GENEVA — Where did all the goals go?
The 0-0 draws between Manchester City and Inter Milan in their rematch of the 2023 final, after Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk also could not find a goal, capped an untypically goal-shy evening for the Champions League on Wednesday.
Just 13 were scored in six games one day after 28 were fired in Tuesday, including nine by Bayern Munich alone.
How unusual was this? Two 0-0 draws after just 12 games played is already halfway to the total of four in 96 games one year ago in the group-stage format that is now abolished. The entire competition averaged three goals per game last season.
Paris Saint-Germain and competition debutant Girona also were heading for a blank until the French champion’s defender Nuno Mendes’ effort ended up in the net in the first minute of stoppage time for a 1-0 win.
Borussia Dortmund needed late goals from substitutes Jamie Gittens, twice, and Serhou Guirassy with a stoppage-time penalty to win 3-0 at Club Brugge.
The new format has welcomed new faces and long-absent friends in European soccer’s marquee competition.
Sparta Prague rose to the challenge of its first game for 19 years at this stage of the Champions League by beating Salzburg 3-0.
Bologna waited 60 years to return and deserved more for its attacking ambition against Champions League veteran Shakhtar Donetsk. The Ukrainian champion had a penalty saved in the fourth minute.
Slovan Bratislava was overmatched in its first game since 1992-93, the first season of the Champions League rebrand from the old European Cup, and with Georgia defender Guram Kashia making his competition debut at age 37.
They could not keep out Celtic, which won 5-1 in Glasgow. Ireland internationals Liam Scales and Adam Idah, Japan forwards Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, and Arne Engels of Belgium scored for the champion of Scotland.
A rare Thursday slate of Champions League games will see Barcelona go to Monaco, Atalanta host Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen visit Feyenoord.
Six games on each of three straight nights of Champions League play are launching the new format. Now, 36 teams each play eight different opponents through January and are ranked in a single league table to decide which teams advance to the knockout phase.
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