Juventus beat Chelsea; Ronaldo scores injury-time winner for Manchester United
Matchday two of the Champions League continued to bring some brilliant results as groups E to H were in action. Juventus beat champions Chelsea in Turin in a crucial Group H match. Barcelona were smashed 3-0 by Benfica as their dismal show continued under a sorry Ronald Koeman. Cristiano Ronaldo scored an injury-time goal for Manchester United against Villarreal at Old Trafford. Here's more.
Ronaldo's 95th-minute goal helps United win
Ronaldo helped United claim all three points in a stunning 2-1 win. His goal in the 95th minute helped United seal the deal. Ronaldo scored from Jesse Lingard's lay-off to spark celebration scenes at Old Trafford. United were under the mat in the first half as Villarreal dominated the show. They scored the opening goal in the second before United equalized.
Records scripted by Ronaldo
As per Opta, no player has scored more 90th minute winning goals in Champions League history than Ronaldo (3, level with Sergio Aguero). CR7 (36y 236d) is now the second oldest Man United player to score a goal in European competition at Old Trafford after Bryan Robson (36y 282d) versus Galatasaray in 1993. Ronaldo extended his UCL goals tally to 136.
Chelsea beaten in Turin by Juventus
Juventus may be struggling to come to grips in domestic league football, but the Italian giants showed character and precision to beat Chelsea 1-0. Federico Chiesa's goal right after half-time gave Juve all three points. The hosts showed guile in a fiercely-contested encounter. For the Blues, Romelu Lukaku missed two presentable chances, heading over and shooting wide. It was a frustrating defeat for Chelsea.
Chelsea script unwanted records as Chiesa shines for Juve
Chelsea have lost each of their last five away games against Italian opposition in the UCL. Chiesa, who scored after just 10 seconds after the break, scripted a record for the earliest second half goal recorded by Opta in a Champions League match. Chelsea had 16 attempts at goal against Juventus. This is the most they've had in an away game without scoring (UCL).
Barca down and battered by Benfica
Barcelona were tamed by Benfica 3-0 as the side suffered a second successive defeat this season. As per Opta, Barca have lost their first two matches in a UEFA Cup/UCL campaign for only the second time in history. Barca, who are placed bottom of Group E, could face the prospect of not featuring in the UCL knockout stage for the first time since 2003-04.
Unwanted tally for Koeman's Barcelona
Barcelona have failed to win any of their last five UCL games under Ronald Koeman. They have suffered four defeats and a draw, conceding a total of 14 goals, besides scoring just twice.
The enigmatic Lewandowski continues to shine
Bayern Munich thrashed Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 as Robert Lewandowski netted a brace. The Polish striker extended his UCL goals tally to 77, including 60 for Bayern. Lewandowski is now the first player in UCL history to end on the winning side in 18 consecutive appearances. He has scored 119 goals in his last 100 matches for Bayern, including 41 in 2021 alone.
Interesting numbers for Lewandowski and Bayern
Lewandowski has scored 60 goals for the Bavarians in just 70 Champions League games. Meanwhile, Bayern extended their club-record scoring run in the Champions League to 24 games as well.
