Another Champions League game, another goal for the competition’s all-time leading scorer, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese’s latest strike not only sealed a stunning comeback win for struggling Manchester United against Atalanta, but it might have also saved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s job for the time being.
Elsewhere, Barcelona have also relieved a bit more pressure on their under-fire coach Ronald Koeman after getting their first points of the group stage in a win over Dynamo Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Red Bull Salzburg continue to show they could be the surprise package of this year’s tournament after another big win.
Read on as SBOTOP shares three big takeaways from another action-packed day of Champions League football.
Ronaldo at least making Man United’s mediocrity entertaining
Things were looking bleak for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Fresh off a disastrous loss to Leicester, the under-fire Man United boss was headed for another devastating defeat – and possibly the sack – when Atalanta took a 0-2 first-half lead at Old Trafford.
But like they’ve done several times under Solskjaer, the Red Devils stormed back in the second half and equalised through Marcus Rashford and Harry Maguire. Cristiano Ronaldo then rose up and headed home the late winner, sending the Theatre of Dreams into rapture.
This latest dramatic comeback seems to follow the script of Solskjaer’s time at United: A run of disappointment that threatens his tenure is followed by a euphoric win. But after a few more decent results, another uninspiring stretch begins. Lather, rinse, repeat.
With Solskjaer a couple months away from his third anniversary in charge, it seems highly unlikely United will break from this cycle of mediocrity unless they part ways with their coach.
Luckily for United fans, Cristiano Ronaldo is around to make their mediocrity a bit more entertaining. Two of his three Champions League goals this season have been late winners, and if United get out of the group stage, he could very well add a few more to his record 137 Champions League goals.
Ronaldo’s goals and the odd comeback will at least provide a decent amount of joy to the United faithful, because based on how United have played thus far under Solskjaer, they do not appear to be legitimate title contenders, both domestically and in Europe.
Barcelona back on track and building momentum
Like Solskjaer, Ronald Koeman is also under pressure at Barcelona. The Catalans had made their worst-ever start in the Champions League with back-to-back defeats – including a 3-0 humiliation at Benfica – and were also thumped 2-0 by Atletico Madrid before the international break.
But Barca have emerged from the break with back-to-back wins. After an impressive 3-1 victory over Valencia, they beat Dynamo Kyiv 1-0 to claim their first points in the Champions League group stage.
Gerard Pique popped up with the winning goal, which should give Barca some decent momentum heading into El Clasico against fierce rivals Real Madrid this weekend.
Koeman is still not completely safe by any means. A defeat at El Clasico and/or failure to qualify for the Champions League knockout phase – they are still a point behind Benfica for second – would almost certainly spell the end for Koeman.
But with the exciting Ansu Fati finally back in the fold and fellow teenager Gavi continuing to play well, things are looking a bit more promising at the Camp Nou at the moment.
Young Red Bull Salzburg stars shining on the big stage
While Ajax and their new crop of promising young stars are looking set to make another deep run in the Champions League, don’t overlook Red Bull Salzburg, who are also making a strong case to be the breakout team this season.
The Austrian champions claimed a 3-1 home win over struggling Wolfsburg and are now four points clear of Sevilla at the top of Group G. They could have been even further ahead with a perfect three wins out of three had they converted more than one of their three first-half penalties in their remarkable 1-1 draw against Sevilla.
The very impressive Karim Adeyemi – who made history by earning all three penalties in that wild game against Sevilla – continued to make Champions League 2021 highlights by scoring the opener against Wolfsburg. The 19-year-old German now has three goals in his first three Champions League games.
Not to be outdone, his strike partner – 21-year-old Swiss Noah Okafor – bagged a brace and hit the post as Salzburg’s new crop of Red Bulls continue to shine in the big European stage.
This club – which has developed and sold on such stars as Erling Haaland, Hwang Hee-chan, Takumi, Minamino, and Dominik Szoboszlai in the last few years – just continues to churn out fine young talent. And if they continue the form they’ve shown at the start of the group stage, Adeyemi and co. could very well defy the Champions League 2021 odds in the knockout rounds.
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