Editorial

Champions League Comment: Yes, There's Life Beyond The Big Three

Step forward, Europe's unsung leagues - your time has come...

Oct 20, 2009 11:59:04 PM

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Gokdeniz Karadeniz (Rubin Kazan)

Teams

After the second matchday of the Champions League, it would not be wholly unreasonable for one to lose at least a slice of one's faith in the Beautiful Game. The much-vaunted Bayern Munich-Juventus encounter proved to be a bit of a snoozefest; Arsenal's win over Olympiacos brought action only right at the death; Milan's loss to Zurich was interesting in terms of scoreline but not action; and even Manchester United's victory at Besiktas was laboured.

But any fan foolhardy enough to spend an evening at the cinema or in the supermarket instead of tuning in for matchday 3 has, on the strength of Tuesday's games at least, missed a night that otherwise would have lingered long in the memory, long after The Invention Of Lying or a particularly juicy mango had faded. Eight games brought thirty-two goals, and excitement on an immeasurable scale.

Depending on whose opinion you seek, you may hear that just one match went as expected. Even that, though, was a fraught encounter. Debrecen took the lead against Fiorentina after just two minutes, and although they were eventually to go 4-2 down, a late third goal made for a nervy finish for the Italian visitors in Budapest.

In another match, on-form Sevilla picked up a 3-1 win at Stuttgart against the off-form Roten in a game of few chances, thus cementing their place at the top of the table. No goals for Luis Fabiano or Fredi Kanoute, though: Jesus Navas got one, Sebastien Squillaci the other two.

Then there was Olympiacos' clash at home to Standard Liege. The Belgian visitors seemed set for a draw, but yet again their habit of conceding late, late goals struck as Ieroklis Stoltidis bundled home an undignified but utterly priceless winner.

And that leaves five.

Rangers may not be a leading light of the continent, but nonetheless they were expected to make short work of Unirea Urziceni, a side making their Champions League debut this season. A second-minute goal from Pedro Mendes, then, was not unsurprising.

Then came four goals of varying stripes - from the sublime to the ridiculous - for the visitors, and suddenly the 'Gers had suffered a loss just as heavy as the one endured against Sevilla in the last matchday.

Disbelief at Ibrox

Over in Alkmaar, AZ took to the pitch bereft of a sponsor, and with an uncertain financial future, after patron DSB went out of business.

Any fiscal worries evaporated deep into stoppage time, though, as Arsenal found themselves stunned with a late, late equaliser from the hosts.

Money in the bank

Meanwhile Jose Mourinho seemed to blame fatigue for his Inter side's inability to overcome Dynamo Kiev at home.

In fact the Ukrainians, other than during a spell shortly after the interval, appeared to be the better side for much of the game. And had Andriy Shevchenko buried a late one-on-one, who knows might what have happened?

Among friends

Then another game that, while perhaps not a shock, certainly saw the home side fall to a 'smaller' opponent.

Liverpool welcomed Lyon to Anfield knowing that a home defeat would spell their worst run in over 20 years. Steven Gerrard limped off midway through the first half in an omen that would make even the most shameless fiction writer blush. A goal from Delgado right at the end, inevitably, kept the French side's 100% record alive, and put the Reds in danger of a barren season - in October!

A real handful

But the achievements of the French side must, it has to be said, pale in comparison to those pulled off by Rubin Kazan at the Camp Nou.

Barcelona were humbled at home by two excellent goals from the Russian champions, their unbeaten run - stretching back to the Champions League final of last season - now lying in tatters.

Eye on the ball

What to make of all this? It's hard to draw definitive conclusions from just one night of action. One would find it hard to argue that Barcelona are, on the strength of a dud week, now a spent force, for example. Similarly Arsenal's travails in Alkmaar might not be the death knell for Arsene Wenger's young side. Inter? Still Scudetto favourites, and their slow start in Europe last season didn't seem to hurt them too much (only eventual finalists Manchester United overcame them in the end.)

Yet for a supporter of UEFA top dog Michel Platini, the decision to welcome some of Europe's less storied leagues to the top table could be considered, if not vindicated, at least on the path to respectability. Debrecen, comfortably the lowest-seeded side in the contest, may have zero points, but after tonight they have many admirers - well, defensive purists aside. Rubin Kazan show a rising in the east far away from St. Petersburg, Moscow and Donetsk. Dinamo Kiev are climbing to the same podium.

Perhaps the illustrious twelve of England, Italy and Spain, then, are in for more of a challenge than many of their fans bargained for. We'll see.

Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com

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