liverpool’s 3-2 win saw him become the first Liverpool player in history to score in nine consecutive matches. Let’s return to Tuesday at the Wanda because it had absolutely everything: chaos, control, coolness, fire, rage, narrative, and two opposing footballing ideologies. This week’s thrilling match days were a reminder that the current format is actually really good, all things considered, which makes it a bit sad that it will soon change for reasons that have little to do with improving the quality of the games. You may be wondering when the angst comes in, and I’ll tell you: This Champions League era is entering its late stages, as the format is set to change for the 2024-25 season. I watched the game alone, displaying multiple “ Oh shit” faces to absolutely no one. It was easy to see that Atlético Madrid–Liverpool was becoming an instant classic. That’s what we do, right? Or at least that’s what I did on Tuesday night when Antoine Griezmann scored the fourth goal 34 minutes into an electrifying Champions League group-stage match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Maybe it’s because I’m a geriatric millennial that makes it pretty much impossible for me to enjoy anything anymore without worrying about the surrounding context.
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