Balotelli Penalty rescues point for Man City as Joe Hart proves England credentials
There were plenty of goals in the Champions League last night as the second round of fixtures for the week took place.
It may not be the most exciting stage of the tournament usually, but last night certainly provided some entertaining contests as teams look to get some early points on the board in the group stages.
Focusing on the English teams to begin with, it was a mixed night. Arsenal continued their good early season form with a 3-1 victory over Olympiakos. It was far from a convincing win – they only scored their third in the 94th minute – but it was three points on the board for Arsene Wenger’s men.
Then, for English Champions Manchester City, it was a frustrating night. A late Mario Balotelli penalty may have rescued a point, but on home soil, they would have been targeting a much needed victory.
It leaves Roberto Mancini’s men with a lot to do after just one point from their opening two games. The frustration from the home crowd was clear too, so overall, it has been a disappointing start to the Champions League season for Manchester City.
Elsewhere, the stand out result of the evening was probably Real Madrid’s 4-1 win at Ajax. The Spanish Champions – in particular hat-trick hero Cristiano Ronaldo – ran riot in the second half to secure a superb away win.
Speaking of victories on the road, Malaga – who are yet to taste defeat this season – were in the goals again as they won 3-0 at Anderlecht, while Italian giants AC Milan secured a 3-2 win in the early kick-off at Zenit.
In the remaining three games last night, there were home wins for Dynamo Kiev and FC Porto – against Zagreb and PSG respectively – as Schalke and Montpellier shared an entertaining 2-2 draw in Germany.
This was a particularly impressive draw for the French side when you consider they were down to ten men for the majority of the second-half.
Overall, it was a cracking night of Champions League action with plenty of talking points.
