IFFHS CONTINENTAL NEWS - UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Picture : Robert Lewandowski (Barcelona) has scored his 100th goal in European competitions (92 in UCL and 8 in UEFA Cup). He is just the third player to reach this milestone, after Cristiano Ronaldo (145) and Lionel Messi (132).
Statistics on Champions’ League group stage round 1 (September 19)
*This Champions League edition is the first without either Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo since 2002-03, after 20 seasons of at least one of them featuring.
*Barcelona have won two consecutive official matches by 5+ goals difference (vs Betis 5-0 in La Liga, vs Royal Antwerp 5-0 in UCL) for the first time since since March 2017 when they successively crashed Celta (5-0) and Paris Saint-Germain (6-1).
*Barcelona have scored vs Antwerp 3 goals in the first 22 minutes; it is 2nd time for them to find the net 3 times in a UCL game so early.
The first was against Basel on 22 October 2008 (the goals scored by Messi on 4th minute, Busquets on 15th and Bojan on 22nd).
*Barcelona equaled Real Madrid and Bayern as the teams with the most own goals in their favor (17 for each) in the history of the Champions League. Barcelona received their 17th from Jelle Bataille (Antwerp).
*Lewandowski has become the oldest player (35 years 29 days) to score for Barcelona in the Champions League, surpassing Gerard Piqué who scored at 34 years 260 days vs Dynamo Kyiv in 2021.
*Royal Antwerp became the 33rd different team that Robert Lewandowski has scored against in UCL.
Only Lionel Messi (40 teams), Cristiano Ronaldo (38) and Karim Benzema (34) have scored against more.
Raul has the same number of victims (33 teams).
*Lamine Yamal (Barcelona) became at the age of 16 years 68 days the second youngest player to make his debut in the Champions League, after Youssoufa Moukoko with Borussia Dortmund on 8 December 2020 at 16 years 18 days.
*Kevin Kelsy (Venezuela), became at the age of 19 years 54 days the 4th youngest South American players to score in Champions League (he did it for Shakhtar vs Porto 1-3).
Those who did score being younger are: Roque Santa Cruz (Paraguay, 18 years 71 days), Lionel Messi (Argentina, 18 years 131 days) and Rodrygo (18 years 301 days).
*Galeno (Porto) has scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist in the first half hour of the game, something that no one has achieved in the Champions League since 22 November 22 (Neymar against Celtic).
*Two Iranian players have scored on the same day (Mehdi Taremi with Porto and Alireza Jahanbakhsh with Feyenoord) for the 1st time in UCL history.
*Kylian Mbappé (PSG) has scored vs Borussia Dortmund (2-0) his 3rd penalty goal and 41st overall in UCL.
At 24 years 273 days, he is 2nd youngest player in the history of competition to reach this figure, behind only Messi (24 years 130 days).
*Lazio (1-1 vs Atletico) have conceded goals in their last 20 UCL games; their last game without conceding was the 2-0 win against Besiktas in 2003).
Lazio have set thus the longest streak without clean sheets for an Italian team in UCL history (surpassing Roma with 19).
*Celtic players received 2 red cards against Feyenoord (0-2), as many as they got in their previous 72 matches in the Champions League combined.
*Odin Thiago Holm (Celtic) has been sent off 10 minutes after making his debut in Champions League. An earlier expulsion dates back to 26 September 2006 when the German Benjamin Lauth (Hamburg) was sent off 6 minutes after his debut.
*Osman Bukari's goal for Crvena Zvezda vs Manchester City (1-3) is the first scored by a Serbian team playing away from home in the first half of a Champions League match.
It took 13 games (6 for Partizan and 7 for Crvena Zvezda) to wait for it, and they did it against the current European champion.
*Milan’s 25 shots against Newcastle United (0-0) was their most in a UCL game without scoring since they fired 27 times in vain against PSV in October 2005.