The Champions League group stage got underway this week and fans across the continent were treated to a whole host of entertaining fixtures on Tuesday night. All 32 clubs left in the competition will hope to make a push for the knockouts and beyond, with two of those teams colliding in Glasgow.
Celtic returned to the top table for the first time in five years to take on reigning champions Real Madrid. In what proved to be a thoroughly entertaining affair, Real were able to start their defence of the crown off well
Celtic’s courage
The first half saw the kings of Scotland come out firing and we don’t say that lightly. Celtic were hitting Real with everything they had and to a certain extent, we think it rattled the visitors. Callum McGregor struck the inside of the post, they were constantly putting Madrid under pressure, and a bit more composure in front of goal could’ve helped make this lively Celtic Park crowd raise the roof.
Class shines through
The quality of a club like Real Madrid simply cannot be overstated and that much is obvious. In the second half, though, they were operating on an entirely different level with Vinicius Junior, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard all managing to find the back of the net. In many ways the scoreline flattered them but in others, it represented just how much of a gulf still exists between these two historic clubs.
Wide open group?
There’s a lot to be said for the spirit of certain clubs and last night, Shakhtar Donetsk showcased that with an emphatic 4-1 win against RB Leipzig – in Germany, no less. As the first Ukrainian team to compete at this level since the invasion began, they’ve got some real added motivation behind them. So with Leipzig looking questionable, Shakhtar looking good, Madrid being Madrid and Celtic showing spirit, we’d say Group F has the potential to surprise a few folks.
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