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Champions League briefing: Did Vinicius Jr. win the Ballon d'Or? Plus a Pulisic Olimpico

Posted on by Kennedy
Champions League briefing: Did Vinicius Jr. win the Ballon d'Or? Plus a Pulisic Olimpico

It was an evening of remarkable goals from big-name scorers as the Champions League returned for its third gameweek.

Vinicius Junior's second-half hat-trick at the Bernabeu rounded off another European comeback for Real Madrid as visitors Borussia Dortmund went from a two-goal lead after an hour to 5-2 down to the final whistle of the Ballon d'Or ceremony.

But there was also an unlikely goal from Christian Pulisic, while Viktor Gyokeres and Jhon Duran continued their winning ways, with the latter helping Aston Villa move to the top of the League Stage table.

These are the most important discussion points from Tuesday's action.

Is the Ballon d'Or race already over?

At halftime in Madrid, Dortmund were dreaming of their first ever win at the Bernabeu, 2-0 and confidently.

Reigning European champions Real, beaten 1-0 away by France's Lille in the second game week, were in danger of not only losing their 14-game unbeaten home record in the competition, but also jeopardizing their qualification hopes with a second defeat in three games.

Vinicius Jr. came into play. A brilliant second-half hat-trick from the Brazilian ended this second leg of last season's final in style. Dortmund must be fed up with the sight of him.

His first attack was just a tap-in, but the second was a gallant 60-yard run on the counterattack that ended with a brilliant drive into the corner.


Vinicius scores his second goal (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

His third ball was a rapid run past three players before firing over goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.


Vinicius completes his hat trick (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Vinicius Jr. was absolutely brilliant in the second half and Dortmund didn't know how to stop him. The vibrant 24-year-old continues to receive accolades and praise – and on Monday he could well be named this year's world's best player when the latest Ballon d'Or winner is announced.

He is the clear favorite for the prize, which will be awarded by a jury of journalists from countries in the top 100 of the FIFA world rankings and based on last season's performances when the ceremony takes place in Paris. Only Rodri, the Manchester City and Spain midfielder, seems to be a serious candidate.

Vinicius Jr.'s hat-trick also provided the highlight of the evening for a young talent who will be hoping to emulate him in the near future.

Jamie Gittens' star continues to rise and, at just 20 years and 75 days, he became the youngest Englishman to score against Madrid (eclipsing Alan Smith's record when he played for Leeds United in 2001) when he beat Dortmund after 34 minutes took a two-goal lead.

Gittens' time in the spotlight may be coming soon, but for now the stage belongs to Vinicius Jr.

Pulisic's Olimpico

What do Thierry Henry, David Beckham, Megan Rapinoe and now Pulisic have in common?

Are you all right-footed? Did they all play in either MLS or for the USA? Well, yes, but the answer we're looking for is that they all achieved an Olympic victory.

In football jargon, this is a goal scored directly from a corner. It's a very rare feat and certainly not easy to achieve, as Lionel Messi will tell you. One of the best players to ever kick a ball has never put one straight into the goal from a corner, but that wasn't because he didn't want to try, as our Felipe Cardenas detailed earlier this year.

But Pulisic joined the club in the first half of AC Milan's crucial 3-1 home win over Club Brugge.

Video for British readers

Video for US readers

Was he serious? Now, with Brugge's ex-Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet straying from his line and leaving a yawning gap for him to aim at at the near post, we should give Pulisic the benefit of the doubt.

The Olympic Stadium should have served as inspiration for Milan to lead a must-win game, as the Italians had already lost to Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen. However, they made a massive meal of it and Brugge equalized despite being down to 10 men after Raphael Onyedika was sent off.

When Milan's star player Rafael Leao was surprisingly substituted after an hour, the spectators at San Siro loudly expressed their displeasure with coach Paulo Fonseca. But just 29 seconds later, with Leao still trudging across the pitch back to the bench, Noah Okafor, one of Fonseca's substitutes, set up Tijjani Reijnders to make it 2-1.

Ten minutes later, another substitute, Samuel Chukwueze, helped Reijnders secure a big win – and Fonseca's vindication.

Can Villa's fairytale continue?

Okay, we know Unai Emery is good, but this is where things are starting to get silly.

Who rated Aston Villa as potential Champions League leaders after three games? Well, Emery's team sits proudly at the top of the table, making up for lost time after four decades without Europe's main competition.

