Barcelona returned to winning ways in the Champions League after two matches, defeating German club Eintracht Frankfurt 2–1 at home. Interestingly, it wasn’t the strikers but defender Jules Koundé’s headers that sealed the victory for the Spanish side. Lamine Yamal set a new assist record as well.
Meanwhile, Liverpool secured a 1–0 win against Inter Milan. Amid their recent poor form and off-field controversy surrounding Mohamed Salah, this victory brings much-needed relief to the English side. However, Chelsea suffered a surprising 1–2 defeat to Atalanta in their UCL fixture.
Barcelona have been in great form in La Liga, but Champions League success had eluded Hansi Flick’s team. Despite dominating early in the match, they conceded first when Knauff scored in the 21st minute. Frankfurt had several chances to extend the lead. But within three minutes in the second half, Barça scored twice both through Koundé’s headers. The first came from a Marcus Rashford assist, and the second from Yamal. It was Yamal’s 14th UCL assist, the highest for any footballer aged 18 or under.
Liverpool, currently embroiled in controversy with Salah reportedly close to leaving the club and publicly criticising coach Arne Slot, have also been slipping in the Premier League. Their away win against Inter in Italy will boost morale. The only goal came from a penalty converted by Dominik Szoboszlai, although many felt the penalty call was questionable.
In another match, Chelsea took the lead through João Pedro but eventually lost 1–2 to Atalanta, thanks to second-half goals from Scamacca and De Ketelaere. Atlético Madrid also secured a 3–2 victory over PSV.
