Tips

News

Predictions

Blogs

Videos

Quizzes

Betting Sites

Five Things You May Have Missed in the Champions League This Week
Blogs

Five Things You May Have Missed in the Champions League This Week

06/03/25 14:23

Five Things You May Have Missed from the Champions League this Week

Tuesday and Wednesday night saw the Champions League return for the first time in almost a month, and with it the beginning of the knockout stages proper.

With the play-off round done, and 16 teams remaining in the competition, eight games throughout midweek saw these sides go toe to toe with each other, battling for that coveted quarter final spot.

Needless to say, no Champions League gameweek is complete without more than a hint of drama, and as expected, the best sides in Europe duly provided. Red cards, goalkeeping clinics, long-range screamers and heavy victories all featured, and many of the games were close enough to leave the second leg finely balanced.

But plenty of other events went under the radar, or at least didn’t get the praise and attention they deserve. So it is our duty to provide you with five things you may have missed from this week's Champions League action.

5. Lewis-Skelly Pushes his Luck

No doubt about it, Myles Lewis-Skelly is a very talented footballer. He has a fearlessness and confidence rarely seen in a player of just 18 years.

However, that fearlessness can be to his detriment, and it sometimes transforms itself into needless aggression. Despite playing just 23 times this season, he has already been shown two red cards.

Although his controversial sending off against Wolves was later rescinded, his performance in Arsenal’s 7-1 demolition of PSV Eindhoven further exposed him to questions surrounding his discipline.

After assisting Ethan Nwaneri for Arsenal’s second goal 20 minutes in, Lewis-Skelly was shown a yellow for an unnecessary trip on Luuk De Jong. Then, just two minutes later, Richard Ledezma made a driving run down the right hand side.

There was relatively little danger, with the PSV right-back just five yards from the corner flag, but Lewis Skelly, seemingly forgetting he had already been booked, made a clumsy, lunging tackle, taking out the American.

Lewis-Skelly immediately knew he had made an error, and as soon as he was back on his feet, his hands went up in apology. However, it appeared luck was on his side, as referee Jesus Gil saw it as nothing more than a coming together. VAR did of course check it, but they also somehow missed what everyone at home could see: Lewis-Skelly should have been shown a second yellow card.

The result could have been so different had the card been shown. Nine minutes after the challenge, instead of being reduced to 10 men, Mikel Arteta made the brave decision to substitute the young left-back, clearly fearing that another mistimed challenge could land him in deep trouble.

Bringing on Riccardo Calafiori, who would score the seventh and final goal, Arsenal managed to finish the game with a full complement of players. Lewis-Skelly’s lucky escape was a major factor in Arsenal being able to kill off the tie before kicking a ball in the second leg, and the young English talent somewhat unjustly will be available for the return fixture at the Emirates.

While he may have gotten away with it this time, a worrying trend is emerging for Mikel Arteta, who needs to address his academy graduate's discipline before it starts affecting his side's results.

4. Raphinha’s Ballon d’Or Charge Continues

Who would have thought; Raphinha, formerly of a relegated Leeds United side, and labelled a flop in his first two seasons at Spanish Giants Barcelona, suddenly evolved into arguably one of the best players on the planet right now.

The Brazilian winger notched 20 goals in his first two campaigns at Barca. This season alone, he has netted 25 times, while laying on 16 more goals for his team mates. This totals 41 goal involvements in just 40 games, form that has propelled him into 2025 Ballon d’Or conversation.

However, it is not just the sheer output Raphinha is producing that is impressive, it is the timing and importance of when he produces them.

After just over 20 minutes of their first leg at Benfica’s Estadio do Sport Lisbao, centre backPau Cubarsi was sent off for a last man challenge on the Portuguese. It was an honest attempt to win the ball, but as soon as he missed, there was only going to be one outcome.

After that, Barcelona were perpetually on the back foot. Over the course of the night, they were faced with 26 shots on goal, and the only reason they escaped Lisbon with a clean sheet was through the heroics of Wojciech Szczesny, who made eight saves, completing his redemption arc after conceding four at the same stadium back in January.

