PARIS.- Barcelona and Arsenalwith victories against rivals from the upper half, took a very important step towards the round of 16 of the Champions League this Wednesday in a sixth day that turned into a nightmare for the Manchester Citydefeated 2-0 by the Juventus.
The trip to Italy, on a cold night in Turin, further chilled the blood of a City that has been adrift for a month and a half, with only one victory in its last ten games.
In the Champions League, only his good start to the season saves him for now, since in the last three games he added only one point and that makes him fall to 22nd place, still in the playoff positions to qualify for the round of 16, but only one unit above the first team in the virtual elimination zone, Paris Saint-Germain (25th), which will precisely be its next European rival, on January 22 on matchday seven.
A goal from the Serbian Dusan Vlahovic at the beginning of the second half (minute 54) opened the way for the Turin team, who sealed it with a beautiful volley goal from the American Weston McKennie (75).
Erling Haaland had missed a one-on-one against Michele Di Gregorio in the first half, in an action that could have changed the script of the game.
“We played a good game, but we lacked small things to achieve a good result. We have to continue playing like this, to get out of this situation,” estimated Guardiola.
Juventus, noted for its addiction to draws, was able to rediscover itself with a victory that was crucial, after three Champions League games without a win. With 11 points, the ‘Vecchia Signora’ rises to 14th place.
Decisive Ferran Torres
At the emblematic Signal Iduna Park, in a duel between two of the most in-form teams in this Champions League, Barcelona beat Borussia Dortmund 3-2 as a visitor.
With 15 points, Barça is second, only surpassed by the leader Liverpool, the only team that has a total of six victories (18 points).
The Catalan team came into the match equal on points with Borussia Dortmund, current European runners-up, which has now dropped to ninth place (12 points).
Ferran Torres was the star of the night, with a double (minutes 75, 85). The Brazilian Raphinha (53) had previously opened the scoring for Barça, while for Dortmund the Guinean Serhou Guirassy (60 from a penalty, 78) provisionally equaled twice.
“Dortmund is a team that pushes you to the limit. I think we played a great game and we have to leave satisfied,” Barcelona player Dani Olmo told DAZN.
The other Spanish team in contention this Wednesday, Atlético de Madrid (11th, 12 points) chained a third consecutive victory in this Champions League, this time 3-1 at home against Slovan Bratislava, which is still with zero points.
The Argentine Julián Álvarez and the Frenchman Antoine Griezmann, the latter twice, left the three points in the Metropolitano.
Suffering at San Siro
In London, Monaco, one of the teams that surprised at the start of the tournament, continued to deflate and fell to 16th place after losing 3-0 on their visit to Arsenal, which placed third with 13 points, the same as five other teams. .
Bukayo Saka (minute 34, 78) scored a double that led the ‘Gunners’ to victory, before German Kai Havertz sealed the final 3-0 in the 88th minute.
“In the Champions League it is never easy and we had a bad time, but scoring the second goal was what gave us peace of mind,” said Arsenal’s Spanish coach, Mikel Arteta.
In the rest of the matches, AC Milan’s long-suffering victory at San Siro against Red Star (2-1) stood out, achieved with a late goal from Englishman Tammy Abraham (minute 87). The ‘Rossoneri’, with 12 points, are twelfth in the table.
The win of the night was achieved by Stuttgart (26th, 7 points), with a 5-1 victory over the Swiss bottom Young Boys (0 points). The German team is still in elimination positions, but is resisting the KO.
