2024-02-22 20:27:21
“Manchester City” will be the old new champion in the Champions League. This is what the super supercomputer BETSiE claims after playing the first matches of the eliminations in the so-called. tournament of the rich.
The chance for Pep’s “citizens”, who won a historic treble last campaign, is 33.7%. Second is “Paris Saint-Germain”. “Real” (M) enters the top 3. Surprisingly or not, in 4th place according to the supercomputer is “Arsenal”.
Mikel Arteta’s team lost 0:1 to Porto. In the match in Portugal, for the first time this season, the Londoners did not make a single accurate shot at the opponent’s goal. However, it is estimated that Arsenal will get theirs in the second leg in 3 weeks’ time and will enter the top 8 of the Champions League for the first time in a 14-year gap.
Team manager Mikel Arteta criticized referee Serdar Gözübüyük, who called 36 fouls – the most in a Champions League game this season.
“Every time we touched someone, a foul was called before we even kicked the ball. But we will learn and do better. In the Champions League, every mistake is punished,” Arteta said after the match. His team was burned in the 94th minute, when Galeno sent the Porto fans into ecstasy with a famous goal.
In the match against “Arsenal”, “Porto” defender Pepe became the oldest field player in the eliminations of the tournament. The Portuguese played against the Londoners 5 days before turning 41 – 40 years and 360 days.
However, Pepe’s record was not the only one. In Italy, a 16-year-old super talent named Lamin Yamal wrote his name in golden letters in the history of European club tournaments when Barcelona visited Napoli in the round of 16 of the Champions League. The match ended without a winner – 1:1. The Spaniard became the youngest debutant player in the eliminations of the competition – 16 years and 223 days.
The Italian sports bible “Gadzeta delo Sport” also covered one of the two big stars of “Napoli” – Kvica Kvaratskhelia. The popular publication literally ruined the game of the Georgian with its comment.
“He had his head down the whole time. It was only recently that he was so good that he was beating opponents by himself, but now he just looked down. Yes, his partners didn’t help him much, but he didn’t bring any sharpness himself,” the paper said.