Manchester City humbled Arsenal in an epic goalfest 6-3

Spanish teammates David Silva and Jesus Navas ecstatic
after Silva scored ManCity's 6th goal from Navas cross

Manchester City is tough at home.  Not even the league leading Arsenal was able to withstand the pressure of Manchester City as it suffered humility with a 6-3 drubbing at Etihad Stadium.  Manchester  City playing an inspired game was dominant in possession all throughout.  In contrast, Arsenal's seems lackluster and slow. Gone is the trademark free flowing game which Arsenal is known for.

As expected, Manchester City broke the ice in the 14^th minute when a wrong Bacary Sagna clearance resulted in a side volley by Sergio Aguero from a Samir Nasri corner.  Arsenal responded in the 31^st minute. Jack Wilshere stole the ball from Toure Yaya who square it to Mesut Ozil. Ozil released a probing cross that found Theo Walcott who fired just outside the penalty box. Dimechelis deflection helped as the stunned Pantilimon just look as the ball finds the back of the net.  However, less than 10 minutes later, Manchester City took back the lead in the 39^th minute when Yaya Toure found Pablo Zabaleta on the right hand side of the penalty box.  Zabaleta's ensuing cross set up for an Alvaro Negredo tap in and Manchester City is up 2-1.

Manchester City up the lead 3-1 into the 50^th mark of the game. Mathieu Flamini missed a Mesut Ozil pass. This error was pounced upon by Fernandinho who rushed to the box and rifled a goal.  Arsenal hopes however is revived when in the 63^rd minute,  Theo Walcott scored his second goal with a chip shot from a chip pass by Aaron Ramsey.  But it seems that for every Arsenal goal, Manchester City has ready answer.  Three minutes after the Walcott's goal, Manchester City responded and virtually dash hopes for Arsenal to salvage a draw. Samir Nasri slide the ball to the right to Jesus Navas. Jesus Navas then slide a cross which a waiting David Silva side footed for a bullet like shot that stunned Sczcesny.

Samir Nasri tried twice to score in the later part of the game. His first attempt missed but the same was picked up by James Milner who again found Nasri lingering in the box to give the perfect pass. Nasri latched on to the ball but his attempt went wide high above the net. Nasri's persistence however paid off as minutes later, he squared Fernandinho who scored an easy goal after an Arsenal defensive miscue. 

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker scored a consolation header at injury time to reduce the gap to 5-3.  However, for an Arsenal goal, Manchester City seems to have an answer.  Manchester City is gifted a penalty after Sczcesny fouled James Milner to set up a Yaya Toure penalty. Toure's conversion made the final count at 6-3. 

Neymar's double lifted Barcelona over Villareal 2-1

A very relieved Barcelona overcome a tough Villareal side to eke out a slim 2-1 victory.  Barcelona started the game again without Lionel Messi, Danny Alves and Adriano Correa.  Without their superstar, Gerardo Martino fielded Cesc Fabregas in his stead with Alexis Sanchez and Neymar Da Silva as wingmen.

Both teams find little chances in the early goings. But Barcelona was poised to take the lead but Alex Song's shot hit the near post denying the host the opening goal.  The break came in the 28^th minute when Jordi Alba's cross hit the hands of Mario in the penalty box. That set up the first Neymar goal to give Barcelona the lead before the break.

In the 48^th minute, Villareal evened up after Mateo Mussachio beat Marc Bartra to squeeze a bullet header from a Mario Trigueros corner kick.  Barcelona tried to  shake off the shock with that score but finds Villareal defense impenetrable. 

Things went differently when Xavi replaced Alex Song in the middle of the second half.  Just as Barca seems headed to another draw and split points with its visitors, Cesc Fabregas curled a cross near the back post which was chested by Alexis Sanchez who set up for a fine Neymar tap in to the relief of the anxious crowd. Barcelona protected the lead until the final whistle for that important three points.

Had Barcelona settled for a draw it could have given up the overall lead in the league as it is already tied up with Atletico Madrid.  It could have also ring alarm bells already as Barcelona has been suffering two straight losses. In the last round, it lost to Athletic Bilbao. Previous to that, it lost its  second round outing with the Dutch side Ajax in the Champion's League.  

Manchester City hammers Tottenham Hotspur 6-0

Alvaro Negredo and Jesus Navas ecstatic
after scoring goals in a game their team dominated

Manchester City hammers Tottenham Hotspurs with 6-0 victory. The rout started barely 14 seconds into the game when a poor clearance from Hugo Lloris allowed Jesus Navas to collect the rebound and fired a chip shot that was out of Lloris reach. The Spurs was about to counter with an Erik Lamela shot but it was timely stopped by Martin Demichelis. 

 The Citizens scored again in the 34th minute when Sergio Aguero's latched on from a Samir Nasri cross before his volley was cleared by Hugo Lloris. The rebound, however, went to Alvaro Negredo who volleyed the ball before it bounced to Spur's Sandro and into the net. Then, just before halftime, Jesus Navas feed Sergio Aguero with a cross which Aguero calmly tapped in as the host virtually wrapped up the game at the time. 

