Champions League grades: top marks for Shakhtar, United sink to new low
Editor’s note:these grades are for teams’ performances in this week’s round of matches rather than their chances of winning the competition as a whole.
What happened in Hamburg on Tuesday should resonate as one of the great Champions League stories. Shakhtar, a team without a home since 2014, exiled from Ukraine by war, continue to show off admirable fortitude. The 1-0 win over Barcelona had echoes of Shakhtar beating Real Madrid home and away in 2021. Sure, Barcelona did not play at all well, Robert Lewandowski was a virtual passenger but Danylo Sikan, a 22-year-old, showed the Polish legend how to convert a headed chance, while Newerton, an 18-year-old Brazilian, ran Barça ragged. Shakhtar’s is a spirit that cannot be broken.
A Borussia Dortmund, Atlético Madrid
Dortmund’s 2-0 defeat of Newcastle was humbling for Eddie Howe’s team, a further lesson that Champions League football presents myriad more dimensions to a Premier League team lacking experience in the tournament. Niclas Füllkrug, BVB’s bulwarking forward, scored a goal Newcastle could not recover from. They had failed three times to clear the second ball and paid the price. Julian Brandt, now such a key player for Edin Terzić, breaking through an increasingly desperate Newcastle press, showed real cool in his lengthy run and slide-rule finish.
A
Milan v PSG was the heavyweight tie of the week. Even if both clubs carry a touch of faded glory, the quality was high, and it was the greater wiles of Milan that took the spoils 2-1. Winning goalscorer Olivier Giroud continues to improve with age: he is far more sure a finisher than a decade ago, while his Milan teammates performed well to stop the nouveau PSG hitting their flow. Ousmane Dembélé rattled the crossbar, but Kylian Mbappé was constrained to positions where his danger could be curbed. The same went for teenage sensation Warren ZaïreEmery. It was a night where the individualism of Milan’s Rafael Leão was the shining light and the defining factor in the game. Christian Pulisic was forced off with a leg injury late in the game, but appears to have avoided a serious injury.
B+ Real Sociedad, PSV Union Berlin Eindhoven,
La Real are proof that homegrown, provincial teams can still make an impact at the very highest level. Back in the competition after a 10 year absence, they booked a last-16 place in style, blowing away Benfica in the first half to win 3-1, while also missing a penalty. Ander Barrenetxea, 21, scored their third goal in the 21st minute. Imanol Alguacil previously served the club as youth coach, and six of his graduates started the game with a further nine Sociedad-bred players on the bench.
B Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City, Lazio, Arsenal,Internazionale,RB Leipzig
When it comes to getting things done in the Champions League, most of the big boys did their job with ruthless efficiency, though Arsenal, in beating the ever dangerous Sevilla 2-0, got their campaign back on full track. Losing in Lens in the second match day has been corrected by beating the Spanish team home and away. A clean sheet for David Raya was highly welcome, as was a goal for Bukayo Saka, though he appeared to get a knock in the act of doing so; Sevilla had, like a few other opponents, clearly decided to target Arsenal’s key attacker. As a recovery from the weekend’s Premier League defeat to Newcastle, and all the hoopla that surrounded that, this was a real tonic for Arsenal. Leandro Trossard impressed at
false No 9 in the absence of Gabriel Jesus and Eddie Nketiah. The January signing from Brighton continues to be highly useful to his manager with his versatility across the frontline.
C+ Porto
Royal Antwerp are the type of opposition a club with the pedigree of Porto ought to swat aside with little trouble. That wasn’t quite the case, even though Antwerp were reduced to 10 men from 52 minutes in. Evanilson followed up the hat-trick he scored against the Belgians in the sides’ first meeting with the opening goal during Tuesday’s 2-0 win, but it was Pepe who took the headlines and seized history. The former Real Madrid defender and still Portuguese international nodded home to get their second goal. At the age of 40 years, eight months and 12 days, he is the oldest player to score in the competition. There was relief, too. Just a moment earlier, Pepe’s ageing legs had allowed Arbnor Muja to slip through and almost grab an equaliser.
C Galatasaray, Napoli, PSG
Being held to a 1-1 draw by Union Berlin, and thus handing the German side their first ever Champions League point was a disappointment for Napoli, who continue to struggle with their hangover from winning last season’s Scudetto. The draw ended a run of 12 defeats for Union in all competitions. Old foe Leonardo Bonucci, the former Juventus talisman, led the defensive line to hold Napoli’s forwards at bay. Union exited the competition by failing to win but Bonucci still allowed himself a moment of celebration as the final whistle sounded. Once David Datro Fofana, on loan from Chelsea, had equalised, Rudi Garcia’s forwards could find no way through. Napoli should still be good for the last 16 but their chance to secure progress was denied by Bonucci et al.
C
Sevilla, Braga, Benfica, Red Bull
Salzburg, Feyenoord, Red Star Belgrade, Royal Antwerp, Lens
Losing 3-0 to Real Madrid was no disgrace for Braga – the Spaniards won their first four group games for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Braga, playing in the Champions League after an 11-years absence, feature a combination of youth, rough diamonds and veterans. Defender José Fonte is 39, while playmaker João Moutinho is 37, though neither could bring their vast experience to bear.
D Young Boys, Barcelona, Newcastle
In losing to Shakhtar, Barcelona continue to be unreliable, falling below expectations this season even if the club’s financial problems mean they can no longer cherrypick the world’s best. Xavi, for all his high-mindedness as a coach, is yet to emulate the teams he played in. If Lewandowski struggled, then João Félix, a player of talent if not high achievement, was just as disappointing when coming off the bench. Félix continues to underperform his xG in domestic and European competitions, leaving Barcelona wholly reliant on Lewandowski as their sole goal threat. And there are problems elsewhere. It remains a surprise to see Oriol Romeu, a Southampton mainstay of so many years standing, anchoring their midfield.
DManchester United
Perhaps Manchester United’s overall performance in their 4-3 defeat away at Copenhagen means this is a harsh mark. But Erik ten Hag’s team’s propensity to steal farce and infamy from decent positions is unrivaled. Marcus Rashford’s red card in Copenhagen was one of those decisions that becomes subjective on slow-motion replay but these things do happen. The immediate response to that setback was to quickly surrender a two-goal lead. To then give up a winning position after Bruno Fernandes’ penalty and then lose is very Manchester United in 2023. At least there was promise in Rasmus Højlund’s performance, but the fear may be that he gets swallowed up by the chaos that surrounds him. United ended the night bottom of their group and their next match, at Galatasaray, looks fateful.
F Celtic
Brendan Rodgers struggles once more on the European stage as a manager, though Celtic’s 6-0 thrashing by Atlético Madrid must register as a nadir. And particularly as they had shown such spirit and attacking quality in drawing 2-2 with the same opposition a fortnight ago. Admittedly, Antoine Griezmann was having one of his magical nights, as was Álvaro Morata, and Daizen Maeda’s red card was unhelpful, too, though fully deserved as one of those tackles that VAR reveals the full horrors of. Celtic thus exited the Champions League, unable to overturn their manager’s woeful record in the competition. Grabbing third place and a spot in the Europa League looks a tall order, too.