Three huge upsets on Champions League Wednesday fulfilled yesterday’s promises. In the process, English Premier League teams took a big hit. Arsenal and Manchester City’s losses combined with Chelsea’s defeat in Donetsk left Manchester United as England’s only mid-week winner.
Spanish and German teams combined for six wins in seven games, the only loss coming when the leagues’ champions faced off in Dortmund. English and Italian teams? One win in five games.
Group A
Porto 3-2 Dynamo Kyiv – Give credit to Dynamo, because this game wasn’t supposed to be this competitive. After Porto beat Paris Saint-Germain at home on matchday two, their visit from Ukraine’s runners up was expected to go smoothly. Oleh Blokhin’s team had different ideas, equalizing twice before Jackson Martínez’s second goal of the night gave Porto three points.
What a signing the Colombian’s turned out to be, scoring eight times in 10 appearances since moving from Mexico this summer.
Dinamo Zagreb 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain – On Monday, Carlo Ancellotti called for big games from Jeremy Menez and Javier Pastore. Menez responded with a goal and an assist. Pastore registered a helper of his own. Up two at intermission, the Parisians were never threatened, putting forth what’s become a typical, controlling PSG performance.
Impact – Porto stays perfect and on top of the group with only their 1-0 win on matchday two separating them from PSG. Dynamo Kyiv looks like the clear third-best team, but they’ve gotten their two hardest matches out of the way (at Porto, at PSG on matchday one). Playing better under Oleh Blokhin, they can still be a factor.
Group B
Arsenal 0-2 Schalke – An amazingly inept performance from Arsenal, who showed none of the qualities that fuel their reputation for playing one of the most attractive (and successful) styles in the world. They were bad, and Schalke took advantage. Klaas-Jan Huntelaar put them in front near the hour mark, with Ibrahim Afellay’s late goal ensuring Arsenal’s doom.
Montpellier 1-2 Olympiacos – A good performance by Montpellier was left unrewarded when substitute Konstantinos Mitroglou gave Olympiacos their first lead in second half stoppage time. The Greeks managed only two shots on frame, but both got past Laurent Pionnier. Montpellier held the lead and 63 percent of the possession but are left empty handed.
Impact – Arsenal could very well rebound in Gelsenkirchen, but Wednesday result puts Schalke in the driver’s seat. A draw in Germany and they likely win this group. The Gunners may have to be more worried about Olympiacos. With a loss in Germany, Arsenal bring the Greek champions into frame for second, with a trip to Pireaus still on the schedule.
Group C
Málaga 1-0 Milan – A dull game fell to the Andalusians when Joaquin made up for a missed penalty kick with a second half winner. Max Allegri’s shift to a 3-4-3 formation worked to limited degree, limiting Málaga to two shots, though his team is still unable to find ay consistency in attack. Except the rumors about Allegri’s job security to persist.
Zenit 1-0 Anderlecht – This was the absolute minimum Zenit should have expected against a team that still hasn’t scored in the competition. The Russians again failed to show their potential. If it weren’t for a Milan Jovanovic transgression, Aleksandr Kerzahkov wouldn’t have been able to win it from the spot in the second half.
Impact – We didn’t learn anything about Group C. We knew Málaga were the best team. We knew Milan was probably next in line. Though today’s results keep Zenit close enough to matter, it’s hard to get too excited about a team playing so poorly.
Group D
Borussia Dortmund 2-1 Real Madrid – Breakthrough. Huge breakthrough for Jurgen Klopp’s team. They got a thoroughly deserved three points from one of the world’s elite teams, in the process making their 2011 group stage results off limits. No more “can they step up” analyses. Borussia Dortmund not only beat Real Madrid, they outplayed them. Thoroughly.
More: Breaking down BVB’s big day against Real Madrid.
Ajax 3-1 Manchester City – Congratulations are due Ajax, who score the biggest win of the Frank de Boer era, but Roberto Mancini deserves all the criticism he’s destined to receive. Beyond having the vastly more talented team, he didn’t have his players ready to match Ajax’s intensity. They were second best all night, and for a team that aspires to be a major factor in Europe, the performance was not only unacceptable, it played into the perception Mancini is not a good coach for this competition.
Impact – With Dortmund stepping up and City faltering, BVB and Real Madrid are destined to advance. It’s just a matter of deciding who wins the group.