The goalfest continued in the second half. Alvaro Negredo released Toure Yaya in the left side and surged into the Tottenham box before squaring it to the streaking Sergio Aguero on the right who scored his second goal of the night. Then in the 55th minute, Alvaro Negredo made a drag back to catch a Fernandinho through ball before rifling a shot for his goal. 

Just as the Citizens was about to wrap up the game, Jesus Navas received a lob from James Milner and beat defender Jan Vertonghen before Navas slotted the goal to the very helpless Hugo Lloris.

Ajax dealt Barcelona its first Champion’s League loss for the year

Thulani Serero scored the opening goal
for the giant killing Ajax

Dutch side Ajax humbled Barcelona before a boisterous home crowd.  Ajax opened the scoring in the 19^th minute when South African international Thulani Serero meet Ricardo Van Rihjn’s cross with a little back heel from Danny Hoesen.

Ajax extended the lead in the 41^st minute when Pinto failed to hold on to his save from a Viktor Fischer shot.  The rebound fell to Danny Hoesen who flicked the ball past Carles Puyol and into slotting the ball into Pinto’s goal.

Barcelona countered early in the second half when Neymar was fouled by Joel Veltman who was red carded for the violation. Xavi Hernandez then coolly scored the penalty after Ajax goalkeeper Jasper Cilessen went the other way.

However, that was all Barcelona could do despite an already undermanned Ajax. Andres Iniesta and Xavi tried to weave play after play but Ajax defence was just too good to allow Barcelona to pull a fast one on Ajax.  Ajax preserved the lead to keep their hopes alive to qualify for the next round of the Champion’s League knockout stage next year.    

Mario Gotze returns, lead Bayern Munich versus Borussia Dortmund 3-0

Last year, Mario Gotze was one of those instrumental in Dortmund's successes.  Last Saturday, Mario Gotze leads the charge to defeat his former team in front of a silenced hometown crowd in the game between Bundesliga's top tier teams.

Mario Gotze tried to muffle his celebration
after scoring a goal against his former team

Things were even for both teams in the early goings as neither of them was able to penetrate the tenacious defending of both teams backlines imposed against the other.  Manuel Neuer's confident block against a one on one situation with Marco Reus highlighted the excellent defenses displayed by both Dortmund and Bayern.

Then the most anticipated moment came in the 55^th minute when former Dortmund player Mario Gotze entered the game substituting striker Mario Manzukic.  He is welcomed like a long lost son by the crowd. Ironically, however, it was this son who stunned them later.  In the 66^th minute, Gotze received a pass from Thomas Muller who squared and poked a right foot shot that was too far for Wiedenfeller to even touch.  Gotze raised his two arms, as if to mute his celebration, in front of a silenced and stunned crowd of his former team.

Less than 5 minutes before stoppage time, Dutch international Arjen Robben broke away from a lob by Thiago Alcantara and chipped the ball into the net as Munich scored its second goal of the evening.  Adding insult to injury, two minutes later in the 87^th minute, when Thomas Muller added another goal from a Philip Lahm cross to complete a victorious night for the visitors and great disappointment to the home town crowd.

Rivals Everton and Liverpool scores a 3-3 draw after a pulsating match

Teammates celebrate as Philippe Coutinho
scored the opening goal 

The Merseyside Derby ends in a draw after a pulsating match at the Goodison Park. 

The scoring began as early as the 5th minute after Philippe Coutinho caught Steven Gerrard's corner, and flicked it before side footing it past Tim Howard and James McCarthy who was inside the goal and give Liverpool the early lead.  Four minutes later, Everton equalised after Kevin Mirallas collected the rebound from Ross Barkley in side foot shot in front of Simon Mignolet. 

Ten minutes later, Luis Suarez brought Liverpool back in the lead after curling his free kick which slip past between Steven Pienaar and Gareth Barry and escape the outstretched hands of Tim Howard. 

Everton suffered a blow when striker Leighton Baines was substituted by Gerrard Deulofeu after limping through an injury.  The substitute never disappoints as he was sent clear by Mirallas before his attempt was quickly blocked by Mignolet. 

Everton clawed back  when Romel Lukaku side footed in the 72nd minute after a flurry of touches that found the ball to him.  Ten minutes later in the 82nd minute, Romel Lukaku again soared past Jon Flanagan to score a header and give Everton a close chance at victory.  However, that was not meant to be Liverpool striker, Daniel Sturridge, who entered as substitute headed the goal from a free kick by Steven Gerrard. 

Then, Gerrard Deulofeu's missed chances and that of Romel Lukaku's anemic pass to his team mate haunts Everton as it could have rendered a different result.  

Robert Lewandowski scores a hat trick as Borussia Dortmund pummels VFB Stuttgart 6-1

Marco Reus scored the second goal
 of the six scored by Dortmund

Borussia Dortmund blasted VFB Stuttgart with a 6 goal performance at home ground against a miserable VFB Stuttgart. 

