It was a tough Champions League Tuesday for Juventus, who suffered a home defeat at the hands of Stuttgart. The German side played better and delivered the final blow in the last 10 minutes. First, in the 82nd minute, a foul by Danilo in the box led to a penalty, awarded after a VAR check, and a second yellow card for the Brazilian. Another superb save by Perin, who tipped Millot’s penalty shot over the bar, only delayed Juventus’ collapse, which came in the 92nd minute when former Atalanta player Toure scored the winning goal.
Bologna, led by coach Italiano, held out for a half against Aston Villa under Unai Emery but fell after the break, as they had previously against Liverpool, again on English soil. The former Fiorentina manager regrets not securing a single point from the back-to-back away matches, despite Bologna putting in solid performances. The team still hasn’t managed to score in the Champions League, and without goals, it’s impossible to win games, or even draw, as was the case at home against Shakhtar.
Milan, on the other hand, finally had something to smile about as they took full advantage of a more manageable fixture, securing a victory that was crucial for both morale and their Champions League standings. The standout performer was Reijnders, who made up for his earlier league suspension, which had complicated Milan’s win against Udinese, by scoring a decisive brace against Brugge. This time, it was the opposition reduced to 10 men, following Onyedika’s red card in the 40th minute. Despite their numerical advantage, Milan, who had taken the lead through the ever-inspiring Pulisic in the 34th minute, were pegged back by Sabbè’s equalizer in the 51st minute. Reijnders then stepped up, scoring in the 61st and 71st minutes to secure the win for Fonseca’s side, who now look forward to their challenging away match against Real Madrid. If they survive that, the remaining fixtures should be smoother based on the schedule.
Today, Atalanta under Gasperini and Inzaghi’s Inter will be in action. Atalanta will host Celtic, aiming to build on their solid start after drawing with Arsenal and beating Shakhtar away. With a defense yet to concede a goal in their first two matches and an attack led by the ever-dangerous Retegui, they hope to continue their momentum. Given Celtic’s recent results, including a 5-1 win at home against Slovan Bratislava followed by a heavy away defeat to Borussia Dortmund, the match promises plenty of goals.
Inter, on the other hand, will face Young Boys away, with the biggest challenge being the artificial turf, historically an advantage for the home side. The Swiss team knocked out Galatasaray, featuring former Inter player Icardi, in the preliminaries but have struggled in the group stage, losing heavily to Aston Villa and Barcelona without scoring in 180 minutes. Due to injuries and squad rotation, Inzaghi is expected to make at least seven changes from the team that beat Roma in the league, with Taremi likely to start upfront. It’s yet to be seen whether he will pair up with Arnautovic or Thuram.