And just like in January, it was Raphinha who would break Benfica hearts. In charge of the game and building from the back, a misplaced ball by Antonio Silva allowed Raphinha to latch onto it around 40 yards from goal.

Immediately positive, he drove forward, coasting past another defender before dispatching a superb 25 yard effort that skidded into Anatoliy Trubin’s bottom corner, giving Barcelona a surprise lead.

It was a truly superb solo effort, and it wasn’t like he had any other options. At the time of the ball hitting the back of the net, Raphinha was the only Barcelona player with 40 yards of the Benfica goal.

However, there was still half an hour left to play, and Barcelona really had to lean on Szczesny’s shot-stopping abilities to protect their lead. Renato Sanches, Orkun Kokcu and Andrea Belotti all saw attempts smartly saved by the Polish Keeper, and thanks to Raphinha’s wonder strike, they miraculously managed to take a slender lead back to the Nou Camp.

3. Harvey Elliot's Heroics

English football fans had to scratch their eyes upon seeing the statistics from Liverpool’s visit to PSG. So accustomed to seeing the Reds dominate proceedings in domestic competition, many were shocked to see Arne Slot’s side so comprehensively outplayed. Over the course of the night, PSG had 27 efforts, whereas Liverpool managed a measly two.

However, the number of shots is irrelevant; it is how clinical you are with the opportunities that matters most. The fact of the matter is that PSG simply couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. Well, legally at least.

January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia managed to curl a lovely finish into the corner after 2o minutes, but upon a VAR review, the very back of his heel was adjudged to be offside, ruling out the goal.

Liverpool, much like Barcelona, had to rely on an outstanding goalkeeping performance by Alisson, who made a number of flying saves, particularly in the second half to deny Barcola, Dembele, and Kvaratskhelia a host of times to keep the scores level.

Then in the 84th minute, Arne Slot did the unthinkable. With Harvey Elliot kitted up and stretching on the sidelines, the Dutch coach withdrew Mohamed Salah from play, surely the precise opposite to what should be done when your side is chasing a late goal.

However the gamble paid immediate dividends. In the first passage of play after the substitution, a long ball from Alisson, who could do no wrong, bounced kindly for another substitute Darwin Nunez, who after assessing his options, rolled the ball into the path of the fast arriving Elliot on the right side of the box.

Elliot struck it first time and sent it rolling towards the far corner. Italian keeper Gianliugi Donnarumma had done virtually nothing all night, and the lack of action may have dulled his reaction and cutting edge.

He reached down and managed to get a palm to the ball, but it rolled through his fingers and bobbled into the far corner, sending Liverpool fans wild.

It was Elliot’s first touch of the ball since coming on, and just his fourth goal of the season in all competitions. While he hasn’t been central to Slot’s plans for much of the season, he is a clutch player to have in the ranks, as three of his goals have come in the Champions League.

Liverpool had an unlikely saviour, and Slot madness almost instantaneously became genius. Of course there will be an inquest as to why they struggled so frequently to defend PSG’s attack, but the final result is what matters most.

Leading, and playing at Anfield in front of the infamous Kop in the second leg, Liverpool rarely lose in such a situation.

2. Manuel Neuer’s Unfortunate Injury

We’ve seen it before: a team scores, everyone celebrates, but sometimes someone celebrates just a little bit too hard, and manages to suffer an injury serious enough to justify their substitution.

Just such an occurrence happened in Bayern Munich’s commanding 3-0 win over fellow German rivals Bayer Leverkusen. While getting injured while celebrating is rare, out field players certainly have a track record of occasionally being overzealous in their joy.

However, not in my lifetime has this ever happened to a goalkeeper. It appears there is a first time for everything.

Having taken the lead in the ninth minute through a powerful Harry Kane header, Bayern were cruising, and moreover, totally suffocating the usually electric Leverkusen, who managed just three shots all night.