Stuttgart drew first blood as Karim Haggui scored a header from a corner by Alexander Maxim in the 13th minute.  But five minutes later, Dortmund the first goal which would set up a 6 goal fest for the host. 

Dortmund answered in the 19th minute when Sokratis heads a corner by Nuri Sahin.  In the 22nd minute, Marco Reus scored in a fierce counter attack with Robert Lewandowski to smash the goal.  

In the second half, striker Robert Lewandowski took over and scored a hat trick including two goals which came only a minute apart.  In the 55th minute, Marco Reus back heeled a pass Lewandowski in a congested box with the latter made a flick before smashing the ball into the net.  A minute later, Henrick Mkhitaryan lob went to Lewandowski who slip past defenders Gotoku Sakai and Karim Haggui to score a rare back to back with a minute apart.  

Lewandowski scored his third in the 72nd minute when he collected a Jacob Blaszczykowski shot that hit the near post with a tap in.  Lewandowski could have scored a fourth goal by Pierre Emerick Aubamayeng's ball has crossed the goal line already when Lewandowski follow it up with a header. 

Villareal trounce Valencia 4-1

Giovanni dos Santos scores
 double for Villareal 

Villareal dominated Valencia with a 4-1 win at El Madrigal.  Villareal continues to send notice to the rest of La Liga that they are returning with a vengeance after being relegated two years ago. 

Villareal jumpstart early as Ikechukwu Uche nodded Giovanni Dos Santos cross past Vicente Guaita in the 17th minute. Five minutes later, Villareal added another goal when Hernan Perez heads Cani's lob from the left. 

Valencia tried to score in the 37th and the 39th minute when both Dorado Pabon and Joao Perreira failed to complete their attempts respectively.  

Villareal added another goal in second half but in some kind of a twist of fate.  Valencia defender Jeremy Mathieu fouled Ikechukwu Uche to set up a Giovanni dos Santos penalty.  However, Vicente Guaita tipped Giovanni's penalty to set up a corner.  Cani's corner was headed by Uche in the ensuing play and the rebound went to Giovanni who back heeled the shot and score his first goal.  Giovanni Dos Santos later completed his productive night with 25 yard curl against Ricardo Costa from a pass by Bruno in the 84th minute.  

Valencia however had a consolation goal in the 62nd minute when Ricardo Costa headed  an inswinging corner from Dani Parejo. 

Nastatic mistake hands Chelsea the win against Manchester City 2-1

Contrasting emotion: Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho whoop it up after Torres goal
as a stunned Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini looked on. 

Matija Nastatic committed a monumental blunder in the closing of minutes of the game enabling Chelsea to steal the win from Manchester City 2-1 in the latest round of English Premiere League. 

Chelsea substitute Willian just lobbed the ball ahead to Fernando Torres. It looks like Nastatic has beaten Torres for the ball, but in a twist of fate Manchester City goal keeper Joe Hart rushed in to get the ball.  Nastatic, unaware of what Joe Hart was doing heads the ball supposedly for safety only for it to slip pass Hart who is already so close to Nastatic.  

That blunder enabled Torres to pursue the ball and poked it into the net as Martin Demichelis could not do anything to stop Torres. 

Earlier, both teams are fighting tooth and nail to either score for the game or maintain the draw.  In the early goings, Torres was poised to give Chelsea the goal on two occasions.  In the 28th minute, Ramires feed a cross to Torres who missed the ball by few inches. A minute later, Ramires again gave another cross to Torres, who this time, had an open shot but still miserably missed as his shot went high up the goal.  

Torres however redeemed himself in the 37th minute when his cross to Andre Schurrle was completed as Martin Demichelis sliding save missed and allowed Schurrle to tap into the net.  

Manchester City however answered in the early part of the second half.  In the 49th minute, Samir Nasri made a perfect pass to Kun Aguero who slipped past between Chelsea defenders Gary Cahill and John Terry and scooped the ball which was too high for Peter Czech to block. 

It was even from then on and was headed for a draw until the Nastatic blunder in the 90th minute. 

Luis Suarez scores a hat trick as Liverpool dominates West Bromwich Albion 4-1

Luis Suarez

Luis Suarez scored a rare hat trick as he lead Liverpool in beating gritty West Bromwich Albion side 4-1. 

The first goal came in the 12th minute. Suarez received a pass from Kolo Toure and raced towards the penalty box.  Suarez then skirted Jonas Olsson and fired just as he entered the box and scored.  Then five minutes later,  in the 17th minute, Suarez received a pass from Aly Cissokho from the left and headed the ball just outside the penalty box. 

In the 54th minute, Claudio Yakob fouled Daniel Sturridge and set up a free kick by Steven Gerrard which Luis Suarez completed through a glancing header.   

