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    • Champions League Briefing: Does Vinicius Jr. won the Ballon d’Or? Plus a Pulisic olimpico
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    Champions League Briefing: Does Vinicius Jr. won the Ballon d’Or? Plus a Pulisic olimpico

    Vaseline Posted on

    It was a night of remarkable goals from remarkable goalscorers as the Champions League returned for matchweek three.

    Vinicius Junior’s second-half hat-trick completed at the Bernabeu another European comeback from Real Madrid As Borussia Dortmund’s visitors went from two goals ahead to 5-2 at the final whistle after an hour, the Brazilian made a timely statement ahead of next Monday’s Ballon d’Or ceremony.

    But there was also an unusual goal from Christian Pulisic, while Viktor Gyokeres and Jhon Duran maintained their strengths, with the latter helping Aston Villa move clear at the top of the table.

    Here are the main talking points from Tuesday’s action.

    Is Vinicius nailed for the Ballon d’Or?

    At half-time in Madrid, Dortmund dreamed of their first-ever win at the Bernabéu, leading 2-0.

    Defending European champions Real, who were beaten 1-0 by French side Lille in matchweek two, were not only in danger of losing their unbeaten home record of fourteen matches in the competition, but also jeopardizing their hopes of qualification with a second defeat in the competition. three games.

    Vinicius Jr. comes in. A thrilling second-half hat-trick from the Brazilian set up this rematch of last season’s final in style. Dortmund must be tired of the sight of him.

    His first was just a touch, but the second was a galloping 60-yard run on the counter-attack that ended with a bullet drive into the corner.


    Vinicius gets his second goal (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

    His third was a dazzling run past three players before firing above goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.


    Vinicius completes his hat-trick (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

    Vinicius Jr was absolutely brilliant in the second half and Dortmund couldn’t figure out how to stop him. Accolades and praise will continue to come the erratic 24-year-old’s way – and on Monday he could well be named this year’s best player in the world when the latest Ballon d’Or winner is announced.

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    GO DEEPER

    How will the winner of the 2024 Ballon d’Or be determined?

    He is the runaway favorite for the award – presented by a jury of journalists from the countries represented in the top 100 of the FIFA world rankings, and based on last season’s performances – when the ceremony takes place in Paris. Only Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, seems to be considered a serious contender.

    Vinicius Jr.’s hat trick also provided the sparkle of the evening for a young talent who hopes to emulate him in the near future.

    Jamie Gittens’ star continues to rise and he became the youngest Englishman to score against Madrid, aged just 20 years and 75 days (he beat Alan Smith’s record when he played for Leeds United in 2001), when he put Dortmund away after 34 minutes two ahead. .

    Gittens’ time in the spotlight may be coming soon, but for now the stage belongs to Vinicius Jr.

    Pulisic’s Olympic Games

    What do Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Megan Rapinoe and now Pulisic have in common?

    Are they all right-footed? Have they all played in the MLS or for the United States? Yes, but the answer we’re looking for is that they all scored an Olimpico.

    In football language, this is a goal scored directly from a corner kick. It is a very rare feat and certainly not easy to achieve, as Lionel Messi will tell you. One of the best players to ever kick a ball has never poked one straight in from a corner, but that wasn’t because he didn’t want to try. as our Felipe Cardenas explained earlier this year .

    But Pulisic joined the club in the first half of AC Milan’s crucial 3-1 home win against Club Brugge.

    Video for British readers

    Video for US readers

    Did he mean it? With Bruges ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet dawdling off his line and leaving a gaping hole at the near post for him to aim for, we have to give Pulisic the benefit of the doubt.

    The olimpico should have been the inspiration Milan needed to take the lead in a must-win match, with the Italians having already lost to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. However, they made a huge meal of it, with Brugge equalizing despite being reduced to 10 men when Raphael Onyedika was sent off.

    When Milan’s star Rafael Leao was surprisingly subbed off on the hour, the San Siro crowd loudly voiced their dismay at manager Paulo Fonseca. But just 29 seconds later, with Leao still trudging across the pitch back to the bench, one of Fonseca’s substitutes Noah Okafor set up Tijjani Reijnders to make it 2-1.

    Ten minutes later, another substitute, Samuel Chukwueze, assisted Reijnders to seal a big win – and equalize for Fonseca.

    Can Villa’s fairy tale continue?

    Okay, we know Unai Emery is good, but come on, this is getting weird.

