IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS AND STATS - UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Picture : Jamie Gittens is the 2nd youngest player to score 2 goals off the bench in a Champions League game.
Statistics on Champions’ League group stage round 1 (September 18)
Manchester City vs Inter 0-0
*Inter have drawn their away game against English teams in Champions League for the first time (4 wins, 5 losses in 9 previous occasions).
*Manchester City failed to score in a home match in the Champions League group stage for the first time in their history.
Overall, they failed to score a goal for just the 2nd time in 42 home Champions League matches under Pep Guardiola (also vs Sporting in a knockout stage in March 2022).
*Manchester City, unbeaten in UCL in last 24 games, are already in just 1 step from the record of competition including European Cup era (since 1955). It belongs to Manchester United (run of 25 games between 2007 and 2009).
*Manchester City are also undefeated in their last 32 Champions League home games (28 wins, 4 draws). Lyon were the last to beat them away
in September 2018.
Bologna vs Shakhtar Donetsk 0-0
*Bologna have played European Cup/Champions League game after a break of almost 60 years. Their last match was on 14 October 1964. Of the teams participating in this edition, this is the longest period between two participations.
*Bologna are unbeaten in 34 home European competition games (including qualifiers), the most home games played without losing by a team in European football history (Ipswich are second with 31 games).
*Lukasz Skorupski saved a penalty from Shakhtar's Heorhii Sudakov at 3 minutes 28 seconds: this is 3rd earliest stopped penalty in the history of the Champions League, after:
Anton Kochenkov (Lokomotiv Moscow), saved from Kieran Trippier (Atlético) at 1 minute 54 seconds in 2019,
Steve Mandanda (Marseille), saved from Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) at 3 minutes 10 seconds in 2007.
Club Brugge vs Borussia Dortmund 0-3
*Borussia Dortmund have won a Champions League match with 3 goals from substitute players for the 2nd time in their history. The first was against Atlético Madrid on 24 October 2018.
*Jamie Gittens is the 2nd youngest player to score 2 goals off the bench in a Champions League game (20 years 41 days), after David Trézéguet for Monaco vs Lierse in October 1997 (20 years 7 days).
In his first Bundesliga game this season, Gittens also came off the bench to score twice against Eintracht Frankfurt (2-0).
Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava 5-1
*Celtic have won their opening game of a Champions League campaign for the very first time.
*They have done it with their biggest ever and most prolific UCL victory. Previously, Celtic’s maximum in Champions League was 4 goals scored vs Juventus (4-3) on 31 October 2001.
For the 2nd time in UCL history, a Scottish team scored 5+ goals in a match. The first was Rangers feat (5-0 against Sturm Graz) on 12 September 2000.
*Arne Engels is only the 2nd Celtic player to score and assist in a Champions League game, after Henrik Larsson on 18 September 2001 vs Juventus (2-2).
Sparta Prague vs RB Salzburg 3-0
*Sparta Prague became the first Czech club to win a Champions League match by at least 3 goal margin since Sparta themselves against Feyenoord on 25 September 2001.
*Victor Olatunji is the 1st Nigerian and 3rd African player to score and assist on his Champions League debut, after:
Daniel Cousin in 2007 (for Rangers vs Lyon),
Serge Aurier in 2015 (for PSG vs Shakhtat Donetsk).
*Kaan Kairinen became the first Finnish goalscorer in the Champions League since Roman Eremenko with CSKA Moscow against Bayer Leverkusen on 14 September 2016.
Paris SG vs Girona 1-0
*PSG started 17th season in the Champions League, the new record for a French club (beating Lyon with 16 seasons).
*Marquinhos (Paris SG) became the player with most seasons in Champions League (12) performing for a French club, ahead of Marco Verratti (Paris SG, 11) and Sidney Govou (Lyon, 10).
*Girona are 14th Spanish team to play in the European Cup/Champions League. Only 2 of the previous 13 have lost on their debut: Real Sociedad in 1981 and Betis in 2005.
*Girona and just the 2nd ever team whose first match in European competition was a Champions League group stage match, after RB Leipzig (2017).
*At 18 years 194 days, Warren Zaïre-Emery (PSG) is the 2nd youngest player to reach 15 matches in the Champions League, behind Jude Bellingham (18 years 148 days).
Zaïre-Emery is also the 2nd French player to have played 15 Champions League matches before the age of 19 after Kylian Mbappé.
*Cristhian Stuani (37 years 342 days) became the oldest ever outfield player to debut as a starter in the Champions League.
He surpassed Donato (debut with Deportivo in 2000 at 37 years 258 days).
Overall, Stuani is 2nd oldest outfield debutant in Champions League history, behind Anastasios Mitropoulos (40 years 109 days) who made a brief substitute appearance for Olympiakos against Rosenborg in December 1997.
*This game became the first ever in the Champions League in which the only goal of the match was scored by a goalkeeper (Gazzaniga) in his own goal.
*PSG have won a Champions League game thanks to a goal scored from the 90th minute of play for the 4th time, after:
2-1 vs Olympiakos on 27 November 2013 (Cavani scored in 90'),
2-1 vs Atalanta on 1 August 12, 2020 (Choupo-Moting scored in 90+3'),
1-0 vs Real Madrid on 15 February 2022 (Mbappe scored in 90+4').
*Thanks to Gazzaniga’s fatal late error, PSG continue their record run: they have scored in their last 51 matches in the Champions League group stage/league stage. This is the best such series in UCL history for a club.