Liverpool further stretched their lead in the 77th minute when Youssouf Mulumbu lost possession and the bounce went to Daniel Sturridge who scored with a chip shot that was beyond reach of Albion's keeper Boaz Myhill.  Sturridge celebrated with an Egyptian dance. 

West Bromwich Albion though made a consolation goal through a penalty by James Morrison in the 66th minute from a Lucas Lieva foul on Albion's Billy Jones. 

Nolan Roux goal brings Lille to victory over FC Nantes

Lille forward Nolan Roux produce the solitary goal in an exciting but almost scoreless game against FC Nantes. 

The break came in the 41st minute when Rony Rodelin's probing cross resulted into a sliding goal by Nolan Roux. Roux, who looks like in an offside position beat his man, Oswaldo Vizcarrondo,  to score in a sliding side volley right in front of the goal. 

Earlier, in the 27th minute, Vincent Bessat almost gave Nantes the lead had he been able to catch a pinpoint cross from Jordan Veretout. 

In the 73rd minute, Lille threatened to pad the lead with Salomon Kalou's header which however went straight to Nantes goalkeeper Remy Riou.  In the 80th minute, it was Lille goal keeper who stand his ground as he deflected two goal potential shots, first, knocking the ball over the head of striker Felip Djordevic and second blocking another side volley of substitute Fernando Aristeguieta. 

Nantes was reduced to ten men after Papy Nilson Djilobodji was sent off on a foul on Salomon Kalou in the 83rd minute. But still Lille failed to capitalize the advantage and was not able to add another goal until the end of the game. 

VFB Stuttgart draws with Nurnberg 1-1

Vedad Ibesivic's bicycle shot that missed

VFB Stuttgart jumps to an early lead in the latest round of the Bundesliga against FC Nurnberg. Barely 2 minutes after kickoff, Nurnberg defender Timothy Chandler fouled Alexander Maxim near the goal line.  That set up the Vedad Ibesivic penalty attempt that went inside the net trouble free.  

Not long after, FC Nurnberg reciprocated. In the 6th minute, Robert Mak lobbed a forward pass to striker Josep Drimic , who is apparently in an offside position but was not called, slotted the ball which hit the far post first before it crossed to the opposite post and into the net.  

From then on, both teams had great opportunities to score, most of it coming from Stuttgart, but none of it was converted.   The best among them is in the 45th minute when Alexander Maxim lobbed to Martin Harnik who missed the shot despite firing from point blank range.  For most of the game, Alexander Maxim was busy feeding hungry strikers Ibesivic and Martin Harnik at the front but excellent defense from Nurnberg prevent the two from completing the plays. 

The game ended in a draw but not before William Kvist lobbed a nice pass to Alexander Maxim whose shot was partially blocked by Rafael Schafer and finally cleared by Emmanuel Pogatetz

Neymar shines in El Clasico as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-1

Neymar showed his best when it matters most.  He showed his mettle no less than this year's first El Clasico between bitter rivals Real Madrid and his team Barcelona. 

Neymar struggled for most part of his career in Barcelona having difficulty in finding the back of the net.  He is permanently hounded by his opponents, often at the receiving end of brutal and physical fouls just to prevent him from scoring for Barcelona.  

But it was different on Sunday night, receiving a pass from Andres Iniesta who was swarmed by Real Madrid defenders in the middle in the 19th minute, Neymar displaying his trademark superior dribbling slotted a goal after his shot bounced between the legs of Daniel Carvajal as Barcelona lead Real Madrid by  a goal at the half. 

Neymar almost padded his goal and his teams lead when in the 54th minute, Andres Iniesta lobbed Neymar to the left that resulted in Neymar's brokeaway from Rafael Varane.  Neymar's rifle was however blocked by Diego Lopez. 

Real Madrid on the other hand, fought toe to toe throughout the game. It even dominated possession with its pinpoint passing and aggressive tackling and interceptions.  Its heads up play was almost rewarded when in the 58th minute Cristiano Ronaldo's on target shot was blocked by Basilio Valdes.  In the 72nd minute, Real Madrid almost equalized with Barcelona when Karim Benzema fired a cracker just outside the penalty box that rattled the crossbar.   

However, it was Barcelona who got the better luck of the game.  In the 78th minute,  substitute Alexi Sanchez received a through ball from Neymar.  Sanchez broke away from his marker Rafael Varane and engaged him in a one on one play. Sanchez controlled the ball and squared as if to penetrate the penalty area, but sensing that Diego Lopez came near for a possible sweep or block, Sanchez took a chance and fired a chip shot. Diego Lopez hand was unable to reach the high arching ball and the ball found the back of the net and sent the crowd at Camp Nou in frenzy.  Sanchez shot is one of the most beautiful and memorable goal scored by Barca this season. 

Cristiano Ronaldo on the other hand, spent most of the last ten minutes of the game ranting and complaining about a penalty not given to him after he was fouled by Adriano inside the box.  His rant continues even after the Sanchez goal that earned the ire of the official. Cristiano Ronaldo was booked for his insistent rants. 