    Who was Aston Villa behind as potential Champions League leader after three games? Well, Emery’s team sit proudly at the top of the table, making up for lost time after a forty-year absence from Europe’s premier competition.

    Wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich and now Bologna, all without conceding a goal, may put Villa in the dark horse category of this season’s competition. Emery certainly knows how to win a European trophy, after four Europa League wins in seven years with Sevilla (three) and Villarreal from 2014 to 2021…


    Villa top the Champions League – can they stay there? (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

    Villa did not have an easy time at home against a stubborn Bologna team, but second-half goals from John McGinn (whose crossed free-kick from outside bounced through a crowd of players) and a seventh goal of the season from Jhon Duran (who was scored immediately afterwards submerged and, well, I thought that was pretty bad) were enough.

    With Villa, Monaco and Sporting Lisbon in first, second and third place, the early table looks unpredictable.

    It was just a shame that Villa Park wasn’t full for the occasion as some fans were put off by the Birmingham club count among the highest ticket prices in the competition .

    Giants wobble

    Domestic competitions such as the Premier League and Serie A have only just settled down after eight games… but how long before the very first competitive stage of the Champions League does?

    Halfway through matchweek three, there are plenty of big players who have not yet consolidated their place in the top eight, meaning they will go straight to the round of 16, and poor results for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday have pushed the automatic qualification race even further opened up.

    Juventus may be undefeated in the Italian top flight, but in the Champions League they conceded five goals in three games and were deservedly defeated by Stuttgart tonight in Turin.

    The Germans scored 22 shots (10 on target) to Juventus’ seven (one on target), but left it too late to take the points. El Bilal Toure brilliantly finished off a well-executed move in stoppage time, while Enzo Millot missed a pair of penalties. minutes earlier.


    Juventus react to their poor home defeat against Stuttgart (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)

    Meanwhile, PSG’s dubious Champions League form continues. They needed Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga’s injury woes to win in matchweek one, then lost to Arsenal and have now worked to a 1-1 draw against Dutch visitors PSV Eindhoven.

    Ousmane Dembele squandered two relatively easy chances as Luis Enrique’s loose team scored just once from 26 attempts. The French team was grateful for another goalkeeping error when Walter Benitez allowed Achraf Hakimi’s long shot through his legs.

    The prospects don’t look great for PSG, who face Atletico Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City and Juventus’ conquerors Stuttgart in their remaining five matches.


    PSG has just four points from three games (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

    Gyokeres’ hot streak continues

    If Viktor Gyokeres played in the Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga and scored as often as he does, he would be a superstar of European football.

    The fact that he plies his trade for Sporting in Portugal’s lower league means the 26-year-old Swede is likely to still fly under the radar, but there are reasons to call him one of the most popular strikers in the sport at the moment.

    The numbers are dazzling. Gyokeres has made 11 appearances in the Primeira Liga and Champions League this season, scoring 13 times, not to mention the four goals and three assists from four Swedish appearances.

    He scored 43 in 50 in all competitions for Sporting last season, and you wonder how many clubs regret not challenging Sporting for his signature when Coventry City, of England’s second division, sold him in 2022.

    His last, which helped secure a 2-0 away win against Austria’s Sturm Graz, was majestic.

    Video for British readers

    Video for US readers

    Gyokeres recently stated that his €100 million release clause may be a bit high, but if he keeps up this form there will undoubtedly be clubs willing to pay it.

    Tuesday’s results

    • AC Milan 3 Club Brugge 1
    • Monaco 5 Red Star Belgrade 1
    • Arsenal 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
    • Aston Villa 2 Bologna 0
    • Girona 2 Slovan Bratislava 0
    • Juventus 0 Stuttgart 1
    • Paris Saint Germain 1 PSV Eindhoven 1
    • Real Madrid 5 Borussia Dortmund 2
    • Sturm Graz 0 Sporting Lisbon 2

    What’s next?

    The remaining nine matches for matchweek three of the eight-round competition phase will take place on Wednesday.

    • Atalanta vs Celtic (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
    • Brest vs Bayer Leverkusen (5.45pm BST/12.45pm ET)
    • Atletico Madrid vs Lille (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • Benfica vs Feyenoord (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • Manchester City vs Sparta Prague (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • RB Leipzig vs Liverpool (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb (8pm BST/3pm ET)
    • Young Boys vs Inter Milan (8pm BST/3pm ET)

    (Top photos: Vinicius Junior and Christian Pulisic; Getty Images)

    Vaseline
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