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UCL talking points: PSG’s comeback win, Bodø/Glimt surprise Inter, moreplayLuis Enrique: We showed our level vs. Monaco (1:23)Paris Saint Germain manager Luis Enrique believes his side showed their level against AS Monaco after beating them 3-2 in the play-off first leg of the UEFA Champions League. (1:23)Sam TigheClose
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Senior Writer, ESPN FC
The first legs of the UEFA Champions League knockout playoffs are in the books, and we have a lot to review. From Real Madrid narrowly winning at Benfica (led by former Real boss Jose Mourinho), to Bodo/Glimt stunning Internazionale in the Arctic Circle and even holders Paris Saint-Germain rallying from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at fellow Ligue 1 side AS Monaco, we’ve seen it all. Oh, and how about Galatasaray scoring five against Juventus and Newcastle United hitting six at FK Qarabag?
So, following a raucous set of first legs this week, ESPN FC writers Mark Ogden, Sam Tighe, Beth Lindop and Sam Marsden weigh in on the action so far and what’s still to come.
– Champions League recap: Bodø/Glimt stun Inter with famous win
– Real Madrid learned lesson from Champions League loss to Benfica
– Why every remaining team will, won’t win UEFA Champions League
Sam Tighe: I am not remotely surprised that any club that went deep into last summer’s Club World Cup looks incoherent or racked with injuries. In PSG’s case, it’s both. Three weeks between “seasons” is not sufficient, so these players are undoubtedly struggling both physically and psychologically.
This time last year, Les Parisiens were in the middle of beating Brest 10-0 on aggregate in the Champions League playoffs. They began to hum, striking fear into the watching world in the process. A year on, things feel so different that Ousmane Dembélé recently called out his teammates by suggesting they were putting themselves ahead of the club, rather than the club first (like last season). There are other key changes too: Defensive leader Marquinhos’ level has notably dropped, while they’ve gone from calling upon one of the world’s finest, game-breaking shot-stoppers in Gianluigi Donnarumma (who left for Manchester City) to a grim choice between two underperformers, Lucas Chevalier and Matvey Safonov.
It really does not feel like last year, and it really doesn’t seem as if they’re about to hit an imperious stride, but I suppose in this sport, you never know…
Can the defending champions Paris Saint-Germain do enough to secure their spot into the Round of 16 by defeating AS Monaco? (Photo by Simone Arveda – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)Beth Lindop: It’s not so long ago that it was hard to see anyone beating PSG. After a bumpy start to last season, Luis Enrique’s side really hit their stride after the turn of the year. They have a lot of supremely talented players so you can’t totally write them off and they showed great fight to come back against Monaco. That mentioned, they don’t quite look like the force they once were and, as Sam pointed out, you can hardly blame them considering the workload they had to shoulder over the summer.They look more like a team of individuals rather than the well-oiled machine they were by the end last season. But that individual quality could still win the day.Mark Ogden: PSG have an unexpected problem this season — they are locked in a tight three-way battle for the Ligue Un title with leaders Lens and Lyon, so they don’t have the luxury of being able to coast domestically and focus on the Champions League as they did last season. So every game matters and that reality, compounded by the lack of rest for Luis Enrique’s players last summer, is definitely having an adverse effect on results and performances.
But don’t rule PSG out. They showed their quality by overturning a 2-0 deficit against Monaco and they can beat any team in Europe on their day. I think it will be tough for them to win the Champions League again this season, especially with Chelsea or Barcelona up next in the round of 16, but the experience of winning last year means they know how to do it again.
Sam Marsden: I have to admit I am wobbling on PSG for all the reasons mentioned above, but I am still backing them to deliver when it matters. It’s true that tiredness, injuries and a tight title race are pushing them to the limit at the moment, but when their backs are to the wall, I still think they can deliver.
As Mark says, at 2-0 down against Monaco, and especially after losing Ballon d’Or winner Dembélé to injury, things looked bleak, but they showed their quality and their depth. This time it was Doue, on for the injured Dembélé, who won the match for them, but next time it could just as easily be Khvicha Kvaratskhelia or Bradley Barcola. I am always going to back a Luis Enrique team, too.