Real Madrid finally broke into the scoring table after a fierce counter attack involving Ronaldo and substitute Jese Rodriguez. After receiving the rebound, Ronaldo raced towards the Barca goal and then squared to a streaking Jese Rodriguez to smash the ball into the net before a hapless Basilio Valdes. 

With the win, Barcelona further broke away from Real Madrid by earning additional three points.  The win is also the first for coach Gerardo Tata Martino who like Neymar made their debut to the El Clasico. 

Torres double helps Chelsea overcome Schalke 3-0

Torres celebrated after his opening goal

Chelsea rebounded from its opening loss to Basel to overcome Schalke at the latter's home ground. 

Fernando Torres first of his two goals came in the 5th minute. Branislav Ivanovic flicked Frank Lampard's corner with a header when Fernando Torres, waiting on the right side headed the back ball near the back post.  

Torres second goal came in the 69th minute. Max Meyer made an erroneous pass that was intercepted by Eden Hazard.  Hazard's heists set up a three to one Chelsea attack with Oscar, Hazard and Fernando Torres figuring out against Schalke's Jermain Jones.  Hazard passed the ball to his Oscar to his right.  Jones kept the pressure on Oscar who then slides the ball to Fernando Torres inside the box.  Torres then skirted Timo Hildebrand who slid and Fernando Torres scored on an empty net. 

Chelsea wrapped up its fantastic night with a third goal in the 87th minute by capitalizing on Benedikt Howedes mistake in passing the ball to Julian Draxler.  Ramires flashed the ball back after stealing it from Draxler.  The result was a fierce counterattack that figured another two in one offense with Eden Hazard and Fernando Torres against Joel Matip.  Torres crossover to the right in an apparent bid to confuse Matip who is marking Eden Hazard.  Hazard eventually slotted the ball past Timo Hildebrand to claim the night. 

Chelsea now leads in Group E despite its opening day setback. 

Borussia Dortmund dealt Arsenal its first Champion's League loss at home

Photo taken from Borussia Dortmund fb page

Borussia Dortmund dent Arsenal's seemingly impenetrable armour as it dealt the once undefeated Arsenal its first defeat in this Champion's League season 2-1.  And it did the feat right before the adoring crowd at the Emirates Stadium. 

At the start of the game, it seems something is wrong with Arsenal.  It is clear that Dortmund set up the tempo with its fast paced game and its more aggressive play.  Arsenal, looking lethargic and out of sync, have difficulty in controlling the game and oftentimes lose possession. 

The suspicion unravel in the 16th minute.  In the scramble to clear the ball just outside Arsenal's penalty box, Aaron Ramsey lost the ball from Marco Reus.  The loose ball was picked up by Robert Lewandowski who tapped it to Henrikh Mkhitaryan to his right who have a clear shot at the goal.  Szczesny's outstretched leg is of little help as the ball slips through and into the  net. 

Arsenal however later displayed their trademark run and gun play and eventually redeemed themselves in the 41st minute. Bacary Sagna lobbed a pass to Oliver Giroud at the center who flicked the ball.  Neven Subotic's sliding tackle missed and the ball slip from Roman Weidenfeller's hand to set up Giroud's side volley into an empty net that prompted a wild celebration at the Emirates.  

Oliver Giroud's volley

It turned out however that Dortmund have the last say of the game when it sealed the win in the 82nd minute.  Kevin Grosskreutz received a pass from Emerick Aubameyang and beat Kieran Gibbs defense and fired a speculative cross to the left.  Robert Lewandowski was there to receive it and scored a goal with an unstoppable one touch strike.  

Dortmund is now tied with Arsenal with 6 points after its opening  day loss to Napoli.  Arsenal loss for the first time after its impressive wins against Marseille and Napoli in the first two games in the tough Group F. 

Messi cancels out Robinho goal for Barcelona-AC Milan draw

Gerrard Pique and Robinho contest the ball

Neither Barcelona nor AC Milan claimed 3 points in their latest tussle of the Champion's League at San Siro as both played to a draw. The host drew first blood in the 9th minute when Robinho capitalized a Javier Mascherano mistake. Mascherano received a wayward header from Sergio Busquets but the former made a backpass that went to Robinho.  Robinho shadowed by Gerrard Pique flicked the ball to a streaking Kaka.  As the defenders attention shifted to Kaka, Kaka then return the pass to Robinho who is now positioned unmarked at the center of the penalty box and poked the ball into the net as Valdes was too late in reacting. 

AC Milan's lead however did not stay long.  In the 23rd minute, Cristian Zapata's pass was stolen by Sergio Busquets but he was sandwiched by Ricardo Montolivo and Philip Mexes. The collision let the ball loose and intercepted by Andres Iniesta who storm to the Milan penalty box.  Iniesta saw Lionel Messi on the right. Messi attacked from there and with a slight evasion on Philip Mexes smashed the ball to the net. 

Messi saved Barca from defeat 

It proved to be the marginal goal as both sides was unable to add another goal, not even Mario Ballotelli's substitution on Robinho produced another goal for Milan. 

