After an extended layoff due to the FIFA World Cup in Qatar, the UEFA Champions League finally resumed this week with the first leg of four round-of-16 matchups across Europe.
Several of European soccer’s young guns stepped up in big ways. Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman marked his 50th appearance in the competition by scoring the winner against Paris Saint-Germain.
Meanwhile, Brahim Díaz (23 years and 195 days) became the youngest player to score for AC Milan in a Champions League knockout match since Kaká (21 years and 336 days) in March 2004.
Here’s what else stood out from this week’s games:
Tajon Buchanan impresses, but Brugge on brink of elimination
Club Brugge was one of the surprises of the first round of this season’s Champions League, emerging from a group that included Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid and Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen to advance to the round-of-16.
But the reigning Belgian champions were reminded just how difficult it is to navigate the knockout stages amongst the tournament elite on Wednesday after suffering a disappointing 2-0 loss to Portuguese outfit Benfica. Having conceded twice at home, Brugge faces what surely is an insurmountable task in the return leg, needing to score at least three times without reply in Lisbon in order to advance to the quarter-finals.
It was a pretty flat and uninspiring performance by the Belgians, with the exception of Canadian international Tajon Buchanan. The 24-year-old winger from Brampton, Ont. was a constant attacking threat for Brugge as he unbalanced Benfica’s defenders with his pace and acceleration on the ball.
Buchanan produced his best and most dangerous moments down the left side. In the fourth minute, he latched onto a through ball and left a trail of dust as Benfica defender Alexander Bah tried in vain to catch up. Eventually Buchanan burst into the penalty area where he unleashed a shot from a tight angle, only to see goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos come up with a big save.
Even as the game wore on, Buchanan didn’t slow down and continued to run at Benfica’s defenders when the ball was played to feet coming off the wing. But too often his teammates weren’t on the same wave length, and his creativity in the final third didn’t lead to anything substantive.
Adeyemi’s wonder-goal for Borussia Dortmund sinks Chelsea
Chelsea is down — but not exactly out — after Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Germany. A thrilling, attacking contest reached its crescendo in the 63rd minute thanks to a brilliant individual effort from Karim Adeyemi.
Dortmund was defending a Chelsea corner kick when it cleared the ball out of danger and quickly launched a textbook counterattack. Adeyemi, 21, recovered the ball deep inside his half and then went on a fantastic solo run, fending off Chelsea’s Enzo Fernández before rounding goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and slipping the ball into the empty net. Adeyemi celebrated his second goal of this Champions League campaign with an acrobatic backflip.
That was the difference in the game, as there wasn’t much separating the two clubs in Germany. Chelsea created a hatful of chances and could have easily walked away with a share of the spoils. João Félix and Kalidou Koulibaly both squandered glorious scoring opportunities, leaving the Blues with some work to do when they welcome the Germans to London in the second leg on March 7.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter will feel understandably frustrated with his side's inability to find the back of the net. At the same time his defence, anchored by the world-class Koulibaly, thwarted Dortmund for most of the game, and should offer him hope for the return match at Stamford Bridge.
Alphonso Davies makes immediate impact for perfect Bayern
Make it seven wins from seven games by Bayern Munich in this season’s Champions League. After posting a 6-0-0 record during the group stage, the Bavarian heavyweight kept its perfect run going with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday against Paris Saint-Germain in France.
Bayern stormed out of the gate at Parc de Princes, using an effective press to close down PSG and win back possession high up the field. The pressure was so intense that Lionel Messi had to drop back deep to try to win the ball back.
But Bayern didn’t make its possession count for much and struggled to create clear cut scoring chances. Looking to give his team a spark, manager Julian Nagelsmann subbed on Canadian fullback Alphonso Davies at the start of the second half and shifted Kingsley Coman from the left to the right wing.
That was the turning point of the game. Bayern was able to turn the screws on the French side even tighter, as it struggled to contain Davies. Just eight minutes after he entered the game, the Edmonton native delivered a sublime cross deep into the box that Coman hit first time, slipping his shot underneath PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
After the final whistle blew, Davies swapped shirts with Messi, three years after being rebuffed by the Argentine when he was still at FC Barcelona.
Big win for AC Milan, but Tottenham not out of it
A 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Tuesday at San Siro was a moment that was 10 years in the making for AC Milan.
The Rossoneri are, without question, one of the historical giants of club soccer having been crowned champions of Europe on seven occasions. But the reigning Serie A title holders have been mired in a major Champions League dry spell, with its previous win in the knockout stages of the competition coming a decade ago.
Brahim Diaz’s goal in the seventh minute settled things on the night for a Milan side that currently sits a distant fifth in the Italian league table and only recently ended a seven-match winless skid.
Still, you can’t help but think the Italians should be in a far more comfortable position ahead of the return leg in London on March 8. Two gloriously wasted free headers by Charles De Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw just seconds apart in the second half would’ve extended Milan’s advantage going into the return match. As it stands, Tottenham escaped San Siro only a goal down, and remained alive and kicking in the two-legged affair.
“Yes, there are two goals we could’ve scored. However, the game was hard-fought, they caused us problems too and we defended very well on set plays, so there are many positives. This is just the first step, the second will be even tougher,” Milan manager Stefano Pioli told Italian news outlet Mediaset after the match.
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