Frank Leboeuf reacts to Désiré Doué’s performance in PSG’s Champions League comeback win against Monaco.
Ogden: Absolutely, because it’s all about the players in the Champions League. A top coach is important, but some pretty unremarkable coaches have won it or taken a team to the final, and Arbeloa has plenty of star players to take Real all the way in spite of him as a coach, rather than because of him. Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel are the elite names who have taken a job mid-season and ended up winning the Champions League, but Roberto di Matteo won it with Chelsea in 2012 and Avram Grant (Chelsea, 2008) and Edin Terzic (Borussia Dortmund, 2023) took their sides to a final, so Arbeloa wouldn’t be an outlier if he won it with Real.
But let’s be honest. If you have Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham, Federico Valverde, Thibaut Courtois, Trent Alexander-Arnold — need I go on? — in your team, you can win the Champions League. As long as the coach doesn’t over-complicate things with tactical demands or selection eccentricities, the best players always have a chance. And Real are stacked with world-class players.
Lindop: I agree with Mark. As much as Real Madrid (by their own lofty standards) have had a pretty unremarkable season so far, you can never count them out when it gets to the Champions League knockouts. More than any other club, Real have a special relationship with this competition and they have so many match winners within their squad. Arbeloa seems to have brought a sense of togetherness to the team and the return of Trent could also be key to helping the team tick.
You’d definitely fancy them to get the job done in the second leg against Benfica and then it’s all down to who they’re drawn against in the last 16.
In a gritty match, Real Madrid were able to take advantage of the first leg of their tie against Benfica with a 1-0 away win in Lisbon. (Photo by Maria Jimenez/Real Madrid via Getty Images)Marsden: While I agree with Mark and Beth — Real Madrid in the Champions League is such a thing — I don’t think either of the Clásico teams, to throw Barcelona into the mix as well, are good enough to win the competition this season. Of course I would still have them in the bracket of teams just behind the favorites — the likes of Arsenal, Bayern Munich and still, for me, PSG — and it wouldn’t be a surprise with a favorable draw and upturn in form if either side made the final, but they both look so vulnerable at times.
That mentioned, Madrid actually looked improved in midfield against Benfica, which is where I would say they are weakest. Arbeloa’s use of Aurélien Tchouaméni, Eduardo Camavinga, Valverde and Arda Güler worked well, allowing more freedom for Mbappé and Vinícius in attack. It may be difficult to maintain that balance when Bellingham returns, though.
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Tighe: I think I stand with (the other) Sam here.
I cannot dispute that this Real Madrid side have the quality — particularly up front and between the sticks — to win this tournament and their special relationship with it increases the allure. And yet for some reason, I absolutely cannot picture it.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve seen them play so poorly too often this season. Perhaps it’s because I place more of an importance on the manager than, say, Mark does, and Arbeloa is a genuine rookie. Whatever it is, it’s gnawing at me, and when predicting something as wild and random as a Champions League winner, you have to trust your gut. My gut says no.
Steve Nicol speaks about Vinícius Júnior’s reaction to suffering alleged racist abuse against Benfica in the Champions League.
Ogden: I think there is still some life in the Atalanta-Borussia Dortmund tie. A 2-0 lead obviously makes Dortmund the favorites, but they weren’t great away from home in the League Phase and an early goal in Bergamo could give Atalanta the edge. I’d give Atalanta slightly more hope than Inter Milan, who have a 3-1 deficit against Bodø/Glimt.
Inter have the atmosphere of a packed San Siro to drive them on, but Bodo have now beaten Inter, Atlético Madrid and Manchester City in successive Champions League games, so they will go to Milan with confidence from that run. I just don’t see Dortmund having the same self-belief — this is a team was well beaten away to Tottenham Hotspur — so I’m backing Atalanta to turn the tie around and win the second leg.
Tighe: As thrilling as the Bodø/Glimt story is, and as good as they were in their 3-1 win over Inter on Wednesday night, I just wonder…is a two-goal lead enough? After all, while Glimt were razor sharp in attack here — just as they were when they beat Manchester City at home in the league phase — their goal frame lived a charmed life. Both Matteo Darmian and Lautaro Martínez hit it as they sought the lead, only for the Norwegians to then deliver two quick sucker punches in response.