In the second half, Barcelona clearly controlled the tempo and had more opportunities.  In the 54th minute, Lionel Messi passed the ball to Xavi before Xavi slide the ball to a streaking Iniesta who slipped past Philip Mexes and Cristian Zapata only for his shot saved by Milan keeper Marco Amelia.  

In the 70th minute, Lionel Messi lobbed Adriano to the left. Adriano brokeaway from Kaka but still he missed a close range shot.  Later in the 90th minute, Dani Alves powerful shot was stopped by Marco Amelia.  

Milan's other opportunity came in the 68th minute when Ricardo Montolivo's on target attempt was caught by Basilio Valdes. 

Barcelona always have a difficult time in San Siro.  In the knockout stage last year, Barcelona lost to Milan in the opening leg.  However Barca wrapped up the series when it thumped Milan 4-0 in the return leg at home.  With the latest game, the first round of the group stage is completed. 

Daniel Sturridge saved Liverpool against Newcastle 2-2

Daniele Sturridge saves the day for Liverpool

Striker Daniel Sturridge saved Liverpool from the brink of defeat with  his 72nd minute goal. 

Earlier, Newcastle took the initiative of the game in the 19th minute.  Chiek Tiote passed the ball to Yohan Cabaye in the right.  Cabaye raced towards Liverpool half of the pitch when all of a sudden, he fired a half volley to  the surprised Liverpool defenders.  The ball bounced to the ground first before it went inside the net not reach by Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet.

The initial lead remain until the 4oth minute. Luis Suarez was about to score a goal when he got a high kick from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa who was immediately sent off after being shown the red.  Steven Gerrard then cooly converted his penalty kick and Liverpool evened before the end of the half. 

A free kick was lobbed from the left and it missed the Liverpool defenders. However, to their surprise, Paul Dummet was already positioned properly and collected the bounce with a masterful smashing to the back post.  At that time, Newcastle seems to gain the control of the game. 

Just as Newcastle was about to wrap up the game, Liverpool bounced back in the 72nd minute. Luis Suarez and Moses figured out in an exchange,  until Suarez was able to squeeze himself deep into the Newcastle defense and launched a very precise and beautiful cross which Daniel Sturridge completed with a diving header. 

Liverpool could have added another goal had Suarez attempt  from a cross by Aly Cissokho in the 74th minute did not hit the crossbar.  Suarez again threatened to score in the 95th but his free kick off a foul by Mathieu Debuchy on him, was saved by  Tim Krull. 

Liverpool salvaged a draw to stay within a striking distance with the league leaders Arsenal and Chelsea. 

Milan outlast Udinese with Birsa goal

Muntari, Montolivo and Matri prepare for free kick shot by Udinese's Antonio di Natale

It was a night of attrition between equally determined teams, AC Milan and Udinese in the latest round of Serie A.

But the night belong to Valter Birsa who scored the lone goal in a fast paced match but produce only one goal.  The goal came in the 22nd minute when Birsa figured in an exchange with Robinho.  After receiving the pass, Robinho immediately returned the ball to Birsa who fired a curling shot that went through the top right side of the goal, out of reach of Udinese keeper Ivan Kelava. 

Except for that solitary scoring moment, the game became a tug of war punctuated by rough physical play, which resulted in bookings from both sides. Giemperlo Pinzi, Roberto Pereyra and Allan for Udinese and Sulley Muntari and Robinho for AC Milan.  Udinese's best chance for a goal came in the 84th minute when Udinese super striker Antonio Di Natale made a scoring potential pass to Luis Muriel only to be scuttled by Milan defender Ignazio Abate. 

Real Madrid recruit Kaka entered a game as a substitute past the 80th minute mark but failed to score a goal.

 

Miralem Pjanic lifts Roma over Napoli 2-0

Paolo Cannavaro (blue shirt)  pleading his case off a foul 
on Marco Borrielo (maroon) in the Roma-Napoli encounter

Miralem Pjanic become the hero as Roma came out victorious in the Round 8 of the Serie A. 

Pjanic's goal came in the 45th minute after being awarded a free kick by a Paolo Cannavaro foul on Gervinho. Pjanic scoop a looping shot that not even Pepe Reina's top hand diving save could prevented it. 

Miralem Pjanic

Before that, Napoli was poised to take the lead particularly in the 34th minute when Goran Pandev's shot bounced off from Morgan de Sanctis arm in a diving save and the ball slowly headed to the net.  But the timely clearance of Daniele de Rossi turned Napoli's gold into stone.  In the 45th minute mark also, Lorenzo Insigne's shot missed few inches from the net. 

In the second half, Napoli became the aggressive team.  It made several goal potential attempts.  In the 49th minute, Gokhan Inler shot grazed the net while in the 61st minute, Marek Hamsik's shot hit the near post in the left side.  

Napoli's chase for a win became more difficult when in the 79th minute Paolo Cannavaro was given his second yellow and automatic red off a foul on Marco Borrielo in Roma's penalty box.  Cannavaro was sent off and Roma is given a penalty shot which was converted again by Miralem Pjanic. Napoli tried to come back but to no avail even if Goran Pandev was already subbed by former Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain.  AS Roma secured the 2-0 lead and went on to win the game.  

Penalty and red card helps Borussia Monchengladbach beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0

Max Kruse after scoring the penalty shot

It was a very tight game for Borussia Monchengladbach and Borussia Dortmund but the breaks in the latter part of the game played a major role in producing the outcome. 

In the early goings, it seems Borussia Dortmund had the upper hand as it repeatedly pound the Monchengladbach goal with smashing strikes.  Had it not for the brilliant performance of Monchengladback goal keeper, Marc Andre Ter Stergen, including his double save in the 20th minutes in the first half in the attempts of Kevin Grosskreutz and and Mats Hummels, Dortmund could have scored a couple of goals.  In the 23rd minute, again Kevin Grosskreutz fired a side volley and again excellently blocked by Ter Stergen. 

The scoreboard lighten up however in the 80th minute. Raffael slide the ball to Max Kruse to his left.  Kruse then pass it to Alvaro Dominguez at the center who beat his defender Mats Hummels.  Hummels, however, committed a dangerous sliding tackle that knock down Dominguez for the penalty.  Kruse then cooly scored the goal in the ensuing play.  Hummels was sent off and Dortmund is reduced to 10 men. 

Dortmund tried to recover immediately, the closest they can was in the 85th minute when Marco Reus free kick hit the crossbar.  

However, Dortmund's shorthandedness resulted into another Monchengladbach goal in the 86th minute courtesy of Raffael who freed himself of his marker to fire from the upper right hand side of the penalty box which Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller failed to contain. 

Juventus bucks AC Milan's early goal to come from behind 3-2

Sebastian Giovinco,  who subbed Fabio Quagliarella, brought Juventus into the lead with his creative goal

AC Milan midfielder Sulley Muntari scored one of the fastest goals in football but that feat failed to bring his team to victory.  Juventus shrug off the initial jolt to recover and went on to win.  

The goal came in the 19 seconds into the game amid the flurry of passes from Ricardo Montolivo, to Robinho and finally to Antonio Nocerino who found Muntari on the left.  Muntari then poked a one touch shot that was too fast for Gianluggi Buffon to react. 

Fourteen minutes later however, Juventus even up with a powerful free kick from Andrea Pirlo which Christian Abbiati only managed to slightly touched.  The opportunity came after Milan's Nigel de Jong fouled Carlos Tevez on a dangerous buildup. 

It was not until the 69th minute when Juventus finally took the lead.  Cristian Zapata's pass to Ricardo Montolivo was stolen by Claudio Marchisio.  Marchisio passed it to Arturo Vidal in a congested center.  Philip Mexes sliding tackle successfully took away the ball from Vidal but the rebound fell to Sebastian Giovinco who use his shifty moves to elude the sliding Ignazio Abate to create space.  Giovinco then launched a smashing strike that went inside the net.  So strong was the strike that the ball even went through the net and was seen tumbling outside of the goal. 

Milan's hope further faded when they were reduced to 10 men following Philip Mexes sent off for rough play in the 74th minute. Shortly after, Andrea Pirlo's free kick shook the crossbar but the rebound landed on Giorgio Chellini who smashed the ball into the goal.  Juventus now lead 3-1. 

Milan however refuse to go down when Sulley Muntari scored another thunderous strike in the 90th minute and kept Juventus in suspense. Muntari's shot however proved to be marginal as Juventus held on to the lead until the final whistle. 

Serie A: Totti leads Roma over Inter 3-0

Francisco Totti

An inspired Roma side came out victorious against a lackluster Inter side in the latest round of Serie A. Roma captain  Francisco Totti provided the spark as he lead his team with two goals. 

In the 17th minite, Daniele de Rossi's attempted through ball was blocked by Inter's Andrea Rannochia. The rebound however fell to Federico Balzaretti. Balzaretti then set up a series of passes; to Florenzi and then to Gervinho. Gervinho finally found Totti at the center who finding enough space, launched a powerful strike that thundered through the net.   

Totti added another goal through a penalty in the 39th minute after an Alvaro Perreira foul on Gervinho.  Inter goalkeeper Samir Handanovic went to the correct side but the shot was too fast to stop. 

Roma further buried Inter in the 44th minute when Alessandro Florenzi added another goal from a well orchestrated attack that began with a flick from Daniele de Rossi to Kevin Strootman before the latter squared to Florenzi to complete the play. 

Champions League: Borussia Dortmund beat Olympique Marseille in the battle of opening day losers

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski lead Borussia Dortmind in blanking Olympique Marseille in the second round of the Champion's League group stage. 

