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Where does football go as it moves on from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?

Where does football go as it moves on from Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo?
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Champions League Matchday 7 Recap (2025/26)

     

Full Results (Matchday 7)

  • Kairat Almaty 1–4 Club Brugge
  • Bodø/Glimt 3–1 Manchester City
  • Copenhagen 1–1 Napoli
  • Inter 1–3 Arsenal

    • Olympiacos 2–0 Leverkusen
    • Real Madrid 6–1 Monaco

    • Sporting CP 2–1 PSG
    • Tottenham 2–0 Dortmund
    • Villareal 1–2 Ajax
    • Galatasaray 1–1 Atletico Madrid
    • Qarabag 3–2 Frankfurt
    • Atalanta 2–3 Athletic Club
    • Bayern 2–0 Union St.Gilloise
    • Chelsea 1–0 Pafos
    • Juventus 2–0 Benfica
    • Marseille 0–3 Liverpool
    • Newcastle 3–0 PSV
    • Slavia Prague 2–4 Barcelona

    Game of the Matchday

    Slavia Prague 2–4 Barcelona


    Barcelona under Hansi Flick in UCL is pure box-office. The least amount of goals featured in any of their 7 UCL matches this season is 3. Slavia Prague came out swinging at the Fortuna Arena, taking a shock lead through Vasil Kusej that had the home fans dreaming of an upset. Then Fermin Lopez decided to take over, flipping the script with a clinical brace in under 8 minutes to put Barca ahead. There was more to come though as Robert Lewandowski accidentally headed one into his own net to make it 2-2. But in typical Barcelona fashion, they found another gear. Dani Olmo restored the lead with a long-range rocket, and Lewandowski eventually redeemed himself with a left-footed finish from close-range to seal the points. It was 90 minutes of high-octane attacking football which is so often the case with Barcelona.

    Biggest Surprise

    Bodø/Glimt 3–1 Manchester City

    You really have to love football for nights like this. In a town just north of the Arctic Circle, where temperatures dipped to –2°C, Manchester City’s billionaire stars were frozen out by a team whose entire city population could fit inside the Etihad Stadium. Having not played a professional game since December 10, Bodø's Kasper Høgh became a local hero overnight with a lightning-fast brace in the first half, but the real madness was watching Rodri lose his head, stupidly picking up two yellow cards in under a minute. Pep Guardiola spent the week talking about wanting to see the Northern Lights, but the only thing he saw was his midfield anchor trudging off the pitch in a daze as Jens Petter Hauge curled in a world-class third. It was a tactical and physical dismantling that proved no amount of money can buy you a win on a sub-zero night in Bodø. The European version of "Can he do it in a cold, rainy night at Stoke?" perhaps.

    Best Team Performance

    Real Madrid 6–1 Monaco

    The Kings of Europe reminding everyone of just the sheer firepower they posses in a dismantling of Monaco meant they delivered the best performance of any team this matchday. Under the fresh leadership of Alvaro Arbeloa, Real Madrid played with a terrifying level of technical arrogance, looking like a team that has figured out how to fit all their "cheat code" players into one system. Kylian Mbappe was ruthless against his former club, bagging a first-half brace, but it was the overall fluidity of the team that stood out. They transitioned with such speed and precision that Monaco’s defence didn't know what hit them. This wasn't just a win, it was a statement that the Bernabeu is still one of the most dangerous places for any visiting team. To put 6 past a Monaco defence that has proved to be one of the better defences of the competition prior to this match is certainly a statement that this is not the same side that lost against Manchester City.

    Player of the Matchday

    Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)

    There has been a lot of noise lately about Vinicius Junior, with some sections of the Bernabeu even giving him a hard time, but he silenced every single critic with a performance that was nothing short of a masterclass. Against Monaco, he conducted the entire orchestra. Finishing the night with one goal and two assists as well as forcing an own goal from Thilo Kehrer, Vini was at his unplayable best, using his pace to stretch the defense and his improved vision to pick out Mbappe and Mastantuono with precision. When he’s in this kind of mood, he makes elite defenders look like amateurs. He has talked the talk for a while, it was about time he walked the walk.

    Honorable mentions - Moises Caicedo (Chelsea), Robert Navarro (Athletic Club) & Konstantinos Tzolakis (Olympiacos)

    Moment of the Matchday

    Luis Suarez scores late header to upset PSG

    Watch Suarez's late header here

    A 90th-minute winner against Paris Saint-Germain that did wonders for Sporting's hopes of finishing in the top 8. After PSG had dominated 75% of the ball and showered the goal with 28 shots, it felt inevitable that they would walk away with something. But football has a funny way of rewarding grit over stats. In the dying moments at the Estadio Jose Alvalade, Luis Suarez pounced on a rebound after a Trincao shot was parried, nodding it home to secure a 2-1 upset over the defending champions. What a moment for the Columbian personally, also helping his team massively.

    Late-Night Thoughts 

    What a matchday with tons of interesting results. Arsenal once again impressing, Real Madrid back on track in some style, Manchester City off the track in some style, important wins for the likes of Sporting, Chelsea, Barcelona and Tottenham. Matchday 8 is all chaos, as all 36 teams will play at the same time. Good luck guessing the amount of times the league table will change. Brace for some shock results!

    Looking Ahead – Matchday 8 Fixtures (IST Kick-offs)

    Thursday, 29 January (IST)

    • Ajax vs Olympiacos — 1:30 am IST
    • Arsenal vs Kairat Almaty — 1:30 am IST
    • Athletic Club vs Sporting CP — 1:30 am IST
    • Atlético Madrid vs Bodø/Glimt — 1:30 am IST

    • Barcelona vs Copenhagen — 1:30 am IST
    • Leverkusen vs Villareal — 1:30 am IST
    • Benfica vs Real Madrid — 1:30 am IST

    • Dortmund vs Inter — 1:30 am IST
    • Club Brugge vs Marseille — 1:30 am IST
    • Frankfurt vs Tottenham — 1:30 am IST
    • Liverpool vs Qarabag — 1:30 am IST

    • Manchester City vs Galatasaray — 1:30 am IST
    • Monaco vs Juventus — 1:30 am IST
    • Pafos vs Slavia Prague — 1:30 am IST
    • PSG vs Newcastle — 1:30 am IST
    • PSV vs Bayern — 1:30 am IST
    • Napoli vs Chelsea — 1:30 am IST
    • Union St.Gilloise vs Atalanta — 1:30 am IST

      by ShotBlogged


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