Liverpool v Napoli, Bayern v Inter: Champions League clockwatch – live | Champions League
Key events
GOAL! Viktoria Plzen 2-4 Barcelona (Torre 75)
A fine ball over the top from Raphinha sends Torre in at inside-left, and he rifles a riser into the roof, on debut. Great finish.
Back to Barca, Kessie has gone off looking unhappy – I think he’s injured. I’m not sure what’ll happen to their squad in January, but if they can keep it together, I think Xavi is cooking something interesting. Whether they can get good while Lewandowski is still good, I don’t know, but they’ve got Gavi and Pedri, which is very helpful.
In Marseille, Harit has just slammed a drive over the Spurs bar, while in Lisbon, Eintracht want a penalty. But looking at the incident again, Sow dived.
Tottenham are back in the running!!! 🤩
Clément Lenglet marks his 50th #UCL appearance with a huge goal to level things at the Stade Vélodrome!
Things are looking up… pic.twitter.com/82BEP9mTgl
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) November 1, 2022
“Tactics are overrated and today is another proof,” says Yash Gupta. “Tottenham for once said to hell with caution and got their reward for being brave.”
Talent and mentality will always be more important than tactics and coaching, but the best teams tend to have liberal helpings of all four.
GOAL! Viktoria Plzen 2-3 Barcelona (Chory 63)
A cross from the left, a glanced header inside the far post, and this game is still alive!
GOAL! Sporting 1-1 Eintracht (Kamada pen 62)
With lasers on his face, Kamada opens body and powers a sidefooter into the side-netting as the keeper dives the other way. That’s a big boy’s penalty, and Eintracht are still in this, though as things stand, it’s Spurs and Sporting going through.
PENALTY TO EINTRACHT!
This is harsh, I think – Coates leapt, maybe received a shove in the back, ended up facing away from the ball, and raised an arm that knocked it.
GOAL! Marseille 1-1 Spurs (Lenglet 54)
Perisic swings over a fine free-kick from the left and Lenglet moves away from his marker, leaps, turns, and guides a really good header inside the far post. Spurs had improved, apparently, though they couldn’t have got much worse.
“That Mark Hughes link was brilliant,” says Jay Koch. “I had no idea he was that good. I just watched it in full, muttering ‘holy expletive’ to myself.”
I’m biased – he and Bryan Robson were my first footballing heroes. But he was an amazing player – touch, awareness, toughness, timing, spectacular goals, amazing football brain.
NO GOAL! Rangers 0-2 Ajax
Kudus went slightly early, so the goal is chalked off.
GOAL! Rangers 0-3 Ajax (Kudus 56)
Oh, Rangers. A terrific cross from the right, Kudus is alone in the middle, and he finishes confidently.
GOAL! Viktoria Plzen 1-3 Barcelona (Torres 54)
A second goal for Torres, who charges towards the box, exchanges passes with Raphinha, and swipes through the keeper’s legs.
NO GOAL! Liverpool 0-0 Napoli
I’m surprised it took that long because it looked pretty clearly offside to me.
I think that’s probably offside; when it takes this long for a goal-decision, I always think they’re trying to allow it, but the evidence is telling them they can’t. But it was crowded inside the box, so perhaps they’re struggling to draw a line.
GOAL! Liverpool 0-1 Napoli (Ostigard 53)
Kvaratskhelia swerves in a free-kick from the left, Osimhen goes early, Osditgard might too, but in the meantime he’s headed past the lilac-clad Alisson for his second Champions League goal in two weeks.
GOAL! Viktoria Plzen 1-2 Barcelona (Chory pen 52)
Pena dives to his left so Chory clips to his left/
I didn’t see the offence, but Pablo Torre committed it…
In Plzen, the home side have a penalty.
At Anfield, Milner is down; I think he took a bang on the head in the first half, so assume it’s because of that. Really, though, we need to have rolling subs for injuries of that ilk – we need to protect footballers fro themselves, from their managers and from us. He gets up, walks off and takes a hug from Klopp, before being replaced by Elliott.
We’re off again…
Half-time
Marseille 1-0 Spurs
The second half will be a bazzer.
Massive credit to Marseille, who lost their first two games in the group before beating Sporting twice. They’ve still got work to do, but they’ve properly turned up tonight, while Spurs have not.
Half-time scores
Group A
Liverpool 0-0 Napoli
Rangers 0-2 Ajax
**
Group C
Bayern Munich 1-1 Inter
Plzen 0-2 Barcelona
**
Group D
Marseille 1-0 Spurs (one minute of injury-time left)
Sporting 1-0 Eintracht
GOAL! Marseille 1-0 Spurs (Mangulu 45+2)
Mayham in Marseille! A short corner, an outswinging ball to the back post, and a leaping, butting thunk inside the near post. That’s a very, very good header and everything I’ve seen and heard says the home side deserve that, likewise the away. As it stands, Sporting and Marseille will go through!
GOAL! Viktoria Plzen -2 Barcelona (Torres 44)
A ball into the box, a header across the face, and a lashed close-range finish. VAR has a look at offside, but finds nothing amiss.
Eintracht should equalise, Tuta meeting a corner and heading into the ground, but too close to the keeper.
Jones slides Salah in and he’s through! But Meret gets a touch on his lifted finish, before the flag goes up for offside.
GOAL! Sporting 1-0 Eintracht (Gomes 39)
Spirting battle hard down the right, Edwards eventually finds a crossing angle, and when it takes a deflection, Gomes controls a sidefooted volley at the back post that the keeper should save but doesn’t.
Whoever Wolves appoint, they need to do it soon.
Sporting have just had Nuno Santos stretchered off – he landed awkwardly and looks to have jiggered his ankle. He was every bit as upset as you’d imagine.
In France, Conte of course sends a more defensive player on for Son, and Lloris has just shoved away a ferocious drive from Veretout – though one at a nice height for the keeper.
I say that, but they were far from perfect in the first half of their home game with Barca. They got away with it, but not much I’ve seen of them this season says likely champions. But who knows how things’ll go after the World Cup.
GOAL! Bayern Munich 1-0 Inter (Pavard 32)
A right-wing corner swings out, Pavard heads down because no one bothers marking, and that’s 1-0. Bayern draw nearer to another perfect group.
GOAL! Rangers 0-2 Ajax (Kudus 29)
Ajax go down the left, the cut-back reaches Kudus, and he opens a Supermalt, takes a swig, has a lie down and shoots, the effort deflected into the net. Rangers have had a terrible time on their Champions League return.
Inter are giving Bayern some hassle, a ball across the face of goal slid wide – by whom I did not see. And bad news for Spurs in Marseille, where Son has taken an accidental Mbembe shoulder to the face; he’s been guided off looking groggy, and I’m not sure he’ll return. Godspeed, old mate.
This Sporting v Eintracht game has a decent tempo to it, as you’d expect. Both sides could go through but both could end up with nowt, so needle is being nurtured.
Marseille have just shot a foot past Lloris’s far post; Sporting have had no one attack a fine ball in; and a Plzen player has just headed against the Barca bar.
Spurs are really missing Dejan Kulusevski. I wonder if, when he’s back, Conte will try him at wing-back to get in an extra attacker, or persevere with the current method.
