3 Things We Learnt From Wednesday Night’s Champions League Action

Tuesday night’s Champions League drama set a high bar, but Wednesday night more than lived up to the hype. Packed with thrilling encounters, last night's action in Europe’s premier competition delivered excitement for fans across the board. Now that Gameweek 3 of the UCL is in the books, here are three key takeaways from Wednesday’s unmissable matches.

1) Barcelona Exorcise Ghosts of Past 

Bayern Munich’s 8-2 humbling of Barcelona in 2020 was probably the most embarrassing chapter in the Blaugrana’s illustrious history. Since that game, both the clubs have faced each other on four separate occasions, with Bayern winning all four games by an aggregate scoreline of 11-0. It would be an understatement to suggest that Bayern have dominated Barcelona in recent years. However, Les Culers finally laid their ghosts of the past to rest in spectacular fashion last night. Backed by an electric home crowd, Hansi Flick’s men utterly humiliated the Bavarian giants. 

Barcelona opened the scoring inside the first minute, as in-form Raphinha latched onto a through pass from Fermin Lopez before rounding Neuer and firing the ball into an empty net. Bayern thought they had hit back quickly when Harry Kane found the back of the net in the 11th minute, but VAR had other plans, ruling it offside. However, Kane wasn’t to be denied for long, leveling the score in the 18th minute. But that was as good as it got for Bayern. Barcelona took control from that point on. 

Robert Lewandoski restored Blaugrana’s one-goal lead in the 36th minute. Two further goals by Raphinha completed his stunning hattrick and compounded Bayern to their heaviest defeat under Vincent Kompany. Their demolition of Bayern not only showed that Barça are back to their best, but also signaled that they are serious contenders for this season’s Champions League title. 

2) Why Haven’t Any Elite Clubs Signed Jonathan David Yet? 

One of the rarest gems in football today is a striker who can conjure goals out of thin air—players who possess that bit of stardust. That's why it’s so puzzling to see Jonathan David still plying his trade in Ligue 1. The 24-year-old Canadian has been delivering the goods for Lille season after season, both in domestic competitions and on the European stage. While many of his former teammates, like Nicolas Pepe, Sven Botman, Leny Yoro, and Carlos Baleba, have moved on to bigger clubs, David remains the key man for Les Dogues. However, if he keeps up his current form, it's only a matter of time before he secures a big-money move. 

David has already netted five goals in just eight Ligue 1 matches this season, but his most recent feat was something special. In a Champions League clash against the ever-resilient Atletico Madrid, a side renowned for their rock-solid defense, David led Lille to an incredible 3-1 victory at the Wanda Metropolitano. Atletico struck first through Julian Alvarez, putting the Spanish giants ahead after just eight minutes. But Lille fought back. Edon Zhegrova leveled the score in the 61st minute, before David calmly slotted home a penalty in the 74th to complete the turnaround. And to put the game to bed, the Canadian forward bagged his second of the night in the 89th minute – his third goal in this year’s UCL. 

With this win, Lille became only the third team in Champions League history to beat both Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in the same season. At the center of this record-breaking Lille squad? None other than Jonathan David, the clinical striker who keeps proving he’s ready for the big time. 

3) Otherworldly Erling Haaland Continues to Break Records 

By this point, we are running out of adjectives to describe Erling Haaland’s goalscoring brilliance. Erling Haaland has turned into a cheat code for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, slicing through stubborn defenses with ease. Whether it's a perfectly timed run or a lethal finish, Haaland always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Last night’s game against Sparta Praha was no exception. Despite dominating the proceedings, City held a narrow one-goal advantage over Sparta Praha thanks to Phil Foden. However, Haaland provided the much-deserved cushion that the Cityzens needed. He scored an outrageous mid-air backheel goal in the 58th minute to hand City a two-goal lead.  

From then on, the floodgates opened. John Stones added City’s third in the 64th minute before Haaland grabbed his second of the night just four minutes later. Matheus Nunes rounded off the scoring from the spot in the 88th minute. The gulf in class—and wealth—between the two sides was very evident. Erling Haaland’s brace took his total UCL goals tally to 44, which is more than legendary strikers like Del Piero, Neymar, Sergio Aguero and Samuel Eto’o amassed over their illustrious careers. What’s even more jaw-dropping? He’s only 24. If he stays fit, it’s hard to imagine just how many records Haaland will smash in the years to come. The sky’s the limit for the Norwegian powerhouse.