PSG, Porto, & Celtic Champions League Losers for Matchday 2
On Tuesday, it was another eventful matchday in the UEFA Champions League, with half of the groups in action in the second round of fixtures. As PSG and Barcelona headlined Wednesday’s schedule, there were many intriguing results.
We dive into the three biggest losers from Wednesday’s action in European play.
PSG Humiliated in Test at Newcastle
PSG simply ran into a buzzsaw on their away visit to Newcastle on Wednesday night, facing off against a club making its home debut in the UCL for the first time in two decades. It was a nightmare from the start for the Ligue 1 giants, allowing the Magpies to jump out to a 3-0 lead. It puts Newcastle at the top of the table and potentially makes the return fixture at Parc des Princes on November 28 a crucial match.
Porto Blow Golden Opportunity vs. Barcelona
Getting Barcelona at home in the Champions League is as juicy as it gets for a side like Porto. They are one of the better non-big five sides left in the competition, and they went toe to toe with Barcelona for the full 90 minutes. A late first-half goal from Ferran Torres pushed Barca into the lead, one that they ultimately would not relinquish despite Porto’s best efforts. It’s painful for Porto not even to leave the fixture with a single point, but they remain well within advancing out of the group.
Celtic Crumble in Final Minutes to Lazio
Celtic’s knockout stage hopes took a serious hit late against Lazio on Wednesday. After surviving nearly the entire match at 1-1 with their first point in the competition looking imminent, a last-second goal from Pedro pushed Lazio past the Scottish giants. Celtic now remain at the bottom of Group E and are in danger of missing out on the knockout stage. With upcoming back-to-back fixtures against Atletico Madrid, they’ll likely need at least four points from that pair of fixtures to have any remaining chance.
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