The fourth matchday of the Champions League concludes with the 9 pm kickoffs and some of the big names in action. Among them is FC Barcelona , playing away at Club Brugge. This is exactly the kind of trip that shouldn't be taken lightly; just ask Monaco, who conceded four goals on the first matchday. And Barça made the dreaded mistake, conceding the first goal in the 6th minute due to poor positioning by Koundé. The speedy Forbs gleefully exploited the space and delivered a perfect cross for Tresoldi (1-0, 6th). This seemed to awaken the Catalans, who quickly equalized with a similar move, thanks to Ferran Torres (8th, 1-1).
A crazy finale between Bruges and Barça
But behind them, Barcelona offered little to nothing. And Bruges launched a fabulous counter-attack after a Catalan corner. Two lightning-fast passes, from Vanhaken to Forbs, then from Forbs to Tzolis, a one-two, and the 21-year-old Portuguese striker beat Szczesny and slotted the ball past him (2-1, 17th minute). This dealt a blow to the morale of Flick's men, who were far from their best collective performance. But little by little, they woke up. Koundé hit the crossbar, Yamal looked more incisive, and Bruges held their breath with every attack. Ferran Torres missed a chance to equalize from a wonderful Yamal cross (45th minute). Yamal himself missed an opportunity early in the second half, shooting straight at the opposing goalkeeper.
Barça increased the pressure on Jackers' goal, and the highlight of the evening came from the ever-present Yamal. A laser-like double touch, a one-two in the box with Fermin, and a clinical finish for the equalizer (2-2, 61st minute). The beginning of the end for Bruges? Not at all, as the Belgian club immediately regained the lead on another counter-attack, once again exploiting the space behind the Barcelona defense. And it was Carlos Forbs who feasted once more, with a bit of luck on his chip to beat Szczesny (3-2, 64th minute). The match, a complete free-for-all, maintained an intense pace. Bruges thought they had been awarded a penalty, but it was overturned by VAR, and it was ultimately Barça who equalized, thanks to another brilliant strike from Yamal, deflected into his own net by the unfortunate Tzolis's head (3-3, 77th minute). Barça came very close to conceding a goal, as Szczesny had the ball stolen by Vermant, who scored into an empty net. The referee disallowed the goal for a foul by the striker on the goalkeeper. Barça will rue their defensive frailties, which cost them the draw.
Man City ruthless, Inter flawless
Manchester City hosted Borussia Dortmund, two teams with the same number of points (7) before kickoff, both still unbeaten. The Citizens remain unbeaten after this match, while BVB do not. The victory was built from the first half, with goals from Phil Foden, finally decisive, and Erling Haaland, ruthless against his former team. Foden bagged a brace in the second half, Anton salvaged some pride for BVB, and Cherki scored his first Champions League goal shortly after coming on as a substitute. Man City leapfrogs PSG in the standings and has 10 points from 4 matches.
In the other matches of the evening, Inter Milan's game against Kairat Almaty was particularly noteworthy, as they were aiming to join Bayern Munich and Arsenal on the list of teams with four wins in four matches. However, it proved a hard-fought battle, as the Kazakh club held out longer than expected. Lautaro Martinez finally broke the deadlock late in the first half after a scramble in the box. Just when it seemed the game was over, given that Inter hadn't conceded a single goal in the Champions League, Kairat pulled off a remarkable equalizer, with Arad heading home. Inter then laid siege to the opposition's penalty area, and Carlos Augusto finally broke the deadlock with a powerful strike. Inter thus maintains their perfect record.
Conversely, Ajax Amsterdam and Benfica's ordeal continues. Both clubs suffered another defeat at home and have yet to earn a single point in the competition. Ajax collapsed against Galatasaray, losing 3-0 to a hat-trick from Osimhen, while Benfica paid the price for their lack of finishing against Bayer Leverkusen, who scored through Schick. Finally, Newcastle defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0, with a magnificent header from Dan Burn.
The 9pm results:
Manchester City 4-1 Dortmund: Foden (22nd, 56th), Haaland (28th), Cherki (90+1) / Anton (72nd)
Inter Milan 2-1 Kairat Almaty: Lautaro (45th), Carlos Augusto (67th) / Arad (56th)
Club Bruges 3-3 FC Barcelona: Tresoldi (6th), Forbs (17th, 64th) / Ferran Torres (8th), Yamal (61st), Tzolis (77th, CSC)
Newcastle 2-0 Bilbao: Burn (11th), Joelinton (49th)
Benfica 0-1 Bayer Leverkusen : Schick (65th)
Ajax 3-0 Galatasaray : Osimhen (59th, 66th sp, 78th sp)
OM 0-1 Atalanta : Samardzic (90th)
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