Photo: Wikimedia Commons
BY: SAMUEL CAROZZA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Last Wednesday, on the final day of the brand-new Champions League group stage, all 36 teams played at the same time, giving fans a unique sports experience.
The new Champions League format sees 36 teams play eight ‘group stage’ games, which are ranked in a table. The top eight get an automatic bid into the Round of 16. Places 24-9 are then grouped into a ‘playoff,’ where the winning eight teams join the automatic qualifiers in the Round of 16. The rest of the teams are eliminated.
Reigning English champions Manchester City found themselves in trouble in 25th place before the game and two points behind 24th place, meaning they would need to beat Belgian side Club Brugge to get into the playoffs. Manchester City would go down early but complete the comeback for the 3-1 victory.
First-place English side Liverpool had their undefeated campaign spoiled at the hands of Dutch side PSV, who handed them a 3-2 loss.
Portuguese side, Benfica, on the border of elimination, faced Italian juggernauts Juventus. The nail-biting game saw Benfica come out with a 2-0 win away from home.
Red Bull Salzburg from Austria saw themselves get eliminated at the hands of Spanish superstars Atletico Madrid in an agonizing 4-1 loss. Atletico’s superstar, Griezmann, grabbed two goals on the night, putting him tied for fifth in the leading scorer race.
Spanish side Barcelona and Italian side Atalanta gave a thrilling 90 minutes that saw it end in a 2-2 draw. Barcelona’s 17-year-old superstar continues to impress as he scored the opening goal. Barcelona finished the group stage with the most goals scored, with 28 goals scored as a team across eight games.
The top eight was rounded out with the addition of English side Aston Villa after their high-scoring fixture against Scottish champions Celtic. Villa’s midfielder Morgan Rogers scored a hat-trick on the night, leading his side to a demanding 4-2 win.
Rogers wasn’t the only one on the night with a hat-trick, though, as Ousmane Dembele slotted three past German side Stuttgart, giving his French side, PSG, the win they needed to secure playoffs. Stuttgart needed at least a draw to stay alive but fell short in their efforts and were eliminated after the 4-1 loss.
Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb, desperately trying to avoid elimination, faced the dominant side, AC Milan, in a lopsided matchup. Zagreb would shock the Italian giants by pulling off the 2-1 win. Unfortunately, though, it wouldn’t be enough to get them out of the elimination zone as the other fixtures they needed to happen did not fall in their favor. They finished in the 25th, tied on points with 24th place, but were behind in goal difference.
The final day of the Champions League group stage gave soccer fans a viewing experience like no other by scheduling all 18 games at the same time for the most drama possible. Fans were pleased with the new format and seemed exceptionally pleased with the final day’s schedule.
