IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Picture : Jude Bellingham has scored 8 goals in Champions League: the most for any non-forwards before turning 21 years in the history of competition. Among forwards, only 4 players scored more in the competition before 21: Erling Haaland (20 goals), Kylian Mbappé (19), Karim Benzema (12) and Patrick Kluivert (9).
Statistics on Champions’ League group stage round 2 (October 3)
*The home defeat from Gatasaray (2-3) became for Manchester United 6th in their 10 opening matches of the season (in all competitions): for the first time so many defeats in 10 first game since 1986.
*Manchester United have lost 7 of their last 14 Champions League games at home: as many defeats as they suffered in their previous 96 home games.
*Old Trafford is the only stadium where Turkish clubs have won 3 times as visitors in the history of the European Cup, counting also Manchester United losses to Fenerbahçe (0-1 in 1996) and Besiktas (0-1 in 2009).
*Rasmus Højlund, with his brace for Manchester United, became the youngest player (20 years 241 days) to score in his first two Champions League appearances since Erling Haaland in 2019 (19 years 73 days).
*Real Madrid, with 3-2 away win vs Napoli, became the first team in the history of European competitions to win 8 games in a row as a visitor in Italy.
*Jude Bellingham is just 3rd player to score in his first two games for Real Madrid in Champions League, after Christian Karembeu in 1998 (he scored in all 3 his first games) and Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.
*Bayern, with their 2-1 away win over Copenhagen (2-1), prolonged their 3 record series in Champions’ League group stages:
15 consecutive victories, 36 games in a row without losing (33 wins, 3 draws) and 7 consecutive victories.
They were last beaten in group stage in 2017 (0-3 from PSG).
*Sevilla played vs PSV (2-2) with 4 starting players who have already turned 35: Sergio Ramos (37), Rakitic (35), Navas (37) and Fernando (36).
There is only one precedent in the entire history of Champions League: Rosenborg played on 11 December 2007 against Schalke also with 4 starters aged 35+, Basma (35), Strand (37), Riseth (35) and Kvarme (35).
*Sevilla's starting lineup in the game averaged 31 years 263 days of age. It was the 3rd oldest starting eleven of a team in the history of the Champions League.
*Sergio Ramos (Sevilla) is the oldest player (37 years 187 days) to provide an assist in Champions League since Francesco Totti (Roma) against CSKA Moscow in September 2014 (37 years 355 days).
*Lens, with a comeback vs Arsenal (2-1 win after losing 0-1), are unbeaten in the last 6 UCL games where they conceded the first goal.
Only Manchester United have had a longer such streak in the competition (8 games between March 1998 and September 1999).
*Braga (3-2 vs Union Berlin) is the first Portuguese team to come back (to win) from a 2-goal deficit in the UCL history.
They are also the 3rd visiting team to overcome (to win) a 2-goal deficit on German soil in the UCL history, after Olympique Marseille (3-2 vs Borussia Dortmund in 2011) and Manchester City (3-2 vs Bayern in 2013).