A Thrilling Night in the Champions League: Real Madrid’s Five-Goal Comeback Against Dortmund
Real Madrid, the defending UEFA Champions League champions, delivered another stunning “remontada” (comeback), led by Brazilian sensation Vinícius Júnior, who scored a hat-trick. After falling 2-0 behind against last season’s runner-up, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid came back with a thrilling 5-2 victory in the third round of the group stage.
Despite falling behind in the first half to goals from Dutchman Donyell Malen (30′) and Englishman Jamie Bynoe-Gittens (34′), Real Madrid, however, dominated the second half. German defender Antonio Rüdiger started the comeback with a goal in the 60th minute , followed by Vinícius’ strikes in the 62nd, 86th, and 90+3 minutes. Lucas Vázquez added another goal in the 83rd minute.
This victory serves as a warning to Real Madrid’s eternal rivals, Barcelona, ahead of their much-anticipated “El Clásico” clash on Saturday in La Liga. The win also lifts Madrid to six points in the group, bouncing back from a surprising 1-0 defeat to Lille in the second round. Dortmund, who had been unbeaten, now shares six points with Madrid after their first loss of the competition.
Milan Finds Their Winning Ways
AC Milan secured their first win in this season’s Champions League with a 3-1 victory over a weakened Club Brugge.
Dutchman Tijjani Reijnders scored two goals for AC Milan in the 61st and 71st minutes and played a key role in the sending off of Club Brugge’s Nigerian player Raphael Onyedika in the 40th minute. American forward Christian Pulisic had earlier opened the scoring for the “Rossoneri” in the 34th minute. However, Keryan Sabi equalized for the visitors in the 51st minute.
The win keeps Milan’s hopes alive for advancing to the knockout stages, having suffered previous defeats to Liverpool (3-0) and Bayer Leverkusen (1-0) in earlier rounds.
Meanwhile, Arsenal secured their seventh point with a 1-0 victory over Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk.
The only goal came when goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk accidentally deflected a shot from Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli into his own net in the 29th minute.
This win boosts Arsenal’s confidence after suffering their first Premier League loss of the season against Bournemouth. They now look forward to a crucial match against league leaders Liverpool on Sunday in the 9th round of the premier league.
Aston Villa continued their excellent European form with a 2-0 win over Bologna. Scottish midfielder John McGinn struck in the 55th minute, followed by Colombian forward Jhon Durán in the 64th minute.
Unai Emery’s squad has been in fine form, having already secured victories against Young Boys and Bayern Munich in earlier rounds.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Stubmles again
Paris Saint-Germain settled for a 1-1 draw against PSV Eindhoven, collecting their fourth point in the competition.
Moroccan right-back Achraf Hakimi scored the equalizer in the 55th minute after Dutch forward Noa Lang had given PSV the lead in the 34th minute.
In their first-ever Champions League appearance, Girona shook off a string of poor results with a 2-0 victory over Slovak side Slovan Bratislava.
Goals from Miguel Gutiérrez (42′) and Juanpe (73′) secured Girona’s second win in their last nine matches. However, Uruguayan striker Cristhian Stuani missed a penalty in the 88th minute.
Juventus suffered their first defeat of the tournament, losing 1-0 to Stuttgart.
After Brazilian defender Danilo was sent off with two yellow cards within three minutes (84′), French midfielder Enzo Millot missed a penalty for Stuttgart, which was saved by Juventus goalkeeper Mattia Perin in the 86th minute. However, substitute Malian forward El Bilal Touré scored the winner in the 90+2 minute from a Millot assist.
Sporting Lisbon continued their undefeated campaign, securing a 2-0 win over Austrian side Sturm Graz, further solidifying their position in the group standings with two wins and a draw.
