Arsenal's Brazilian striker #09 Gabriel Jesus (L) fights for the ball with Inter Milan's Argentine forward #10 Lautaro Martinez during the UEFA Champions League football match between Inter Milan and Arsenal at the San Siro stadium in Milan on Nov. 6, 2024. Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images
Inter Milan had an opportunistic 1–0 victory over Arsenal in a powerhouse Champions League matchup between two of the best teams in Italy and England on Wednesday.
The first half was played evenly and Inter Milan caught a huge break in extra time when midfielder Mikel Merino was called for a handball inside the penalty area off a deflection. Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Çalhanoglu confidently slotted the ball past David Raya for the 1–0 lead.
With the lead, Inter Milan had 10 players behind the ball, frustrating the Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka and attacking midfielder Kai Havertz. The Italians absorbed several effective attacks by the Gunnars.
Inter Milan improved to 3–1–0, while Arsenal fell to 2–1–1.
Club Brugge Beats Aston Villa
Club Brugge managed one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, handing Aston Villa its first loss with an uncanny 1–0 victory at the Jan Breydelstadion in Belgium.
After a scoreless first half, Hans Vanaken gave the Belgian side the lead with a penalty kick in the 52nd minute following an odd exchange—Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martínez passed the ball to Tyron Mings on a short goal kick. However, Mings inexplicably picked up the ball and tried to give it back to Martínez. The referee signaled a penalty kick and confirmed the decision via VAR.
Club Brugge (2–0–2) continued to attack, which kept Aston Villa (3–0–1) on the defense. The Belgian team outshot the English squad 13–8.
Earlier in the tournament, Aston Villa handed Bayern Munich its first loss in the group-stage game since 2017. “The Villians” are sixth in the English Premier League with 18 points in 10 matches after losing 4–1 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Club Brugge is second in the Belgian Pro League with 24 points behind first-place K.R.C. Genk (31 points).
Other Games
Barcelona 5, Red Star Belgrade 2:
The Spanish giants dominated the game and led 2–1 at the half on goals by Iñigo Martínez and Robert Lewandowski. Red Star Belgrade’s Silas Katompa-Mvumpa scored in the 27th minute. Barcelona (3–0–1) then pulled away in the second half on goals by Lewandowski, Raphinha, and Fermín López. Felicio Milson added a late goal for Belgrade (0–0–4).
Bayern Munich 1, Benfica 0:
The Portuguese side did a solid job containing the German team throughout the first half, withstanding several counter-attacks. Jamal Musiala finally broke through for Bayern Munich (2–0–2) in the 67th minute with a header off a deft cross by English international Harry Kane. There was a 15-minute delay to the start of the game because of transportation issues. Benfica fell to 2–0–2.
Benfica's Ukrainian goalkeeper #01 Anatolii Trubin (C) fails to save the ball as Bayern Munich's German midfielder #42 Jamal Musiala (L) scores the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Champions League football match FC Bayern Munich vs SL Benfica in Munich, southern Germany, on Nov. 6, 2024. Tobias Schwarz/AFP via Getty Images
Atletico Madrid 2, Paris Saint-Germain 1:
Ángel Correa scored the winner in the third minute of injury time for the Spanish side on a counterattack. The game was evenly played as PSG’s Warren Zaïre-Emery and Atletico’s Nahuel Molina traded goals early in the first half, and the match was knotted 1–1 at the break. PSG is 1–1–2, while Atletico Madrid improved to 2–0–2.
Brest 2, Sparta Prague 1:
Edimilson Fernandes gave Brest (3–1–0) the lead with a goal off a corner kick in the 37th minute. Brest had a two-goal cushion on an own goal by Kaan Kairinen in the 79th minute. Victor Olatunji scored for Prague (1–1–2) in injury time.
RB Salzburg 3, Feyenoord 1:
Salzburg took a 1–0 lead into the half on an extra-time goal on a header by Karim Konaté off a cross by Oscar Gloukh. Konaté added a second goal in the 58th minute. Feyenoord (2–1–1) pulled to within a goal when Anis Hadj Moussa scored in the 81st minute despite midfielder Chris Nadje being shown a red card two minutes prior for a hard tackle. Daouda Guindo put the game away for Salzburg (1–0–3) with a goal in the 86th minute as Feyenoord pushed forward.
Atalanta 2, Stuttgart 0:
The German side and Italian club were scoreless at the half as neither team was able to create quality chances. Atalanta took the lead on a close-range goal by Ademola Lookman in the 51st minute. Nicolò Zaniolo added an insurance goal for Atalanta (2–2–0) in the 88th minute. Stuttgart fell to 1–1–2.
Shakhtar Donetsk 2, Young Boys 1:
The game was tied 1–1 midway through the first half after Kastiot Imeri scored for Young Boys in the 27th minute, and Oleksandr Zubkov answered for the Ukrainian side four minutes later. Georgiy Sudakov gave Shakhtar Donetsk the lead just before the half with a right-footed shot from just beyond the penalty area. Shakhtar Donetsk (1–1–2) maintained the lead and picked up its first victory in the tournament, while Young Boys (0–0–4) remained winless.
Todd Karpovich
Author
In addition to the Epoch Times, Todd Karpovich is a freelance contributor to the Associated Press, The Sporting News, Baltimore Sun, and PressBox, among other media outlets nationwide, including the Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, and Chicago Tribune. He is the author or co-author of six non-fiction books.
