Champions League Roundup: Chelsea Crushes Barcelona, Manchester City Falls to Leverkusen

Chelsea defeated Barcelona 3-0 in a Champions League group stage match on the 25th, while Manchester City lost 2-0 at home to Bayer Leverkusen.

Chelsea and Barcelona have historically had contrasting styles, making their encounters particularly intriguing. However, Chelsea has recently undergone a transformation and now plays with a style reminiscent of Barcelona’s, albeit more physically robust. During the match, their attacks were more threatening than their opponents’. In the 27th minute, Chelsea capitalized on a defensive error by Barcelona to break the deadlock. From a tactical corner, Neto took a shot in the penalty area, and Barcelona defender Koundé accidentally deflected the ball into his own net. In the 44th minute, Barcelona defender Araújo received his second yellow card for a defensive foul, resulting in a red card and forcing Barcelona to play with ten men.

In the second half, Chelsea, with a numerical advantage, intensified their attacks. In the 55th minute, Chelsea executed a brilliant play on the right flank, with Estêvão dribbling past Barcelona’s defense and scoring with a powerful shot. The 18-year-old Brazilian forward outshone his Barcelona counterpart Yamal, who was closely marked by Chelsea defender Cucurella and was substituted in the 80th minute when Barcelona was already trailing 0-3. Seven minutes earlier, Enzo Fernández assisted D. F. in scoring.

According to official match statistics, Chelsea outperformed Barcelona in possession, shots, passes, and passing accuracy.

Manchester City underperformed at home, suffering a surprise defeat to Bayer Leverkusen. The visitors took the lead in the 23rd minute with a goal from Grimaldo. In the 54th minute, Schick scored with a header, making it 2-0. Manchester City’s manager made several substitutions in the second half, bringing on key players like Doku, Foden, Cherki, and Haaland, but failed to turn the game around. Manchester City had 19 shots in total, none of which were on target, while their opponents scored from both of their shots on goal.

On the same day, two Serie A teams, Juventus and Napoli, both secured victories. Juventus won 3-2 away against Bodø/Glimt, while Napoli won 2-0 at home against Qarabağ. Two other La Liga teams playing away struggled: Athletic Bilbao drew 0-0 with Slavia Prague, and Villarreal suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Additionally, Newcastle United lost 2-1 away to Marseille, Ajax lost 2-0 at home to Benfica, and Galatasaray lost 1-0 at home to Union Saint-Gilloise.