And as Mark suggests, the playing field will be rather different next week — quite literally. No plastic pitch, no heaps of snow on the sidelines; instead, a raucous San Siro to cheer on last year’s finalists. It’s important to note that Bodø/Glimt are not solely reliant on home results — they lost just once on the road during the league phase, and beat Atlético Madrid in Spain! — but this remains a tall task.
Lindop: I mean, Qarabag could always surprise us! On a serious note, though, I’m going to opt for Atalanta. Borussia Dortmund’s 2-0 lead might seem commanding on paper, but the German side are a little bit unpredictable and Atalanta can cause plenty of problems for teams, particularly at home.
Inter could pull off a turnaround too, buoyed by the brilliance of the San Siro. However, I did dub them my biggest disappointment of the group stage, and Wednesday night’s result hasn’t done an awful lot to change that.
Marsden: Firstly, a great result for Bodø/Glimt again. I think we need to give their run of results some real credit. They have now beaten, in Europe, Manchester City, Atlético Madrid and Inter in consecutive games. So while my first thought was to go for Inter as the most likely to turn the tie around, I am going to back the Norwegian side to see the tie out — although it won’t be easy at the San Siro.
The other Italian teams with home advantage — Juventus and Atalanta — are also long shots to produce comebacks, but what about this instead: no side who lost the first leg will make it through to the last 16.
Can Bodø/Glimt surprise even more people and eliminate last season’s Champions League runners-up Inter at the San Siro next week? (Photo by Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)Q4. Which performance (player or team) impressed you most in the first legs?Ogden: It has to be Anthony Gordon. If you score four goals in a Champions League game, then you deserve your flowers.
The Newcastle forward joins an elite group of players who have done it, including Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andriy Shevchenko, Marco van Basten and Roberto Lewandowski — anyone who adds their name to that list of stars merits all the praise that comes his way. And while Gordon is the individual star of this week, you have to give credit to Newcastle as a team for getting a huge, and decisive result, in Azerbaijan. Chelsea drew away to Qarabag and Eintracht Frankfurt lost in Baku, so this was a tough trip for Eddie Howe’s side and they made it look easy.
Lindop: It has to be Gordon for me, too. The Newcastle forward has had a pretty indifferent couple of years after his eye-catching form saw him tipped for a £70 million move to Liverpool in the summer of 2024. He hasn’t scored enough goals for Newcastle over the past two seasons, but he more than made up for it on Wednesday night.
He’s still very much capable of turning in scene-stealing displays and, at 24, he still has the potential to get even better. With the World Cup just a few months away, his return to form is no bad thing for both club and country.
Newcastle’s Anthony Gordon made history by becoming just the second player to score four goals in the first half of a UEFA Champions League game. (Photo by Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)Marsden: It’s hard to disagree with Gordon. What a Champions League campaign he’s having.However, given he’s had a lot of praise here already, let’s chuck some honorable mentions out there: PSG’s Doué for his game-winning performance of the bench, Madrid’s Vinícius for his stunning strike on a difficult night in Lisbon, Bodø/Glimt for another remarkable win, and Club Brugge for a fine attacking display in their 3-3 draw with Atlético Madrid that probably should have ended in a win.
Tighe: OK, Gordon’s had enough praise. Let’s spotlight a guy who got three goal contributions on Wednesday on a famous night for his club: Kasper Høgh of Bodø/Glimt.
He’s showcased a remarkable finishing pedigree over the last two seasons, but can we take a moment to appreciate his link-up and creative play too? The Dane scored, but also teed up two goals here, one of which was absolutely exceptional. The reason Glimt are so good to watch going forward is that they attack the center of the pitch better than almost anyone.
Rather than turn to wide combinations and crosses, they work beautiful combinations in tight spots just outside the penalty box, somehow creating space for a shot that shouldn’t be there. Høgh is both integral to creating this space and finishing these chances. He’s having an incredible Champions League campaign.
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