Sports
Champions League Round-Up: Dortmund and Barcelona Dazzle with Dominant Performances
In a thrilling night of UEFA Champions League action, Borussia Dortmund delivered a resounding 7-1 victory against Celtic at Signal Iduna Park. The German side’s Karim Adeyemi shone brightly, achieving a first-half hat-trick which left the Scottish Premiership team reeling. This remarkable performance comes after Celtic’s commendable 5-1 thrashing of Slovan Bratislava in their opening Champions League fixture.
The match showcased Dortmund’s attacking prowess from the onset as Emre Can opened the scoring with a penalty just seven minutes into the game, following a foul on Jamie Bynoe-Gittens by Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. Although Daizen Maeda briefly restored parity for Celtic, Adeyemi quickly responded for Dortmund by converting assists from Julian Brandt to score twice, further extending the lead.
Serhou Guirassy added to Dortmund’s tally with a penalty before halftime, taking the score to 5-1. Despite Adeyemi’s substitution, the second half saw Guirassy and Felix Nmecha secure two additional goals, concluding the game at an emphatic 7-1.
Elsewhere, Barcelona asserted their dominance in a 5-0 win over Young Boys at home. Veteran striker Robert Lewandowski starred with two goals, while Raphinha and Inigo Martinez added to the scoreline, and an own goal by Mohamed Camara sealed the deal for Barcelona, who controlled the match from start to finish.
In Italy, Inter Milan secured a comfortable 4-0 victory against Red Star Belgrade, thanks to early goals from Hakan Calhanoglu and Marko Arnautovic. Lautaro Martinez and Mehdi Taremi also found the net in the second half, delivering Inter’s first Champions League win of the season.
Meanwhile, Bayer Leverkusen edged out a narrow 1-0 win over AC Milan, with Victor Boniface scoring the decisive goal. In other matches, PSV Eindhoven and Sporting CP shared points in a 1-1 draw, and Brest showcased their form by defeating Red Bull Salzburg 4-0 away, with two goals from Abdallah Sima.
Brighton & Hove Albion loanee Abdallah Sima impressed by leading Brest’s triumphant outing in Austria, where Mahdi Camara and Mathias Pereira Lage also scored against Salzburg, managed by former Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders.
Moreover, Stuttgart ended their long Champions League absence with a 1-1 draw against Sparta Prague. Enzo Millot headed in the opening goal for the German side, while Kaan Kairinen equalized for Sparta with a spectacular free kick.