Five Talking Points from UCL Play-Offs First Legs

The first legs of the UEFA Champions League play-offs produced thrills and spills between Tuesday and Wednesday night this week.

As such, holders Real Madrid set the tone for their ambitions of reaching the last 16 after beating Manchester City 3-2 away.

Below, SuperSportBet looks at five key talking points from the past two days, including that thriller at the Etihad Stadium.

Madrid Looking the ‘Real’ Deal

Real Madrid just can’t seem to falter in the Champions League, as the record 15-time champions put up a gallant fight to beat Manchester City away from home on Tuesday.

Madrid’s win was propelled by talisman Vinicius Junior, who shrugged off banter from the Citizens’ fans regarding losing out on the Ballon d’Or to Rodri late last year.

Vinicius said seeing the banter, which had Rodri kissing the Ballon d’Or with the words ‘STOP CRYING YOUR HEART OUT,’ motivated him to be at his best.

Kane in Good ‘Kompany’

England’s captain Harry Kane has dreamt of moments like this. And thanks to his stellar performances under coach Vincent Kompany, he’s living the dream.

Kane was again on the scoresheet when Bayern Munich beat Celtic 2-1 away from home on Wednesday night, taking his tally to seven goals and one assist in eight games in European football.

The 31-year-old striker is eyeing his maiden club trophy following a barren spell at Tottenham Hotspur. That’s why he’s confident he’ll win silverware this season.

Brugge Gets Dubious Advantage

The implementation of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in European football was expected to make life easier for referees.

But referee Umut Meler awarded Club Brugge a dubious penalty deep in stoppage time as the Belgians beat Atalanta 2-1 at home at the Jan Breydel Stadium.

Meler incredibly adjudged that Gustaf Nilsson was brought down inside the box when he, in fact, looked to have dived on the path of Isak Hien.

PSG One Foot In

Ousmane Dembele’s fine form for Paris Saint-Germain continued Tuesday night as he scored a brace to help his team beat French rivals Brest 3-0 at Stade de Roudourou.

Dembele’s heroics took his tally to 23 goals, including 18 in 11 appearances over the last two months, as he continues to shine in the French capital.

Coach Luis Enrique is proud to have Dembele at his disposal, given that he’s showing flashes of his best after an injury-laden spell at FC Barcelona.

Juve Wins, Milan Loses

Juventus are struggling in domestic football as they sit fifth in Serie A, trailing league leaders Napoli by 12 points after 24 rounds of matches.

However, they seem to have found their mojo in Europe after beating PSV 2-1 at home at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday night.

Juve’s rivals AC Milan didn’t have the same fortunes against Dutch opposition in the first leg of the play-offs. They lost 1-0 to Feyenoord at De Kuip on Wednesday night.

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