However, the home side were struggling to find that second goal that would give them breathing room. They hit the woodwork from a corner, but hadn’t come any closer to that crucial second until the 54th minute.

Joshua Kimmich whipped an inswinging delivery that on first viewing looked to be heading straight into the gloves of Leverkusen keeper Matej Kovar. However, mid-leap, the ball slipped through his keepers and dropped right to the feet of Jamal Musiala, who from six yards out couldn’t miss the open goal.

The ball rolled over the line, and the Allianz Arena erupted. Bayern finally had breathing space between themselves and their Bundesliga title rivals, and the relief was tangible; no one wanted to head to the BayArena with just a one goal lead.

However, it appears Manuel Neuer got a little bit too excited. His 150th Champions League appearance was brought to an abrupt end when, while jumping in the air for a fist bump, the German legend suddenly went down holding his lower leg.

He was taken off for 21-year-old Jonas Urbig, who was making his debut for the club, just four minutes later, and it was revealed after the match that he had torn a fibre in his calf muscle, and would be unavailable for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, Neuer’s absence didn’t affect his team's performance, and they would go on to net a third through a Kane penalty.

However, Neuer’s absence could prove important in the second leg. While they have a capable back-up in Sven Ulreich, and of course in the newly blooded Urbig, their lack of first choice goalkeeper will give Leverkusen a glimmer of hope that they can turn the tie around. They will want to get shots off early to test the confidence of whoever Bayern end up fielding.

1. Adeyemi’s Wonder-Strike

Who remembers Thiago Alcantara’s magnificent half-volley against Porto a couple of years back? With the ball rolling out to him, he strikes it just such a way that the ball, heading downwards with backspin, starts to rise again, leaving viewers unsure whether the ball actually bounces off the floor or just hovers above it.

Well, if you do remember it, you might want to go and watch highlights of Borussia Dortmund vs Lille. Slated as one of the most even ties of the last 16, the match lived up to the billing. While it wasn’t the most action packed game, with just 16 shots in total, things were relatively evenly split, with Dortmund having seven attempts to Lille’s nine.

The standout moment of the match by far came from Chelsea-linked Karim Adeyemi. After a corner was headed away, Adeyemi met the ball on the bounce from around 20 yards out. With his left foot, he struck the ball with flawless technique, and sent the ball fizzing goalwards.

On first glance, the goal looked good, but not great. However, one particular angle gave a new perspective on the goal.

Striking the ball flush off the laces, Adeyemi’s shot arrowed perfectly into the bottom corner, inches above the ground, and kissed the post on its way in. Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was marooned as he watched the ball nestle into the net, and fell back on his haunches, totally helpless to prevent the goal.

It was a strike worthy of winning any game, but Lille had other ideas. With just over 20 minutes to play, Icelandic international Hakon Haraldsson finished instinctively to draw Lille back level. The scores would remain tied for the rest of the game, and Lille would have a narrow advantage heading into the second leg in France.

However, Adeyemi’s strike will long outlast any other memories of the match, his finish so close to perfection that to exclude it from goal of the tournament conversation would be lunacy. It was a special finish from a player who is finally starting to deliver on the promise he showed from such a young age.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
Harry Pascoe

Lead Writer

UEFA Europa League
06/03/25 20:00
Viktoria Plzen

Viktoria Plzen

Lazio

Lazio

5/2
Draw
Go To Details

Videos

See more
From Non-League to the AFCON Final - The Story of Kwesi Appiah
Listen to our full podcast with Kwesi Appiah as he discusses his sensational rise from non-league all the way to starting in the AFCON final.
Is it time for Luton Town to make THE DECISION?!
Watch out latest edition of EFL Hot Takes as the lads give their opinion on the Rob Edwards situation at Luton Town.
WHO is in our Championship TEAM OF THE SEASON so far?!
Find out how we would put in our Championship Team of the Season so far on YouTube as we approach the busy period.

Join our newsletter

Become a part of our community and never miss an update from Football Park.