Wins over Young Boys, Bayern Munich and now Bologna, all without conceding a goal, perhaps make Villa one of the dark horses of this year's competition. Emery certainly knows how to win a European trophy, having claimed four Europa League triumphs in seven years with Sevilla (three) and Villarreal from 2014 to 2021…


Villa are at the top of the Champions League – can they stay there? (Darren Staples/AFP via Getty Images)

Villa didn't have it easy at home against a stubborn Bologna side, but second-half goals from John McGinn (whose outside free-kick bounced through a crowd of players) and a seventh goal of the season from Jhon Duran (who came on straight after and got this pretty poorly recorded) were enough.

With Villa, Monaco and Sporting Lisbon in first, second and third place, the early table looks unpredictable.

It was just a shame that Villa Park wasn't full for the occasion, as some fans were put off by the Birmingham club charging one of the highest ticket prices in the competition.

Giants wobble

Domestic leagues like the Premier League and Serie A are only just winding down after eight games… but how long will it take for the Champions League's first league stage table to even appear?

Midway through Gameweek 3, there are plenty of big talents who have not yet begun to cement their place in the top eight, meaning they will go straight into the round of 16, with poor results for Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday We have opened the automatic qualifying race even further.

Juventus may be unbeaten in Italy's top flight, but they have conceded five goals in three games in the Champions League and were deservedly beaten by Stuttgart in Turin this evening.

The Germans had 22 shots (10 on target) while Juventus had seven (one on target), but took the points too late. El Bilal Toure brilliantly completed a well-crafted move in stoppage time, Enzo Millot missed a few penalties minutes earlier.


Juventus reacts to the weak home defeat against Stuttgart (Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images)

Meanwhile, PSG's questionable Champions League form continues. They needed an injury-time goal from Girona goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga to win in the first game week, then lost to Arsenal and have now struggled to a 1-1 draw with Dutch visitors PSV Eindhoven.

Ousmane Dembele missed two relatively easy chances while Luis Enrique's profligate side managed just one goal from 26 attempts. The French were grateful for another goalkeeping error when Walter Benitez allowed Achraf Hakimi's long-range shot through his legs.

PSG's prospects do not look good as they face Atlético Madrid, Bayern, Manchester City and Juventus conquerors Stuttgart in their remaining five games.


PSG have just four points from three games (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

Gyokeres' hot phase continues

If Viktor Gyokeres played in the Premier League, La Liga or Bundesliga and scored as often as he does now, he would be a superstar of European football.

The fact that he plies his trade for Sporting in the lesser-known Portuguese league means the 26-year-old Swede is likely to still remain under the radar, but there are some reasons to consider him one of the hottest strikers in the game at the moment .

The numbers are breathtaking. Gyokeres has played 11 games in the Primeira Liga and Champions League this season and scored 13 goals, adding four goals and three assists from four Sweden appearances.

He scored 43 goals out of 50 in all competitions for Sporting last season and one wonders how many clubs regret not challenging Sporting for his signature when English Championship second division side Coventry City sold him in 2022.

His final goal, which contributed to a 2-0 away win against Sturm Graz of Austria, was majestic.

Video for British readers

Video for US readers

Gyokeres recently explained that his €100 million (£83m/$108m) release clause might be a bit high, but if he keeps up this form there will undoubtedly be clubs willing to pay it.

Tuesday's results

  • AC Milan 3 Club Brugge 1
  • Monaco 5 Red Star Belgrade 1
  • Arsenal 1 Shakhtar Donetsk 0
  • Aston Villa 2 Bologna 0
  • Girona 2 Slovan Bratislava 0
  • Juventus 0 Stuttgart 1
  • Paris Saint Germain 1 PSV Eindhoven 1
  • Real Madrid 5 Borussia Dortmund 2
  • Sturm Graz 0 Sporting Lisbon 2

What's next?

The remaining nine games of the third game week of the eight-round league phase will take place on Wednesday.

  • Atalanta v Celtic (5:45 p.m. BST/12:45 p.m. ET)
  • Brest vs. Bayer Leverkusen (5:45 p.m. BST/12:45 p.m. ET)
  • Atletico Madrid vs Lille (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Barcelona vs Bayern Munich (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Benfica vs Feyenoord (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Manchester City vs Sparta Prague (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • RB Leipzig vs Liverpool (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Red Bull Salzburg vs Dinamo Zagreb (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)
  • Young Boys vs. Inter Milan (8:00 p.m. BST/3:00 p.m. ET)

(Top photos: Vinicius Junior and Christian Pulisic; Getty Images)

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