Going up
Real Madrid: Are the serial champions finally stirring? The holders have been sleepy and tetchy amid the new format as the problems of assimilating Kylian Mbappé play out in public. But in a vital 3-2 away win over Atalanta, Mbappé played his part, scoring a fine goal before leaving with an injury. That left the stage open for Real’s other modern Galácticos, with Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham scoring the goals that took the game away from last season’s Europa League winners. Mateo Retegui’s late effort had Madrid’s hearts thumping but it flew wide, and was probably offside anyway. To automatically qualify in a top-eight place Madrid need to rediscover the belief that winning games at this level is their right. Their final two assignments, against Salzburg and Brest, look very winnable, although Real sit 20th, four points off the automatic qualifying spots. If they qualify, the knockouts are where the Madrid machine can kick into action.
Brest: The team whose name continues to set Micah Richards off into giggles on CBS’s broadcast have more than punched above their weight. They are this season’s miracle. Beating PSV 1-0 placed the Ligue 1 side, an amateur club as recently as 2004, on 13 points, leaving them as a leading contender to be one of the top eight to automatically qualify. Brendan Chardonnet is the inspirational captain of a team of unsung heroes, with the highest profile being Massadio Haïdara, who spent five years on the fringes of the Newcastle first team. Éric Roy, once a cult hero Sunderland midfielder, is headed for coach of the year status in the competition should his team reach the knockouts. An outstanding goalkeeping performance from Marco Bizot against his Dutch compatriots laid the framework, and Julien Cardinal knocked in the winner after a well-executed set piece.
Club Brugge: Belgian football has rarely been in the ascendancy in the Champions League era. In the old European Cup, Club Brugge were the only Belgian club to reach the final, losing at Wembley in 1978 to Liverpool. After beating Sporting 2-1 in a comeback win this week, there are two match days to negotiate. And if Juventus and Manchester City represent a huge challenge, Brugge may already have enough to be in the top 24. Brugge’s third win in six Champions League matches this season was secured by Casper Nielsen coming off the bench to score the winner with his first touch. When Sporting scored early through Geny Catamo, the team now coached by João Pereira had seemed set fair for victory, only for the Belgian club to show off their trademark resilience under Nicky Hayen, a manager whose previous clubs include Haverfordwest County in the Welsh League.
Slipping down
Manchester City: Are we witnessing one of football’s all-time collapses? As his team lost 2-0 at Juventus, Pep Guardiola’s pinched features wore a familiar look of submission. Has it got to the point of the Catalan genius reaching for delusions? “We played good: really, really good,” he said, defying the view most observers would have of another jarringly flat City performance. “We missed the last pass, the last action when we arrived, and we conceded chances in some transitions. It happens but I am so proud of these players.” City are likely to have to settle for a playoff place, itself no disgrace considering other clubs in a similar position, though having to scrabble to get there is a further marker of the Premier League champions’ fall from grace.
RB Leipzig: Down and out, six losses from six for the group stage’s highest profile casualty so far. Aston Villa, a team struggling in England, completed the damage, with a battling 3-2 win on Tuesday. Leipzig are off the pace in the Bundesliga – they are in fourth place – at the same time as the Champions League has caught them out at every turn. Coach Marco Rose is under serious fire, such that weekend speculation had Erik ten Hag coming in to replace him. With RB Salzburg barely doing better on three points, Red Bull’s incoming head of global soccer Jürgen Klopp has a bulky in-tray to greet him.
Inter: They had to concede a goal at some point this season and Nordi Mukiele’s 90th minute winner for Leverkusen could barely have happened at a more inopportune time for the Italians. Inter seemed set for a sixth successive clean sheet, although they had been penned back by Xabi Alonso’s team, with Yann Sommer kept busy in goal. Meanwhile, Inter’s forwards and midfielders struggled with Bayer’s high press; the defence failed to clear their lines as Mukiele swept in the first goal Inter had conceded in a month. While Alonso danced on the touchline, Inter coach Simone Inzaghi was visibly enraged. “We should have been more daring,” he said, annoyed his team must now negotiate Sparta Prague and Monaco to be sure of a top-eight finish.
A good week for
Alisson, Liverpool. Until his error last week at Newcastle, Caoimhin Kelleher’s performances had some suggesting he could become Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper. But Arne Slot has never wavered from Alisson being his No 1. Playing his first game since October, Alisson showed why he retains Slot’s faith with a series of first-half saves against Girona, denying Bryan Gil, Miguel Gutiérrez and Yáser Asprilla with trademark command. His five saves set up Liverpool’s second-half improvement and eventual victory. Slot, scathing of the rest of his team, hailed Alisson: “He showed again today why I said so many times he is our first goalkeeper, nothing to do with Caoimhin.”
Ferran Torres, Barcelona. Rather like Raphinha, Torres had been written off as an expensive signing bought in haste, a waste in a time of financial crisis, but after his two-goal, 14-minute cameo to seize a 3-2 victory over Borussia Dortmund, he burnished his reputation as his club’s pinch-hitting man in a crisis. Robert Lewandowski, whom Torres had replaced, led the congratulations for the match-winner, whose goals lifted Barça up to second in the Champions League table. Torres has scored four in his last three games as Barcelona steady themselves after a ropey November stalled their runaway start to the season. He is behind Lewandowski, Raphinha and Lamine Yamal for a place in the forward line, with Dani Olmo also around, but has shown his full worth to Hansi Flick.
Weston McKennie, Juventus. Juventus’s second, clinching goal against Man City was made in America, Timothy Weah’s cross looping into the path of McKennie to volley in. The two USMNT members became the first Americans to connect for a goal and assist in Champions League history. “Being an American, being over here, it’s something you deal with, but I like it,” McKennie said. “I like when people doubt me, and sometimes I play my best football when people doubt me.” He has been something of a bit-part as Thiago Motta tries to overhaul Juventus, making only five Serie A starts but “Weston can do everything,” Motta said. McKennie ended his evening explaining to Micah Richards, a native of the city, why he struggled at Leeds. “It was always grey, I had a sunlight window in my house and there was never any sun coming through,” he said. “No Sunday roast, no nothing. I was alone. My area was like no area, nothing around. I went up to see Harry Potter World which was like an hour away.” Turin seems to suit him better.