The opening goal came in the 18th minute as Dortmund launched a lightning counter attack.  Marseille's Dmitri Payet free kick was blocked and the rebound went to Nuri Sahin. Shain lobbed the ball to Marco Reus on the left who passed it to Henrik Mkhitaryan at the center.  Mkhitaryan passed it back to the left to Erik Durm who switched places with Reus. Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was lured in the exchange and went to the left, anticipating an attempt from that side. Durm, however passed it to the center which went past the defenses of Mathieu Valbuena and Nicolas N'koulou and into the streaking Robert Lewandowski who made a back heel tap into an empty net.  Lewandowski even looked at the linesman to check for an offside flag but there was not and he preceded to celebrate. 

Dortmund again scored in the 52nd minute when Marco Reus free kick bounced in front of Mandanda who committed a defensive lapse and allowed the ball to bounce into the net.  The play showed defenders Marcel Schmelzer and Matts Hummels on the offside position.  As the ball descends, not one of them however touched it.  Mandanda, anticipating an offside violation was too late to react and his off balanced block was not enough as the ball instead went inside the net. 

Marseille's off night was capped by a penalty shot of Robert Lewandowski on a foul by Nicolas N'koulou.  Lewandowski faked it to left, but instead shot straight to the right, sending Mandanda in the wrong direction. 

It was Marseille's second setback after it yield to Arsenal in the opening match. Dortmund on the other hand caught up with its tormentor, Napoli which earlier lost to Arsenal 3-1. 

Champions League: Arda Turan saved the day for Atletico Madrid over Porto in a game of set up plays

Diego Simeone ecstatic after Arda Turan goal 

Atletico Madrid came out victorious in a game of set up plays in the group stage of Champion's League 2013-2014 season. 

Porto drew first blood in the battle of set up plays.  Tiago Mendes picked up a foul on a tackle on Josue in the 15th minute and set up a free kick for Porto.  Josue's kick found Jackson Martinez who made a diving header into the goal of Atletico Madrid sending the homecrowd ecstatic. 

However, it was Atletico Madrid's turn to rejoice in the 57th minute.  Josue trip Arda Turan in the right side setting up a free kick.  Gabi then made the kick and Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin fly high to beat all the Porto defenders to score on a glancing header. 

The drama continues in the 85th minute.  Eliaquim Mangala fouled Koke at the center just above the Porto penalty box. Instead of chipping the ball past over the wall, Gabi made a pass to an unmarked but slightly onside Arda Turan who slide the ball and smash it to a hapless Helton to make it 2-1 in favor of the Spanish visitors.  The Atletico bench emptied in jubilation as manager Diego Simeone was caught hugging one of his deputies. 

Atletico's win is a sweet follow up to their win against city rivals Real Madrid last weekend. 

Champion's League: Bayern Munich demolished Manchester City 3-1

Frank Ribery after scoring the opening goal

Bayern Munich stamped its class on a hapless Manchester City in the secound round of the Champion's League group match at the Etihad Stadium.  The Bavarians obviously dominated possession of the game right after kick off. Displaying a much shorter game under the tutelage of former Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, Bayern fend off Manchester City's semblance of offense as it is keeping the ball for most of the game. 

Bayern's new passing game eventually created great opportunities.  In the 7th minute, Frank Ribery latched on a long ball from Rafinha in the right flank.  After shifting to evade Jesus Navas, Ribery launched his shot from outside. Joe Hart's save bounced off and the ball find the back of the net as the Bavarians seized the lead. Manchester City tried to respond with the lead but a resolute Bayern defense and a superb passing game made it difficult to do so.  

The Citizens woes doubled in the second half when Bayern add another goal.  Bayern Munich defender Dante fired a well timed long ball pass from the left to Thomas Muller on the right in the 56th minute.  Muller broke away from Gael Clichy for a very open goal. Muller flicked the ball to evade Joe Hart before tapping the ball to an already empty net. 

Three minutes later at the 59th minute, Bayern added another goal.  Toni Kroos stole possession from Fernandinho and passed it to Arjen Robben on the right hand side.  Arjen Robben then shifted and beat Matija Nastasic defense and fired from the right.  Joe Hart touched the ball but the ball bounced on the inside of the near post and the ball went in. Bayern could have added another had Thomas Muller's shot an empty goal in the 76th minute hit the crossbar. 

Manchester City tried to solve the Bayern puzzle and made some changes which saw James Milner taking over Edin Dzeko, Alvaro Negredo replacing Kun Aguero and David Silva subbing for Samir Nasri.   Not long after, the changes made impact. In the 77th minute, James Milner shot from the right was on target but was save by Manuel Neuer's top hand save.  In the 80th minute however, Manchester City could no longer be denied. David Silva feed a pass to Alvaro Negredo at the center, Negredo then beat Jerome Boateng to fire his blasting strike that hit the backpost but went inside the goal. 

Manchester City's hopes was raised after Bayern was reduced to 10 men after Boateng's send off due to a foul on Yaya Toure.  David Silva's free kick however hit the woodwork and denied Citizens another goal for a more respectable finish.