It may not have been a win but it likely felt like one for Juventus, anyway.
The Italian heavyweights avoided defeat in their Champions League opener on Wednesday, rallying from a 2-0 deficit against Chelsea to grab a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge. Arturo Vidal and Fabio Quagliarella both scored to negate a first-half brace from Oscar, and that left the defending Champions League winners with a sour taste in their mouths and just one point from their first home game.
Barcelona was involved in a comeback of their own, but they managed to score a winner and start their Champions League campaign with three points. Down 2-1 to Spartak Moscow in part because of a Dani Alves own goal, Barcelona erased the deficit and took a permanent 3-2 lead courtesy of two goals from Leo Messi. The Argentine international equalized for Barcelona in the 71st minute and he followed that with another goal nine minutes later.
Here is a rundown of all of Wednesdays UEFA Champions League action:
MANCHESTER UNITED 1, GALATASARAY 0
In a game that marked Darren Fletchers return from his career-threatening bowel condition, Manchester United claimed three points at Old Trafford despite missing a penalty kick in a 1-0 win over Galatasary. Nani missed on a spot kick in the second half but that did not come back to haunt Manchester United, as Michael Carricks seventh-minute goal proved to be enough.
BAYERN MUNICH 2, VALENCIA 1
Bastian Schweinsteiger and Toni Kroos scored on each side of halftime to help give Bayern Munich a 2-1 win over Valencia at the start of their Champions League campaign. Schweinsteiger netted seven minutes before halftime and Kroos scored the eventual winner in the 76th minute before the Spanish club pulled one back in second-half stoppage time courtesy of a penalty kick.
CFR CLUJ 2, BRAGA 0
Braga were handed a stunning loss and that was came to be after two of their former players came back to haunt them. CFRCluj claimed a 2-0 win over Braga thanks to a brace from Rafael Bastos and a fine goalkeeping performance from Mario Felgueiras.
BATE BORISOV 3, LILLE 1
A three-goal first half paved the way for BATE Borisov to grab a 3-1 win over Lille. The Belarusian championsjumped out to a commanding 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes, and that put Lille in a hole that they were not able to come out of.
SHAKHTAR DONETSK 2, FC NORDSJAELLAND 0
Michael Parkhurst and FC Nordsjaelland got off to a poor start in their Champions League campaign, falling 2-0 to Shakhtar Donetsk. Henrik Mkhitaryan scored on each side of halftime for the hosts to continue his strong start to the season, and Parkhurst went the distance in the defeat.
CELTIC 0, BENFICA 0
The Scottish heavyweights and Portuguese powerhouse played to a scoreless draw in their Group G opener at Celtic Park despite taking a combined 19 shots.
–
What did you think of Wednesdays action?
Share your thoughts below.
When Is The World Cup Final Kids Soccer Games Artile 