An astonishing 30 goals were scored on Tuesday night and we have witnessed some very exciting games with a lot of twists in the dying moments.
Benfica vs. Atletico Madrid 1:2
This was the battle for the top of a group, and Benfica needed only a point to claim it. However, Atletico had other plans and won the game, so they will get a bit weaker opponent in the next round. Atleti took a lead after 33 minutes thanks to a Saul Niguez’s nice finish when Vietto found him at the heart of the box. The visitors doubled their lead after the man of the match Vietto flicked the Carrasco’s pass to deceive Julio Cesar and at that moment it was clear who will win the game. Benfica managed to score a consolation goal 15 minutes before the end when Mitrouglou clawed one back. However, it remained 1:2.
Galatasaray vs. Astana 1:1
Astana was close to surprising Galata at home after 1:0 lead on 62nd minute after Twumasi’s volley from the box ended in Muslera’s net. The home team equalized the score only two minutes later, though. Inan scored from a rebound to settle the final result and help his team qualify to the Europa League.
Manchester City vs. Monchengladbach 4:2
It was a very amusing game with six goals and a few twists. David Silva scored a sublime goal to give a lead to the hosts, but Julian Korb responded after only three minutes to tie the game. Raffael scored two minutes before the end of the first half for a surprising 1:2 lead for the Germans. City’s defense showed its weakness once again. The home team fans waited for 35 minutes in the second half for the Citizens to score and they finally did it. Actually, Man City scored three goals in an interval of only five minutes! Sterling with a brace and Wilfried Bony destroyed the visitors and City took the first place in the group following Juve’s defeat at Sevilla.
Sevilla vs. Juventus 1:0
Juve needed a point to secure the top spot in the group ahead of Man City, but Sevilla had the motive to win and secured a place in the Europa League. The first half was scoreless, yet we saw a couple of good chances on both sides. Fernando Llorente scored with a header from a corner on the 65th minute to keep Sevilla in Europe. Juventus probably didn’t deserve to lose but had to settle for the second place in the group.
PSG vs. Shakhtar 2:0
PSG proved a favorite tag with an empathic 2:0 win at home. Shakhtar wasn’t harmless, but failed to cash in on a couple of chances, so the home team deservedly won the game. Lucas Moura and Zlatan Ibrahimovic found the way to get a score for the Saints.
Real Madrid vs. Malmo 8:0
Real Madrid recorded a historic win after demolished the Sweden champions at Santiago Bernabeu. It was speculated that Rafa Benitez will rest his star players, but Ronaldo, Benzema, and James Rodriguez all started the game. CR7 scored four goals after opening two from Karim Benzema. Kovacic scored for 7:0 and the French striker completed his hat-trick to settle the final result 16 minutes before the final whistle. Only Liverpool managed to win 8:0 before this game. It was against Besiktas at Anfield in 2007. Interesting, Benitez was the Reds’ manager back then.
