Connect with us

Sports

Champions League Upsets: Monaco Triumphs Over Barcelona, Leverkusen Dominates Feyenoord

Published

2 hours ago

on

Champions League 2024

In a surprising turn of events at the UEFA Champions League, AS Monaco defeated FC Barcelona 2-1, thanks to a decisive goal by George Ilenikhena. The 18-year-old substitute made his mark by breaking free from the Barcelona defense and scoring past goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen in the 71st minute. This victory marked Monaco’s impressive start in the Champions League.

The match took a critical turn when Barcelona’s defender Eric Garcia received a red card just 10 minutes into the game. Garcia was dismissed for a last-man foul on Takumi Minamino, following a misplaced pass by Ter Stegen. Monaco capitalized on the numerical advantage soon after, with Maghnes Akliouche scoring to give Monaco the lead. Barcelona managed to equalize through their own young talent, Lamine Yamal, who scored with a precise low shot.

In another Champions League fixture, Benfica secured a 2-1 victory against Red Star Belgrade, benefiting from an early goal by Kerem Akturkoglu and a stunning free-kick by Orkun Kokcu. Akturkoglu scored in the ninth minute, converting a cross, while Kokcu doubled the lead with a well-placed free-kick. Red Star managed to score just before the final whistle, but it was not enough to overturn the result.

Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen began their Champions League journey with a commanding 4-0 win over Feyenoord. The visitors took full advantage of Feyenoord’s defensive slip-ups, with Florian Wirtz scoring twice. An own goal and a strike by Alejandro Grimaldo sealed the first-half dominance, leaving Feyenoord’s supporters disheartened.

Elsewhere, Brest made history by scoring their first-ever European competition goal against Sturm Graz. Midfielder Hugo Magnetti’s impressive half-volley found the back of the net in their match relocated to Guingamp’s Stade de Roudourou due to stadium inadequacies at their home venue. Despite the venue challenges, Brest’s European journey begins promisingly after an exceptional domestic season under coach Eric Roy.

Rachel Adams

Times News Global is a dynamic online news portal dedicated to providing comprehensive and up-to-date news coverage across various domains including politics, business, entertainment, sports, security, features, opinions, environment, education, technology and global. affairs. Our commitment lies in sharing news that is based on factual accuracy, credibility, verifiability, authority and depth of research. We pride ourselves on being a distinctive media organization, guided by the principles enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Made up of a team of ordinary people driven by an unwavering dedication to uncovering the truth, we publish news without bias or intimidation.