Bayern Munich drew 2-2 with Arsenal London in Wednesday’s marquee match of Matchday 3 in the Champions League. Five teams share the top of the table with perfect records, led by defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.
Bayern and Arsenal have been counted among the main favorites going into the season for years. This time is no different, especially since both teams won league titles in their countries in May.
In Munich, the visitors scored first, with Eberechi Eze, who had come on 15 minutes earlier for the injured Bukayo Saka, finding the net in the 25th minute.
Canada’s Alphonso Davies equalized before halftime, and in the second half Harry Kane tipped the balance toward the Bavarians. The Englishman scored in his 10th consecutive Champions League match, counting last season. His career total in the competition is 58 goals in 73 appearances.
Late in the match, Declan Rice equalized after a well-worked move.
Arsenal, with seven points, are seventh in the table, while Bayern have five, enough for now for 14th place.
Five teams sit at the top with a perfect nine points.
One of them is Aston Villa, which on Wednesday beat Viking Stavanger, making their debut at this level, 3:1. Poland international Matty Cash, who plays for the Birmingham club, came on for the last 20 minutes.
Real Madrid (4:1 against RB Leipzig, with Kylian Mbappé’s 73rd Champions League goal) and Betis Sevilla, who beat Feyenoord Rotterdam 1:0 without Jakub Moder, who is recovering from a knee injury, also won for the third time.
The other two teams that have yet to drop points played on Tuesday.
Paris Saint-Germain, going for a third straight Champions League title, beat Barcelona 4:2 at home and hold first place.
Désiré Doué put the hosts ahead in the 38th minute. Fans saw five goals in the second half, and the Parisians had the last word, leaving Barcelona still without a win in a competitive match away from home this season.
Wednesday’s news of a serious injury to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia dampened the mood for coach Luis Enrique’s team and its supporters. The Georgian tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be out for several months, which could mean the end of his season.
Barcelona midfielder Dani Olmo, meanwhile, will be sidelined for four weeks because of an injury he suffered in Paris, so he will miss Sunday’s El Clásico.
Liverpool also won for the third time. At Anfield, the Reds beat Spain’s Villarreal 4:3 in a match refereed by Szymon Marciniak, even though they trailed 0:2 after 29 minutes.
In the last two Champions League matches involving “The Reds,” 16 goals have been scored (a week ago they won 6:3 against LASK Linz).
Three teams are without a point at the bottom of the table: Slovan Bratislava, Lille OSC and the “Polish” FC Porto, which lost 1:0 at home to PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday. Jan Bednarek and Jakub Kiwior played the entire match, and Oskar Pietuszewski played until the 59th minute.
Tymoteusz Puchacz made a bigger mark on the pitch, providing an assist in Sabah Baku’s match against Borussia Dortmund, but his Azerbaijani team lost 2:1 at home.
On Wednesday, apart from Cash, Piotr Zieliński had the most to celebrate. The Polish midfielder came on in the 59th minute, and 18 minutes later Brazil’s Carlos Augusto scored the only goal in Inter Milan’s game against Shakhtar Donetsk.
Michał Skóraś will not remember his appearance at the familiar Jan Breydel Stadium in Bruges fondly, as RC Lens lost 3:0 to the Pole’s former team, Club Brugge.
The next round of Champions League matches is scheduled for Nov. 3-4. (PAP)
