Interesting FootballInteresting Football
  • News
  • Live Score
  • Live stream
  • Top Scorers
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Interesting FootballInteresting Football
  • News
  • Live Score
  • Live stream
  • Top Scorers
Facebook Twitter RSS
Interesting FootballInteresting Football
TV Guide

The Biggest Winner and Loser of the 2022-23 UEFA Champions League, Matchday 3

By Ibiye AmbilleNovember 4, 2022
Facebook Twitter Reddit

Just like that, we’ve found ourselves halfway through the 2022-23 UCL group stage. This season has continued to give football fans and pundits tons of things to debate. So far, it appears that some of the big dogs are struggling on club football’s grandest stage, while a couple of underdogs seem to be making a statement.

 

With matchday 4 just a few days away, here’s a look back at this week’s biggest winner and loser

 

Winner: There’s Joy in Naples

Many pundits predicted that the loss of Kalidou Koulibaly, Lorenzo Insigne, and Dries Mertens in one summer spelled trouble for the 2× Serie A champions. But Napoli has responded perfectly to these departures with an 11-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. This run includes wins against fellow Serie A powerhouses Lazio and Juventus and last season’s champions league runner-up Liverpool.

 

Napoli went riot on Matchday 3, obliterating Ajax by six goals to one, handing the Dutch giants their worst defeat in a European Competition in 122 years. Ajax started the game in front after Mohammed Kudus scored in the tenth minute, but their joy was short-lived after Giacomo Raspadori’s header saw the back of the net. It was all goals galore for the away side after the equalizer as Napoli displayed arguably the most lethal offensive performance on Matchday 3.

 

Giovanni Di Lorenzo and Piotr Zieliński registered their names on the scoresheet to give Napoli a 3-1 lead at halftime, and the Italian side took off from where they left with an early second-half goal from Giacomo Raspadori. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Gio Simeone added more salt to injury on a forgettable game night for Ajax fans.

 

Napoli’s away dominance over one of the competition’s biggest teams should surely put the world on notice. It gets even more interesting because they are without a star attacking piece in Victor Osimhen.

 

The Raspadori-Kvaratskhelia bond appears to be working according to the script. The latter is arguably Europe’s breakout player and could well cause a whole lot of trouble for opposing teams, should he at least maintain his current form.

 

Napoli currently sits atop the Serie A table and is one of the five teams to boast a perfect champions league record. Spalletti’s men are surely one of the teams to avoid the knockout stages.

 

Get the latest NFL, football, and American college football odds on FanDuel.

 

Loser: Barcelona’s VAR Woes

Will a football week ever come and go without at least one VAR controversy? It appears the answer is no, and the Catalan giants were on the receiving end this time around.

 

A new-look Barcelona has enjoyed domestic success so far this season under Xavi, but the outcome of their last two European displays is starting to pile up some pressure. Blaugrana have failed to score in their previous two champions league games, despite boasting one of the finest scoring machines in the world: Robert Lewandowski.

 

While Barça had themselves to blame in their 2-0 loss against Bayern Munich, all eyes were on the controversial refereeing decisions in their 1-0 loss at the San Siro on matchday 3. Pedri’s goal was disallowed after Ansu Fati was judged to have handled the ball with his hands; a harsh decision considering how the ball ricocheted through Inter’s Andre Onana to Ansu’s fingertips. Clearly not intent there.

 

This decision was compounded late in the second half after the referee refused to point to the spot for a penalty after an obvious Denzel Dumfries handball in the 18-yard box. Eyebrows were raised after the referee and his officiating team waived a screen check despite intense conversations.

 

Xavi’s men were made to settle for another champions league loss despite their dominating display. The defeat leaves them in a dicey situation as they currently sit third in Group C, trailing Bayern and Inter by six and three points, respectively.

 

Wednesday’s rematch against Inter is a must-win for the Blaugrana to keep their UCL hopes alive.

Share. Facebook Twitter Reddit
Ibiye Ambille
  • Website

Ibiye loves football! Talks about trending articles and adds interesting analysis without bias, focusing on originality.

FOLLOW US ON GOOGLE NEWS HERE


RELATED ARTICLES

How to watch Borussia Dortmund vs Valencia – live stream, kick-off time

How to watch UEFA Nations League 2022/2023 on Canada TV: live stream & channel

How to watch CONCACAF Champions League in USA & Canada 2022 – streaming, tv guide

How to watch MLS 2022 in USA and Canada – online streaming, TV Guide

How to watch Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 in USA and Canada – streaming, tv guide

How to watch MLS 2022 in UK (Sky Sports & FreeSports streaming guide)

How to watch FIFA Club World Cup 2022 in USA, Canada: streaming links, TV Guide

How to watch AFCON 2021 (2022) in USA and Canada

How to watch FC Red Bull Salzburg fixtures, livestream

Comments are closed.

Facebook Twitter RSS
  • About
  • Contact
  • Other sites
  • Privacy Policy
  • Live Soccer Scores
  • Contribute
© 2023 Copyright Interesting Football All rights reserved. The information contained in Interesting Football may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without the prior written authority of Interesting Football

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

Interesting Football - We Love Our Readers
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT