Izuchukwu Okosi
Tuesday games on Match day 4 matches in the UEFA Champions League were played across Europe and Prime Business Africa presents the roundup of the games.
AC Milan 2-1 PSG
Join our WhatsApp ChannelOlivier Giroud’s textbook header early in the second half handed AC Milan a 2-1 Champions League home win over Paris Saint-Germain in a pulsating Group F game on Tuesday night at the San Siro.
Former Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar had put PSG ahead in front of 75,649 supporters but Rafael Leao restored parity for Milan with an acrobatic effort before Giroud’s goal.
The game was fiesty in the first half with end-to-end action and, while the pace inevitably slowed in the second period, it was an absorbing clash in which Milan had to hold on at the end as PSG piled on the pressure.
Milan now have five points from four games in third behind second-placed PSG with six points. Leaders Borussia Dortmund have seven points after winning 2-0 earlier on Tuesday at home to Newcastle who are bottom on four points.
Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 Barcelona
Danylo Sikan’s towering header on Tuesday night ensures that Group H is not a forgone conclusion as the Ukrainians ran away with a surprising 1-0 win over the La Liga champions.
Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez rang changes to his starting line-up albeit he was able to welcome back striker Robert Lewandowski from an injury setback.
But despite the best efforts of the Spanish juggernauts, they could only boast of one shot on target in 90 minutes against a, well organized Shakhtar defence.
The Ukrainian side, playing their Champions League game in Hamburg, due to the political crisis back home played with bravery and fearlessness and attacked with relentlessness and that paid off in the 40th minute.
Porto 2-0 Antwerp
Porto dominated the game after Antwerp midfielder Jurgen Ekkelenkamp was sent off seven minutes into the second half.
The Nigerian duo of Chidera Ejuke and Alhassan Yusuf were in action for Antwerp.
However, despite their numerical superiority, Porto had to wait until one minute into stoppage time for their second goal, headed home by the 40-year-old Pepe who becomes the oldest scorer in the competition’s history.
The result sees Porto move level on nine points with leaders Barcelona, with both sides three points ahead of Shakhtar Donetsk.
Antwerp’s fourth consecutive defeat means they have no chance of a top-two finish, even with two matches left to play.
RB Leipzig 2-1 Red Star Belgrade
Goals from the impressive Xavi Simons and Lois Openda gave RB Leipzig a 2-1 win against Red Star Belgrade in Group G to secure a place in the knockout stages.
Leipzig took the lead after eight minutes when Simons found space inside the box and curled a superb shot into the right corner for his second Champions League strike, having also scored against the Serbs a fortnight ago.
The visitors were dominant and could have doubled their lead before half-time, but Red Star keeper Omri Glazer twice denied efforts from Openda.
The Belgium international, however, found the net in the 77th minute in a blow to the hosts, who had looked more aggressive in the second half.
Red Star pulled one back through Benjamin Henrichs’ own goal in the 81st minute but they could not find a leveller and fell to a third defeat in four games.
The German team remained second with nine points, three behind leaders Manchester City, who beat Young Boys 3-0 to qualify for the next round. Red Star are on one point, the same as the Swiss side.
Izuchukwu Okosi is a Nigerian sports and entertainment journalist with two decades of experience in the media industry having begun his media journey in 2002 as an intern at Mundial Sports International (MSI) and Africa Independent Television (AIT), owners of Daar Communications Plc.
