PSG Beat Barcelona 4-2, But Kvaratskhelia Is Out for Months
Paris Saint-Germain beat Barcelona 4-2 in the Champions League on 20 October, with two late goals from Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz settling a match that swung back and forth. The win came with a heavy cost. Winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia tore a knee ligament, and the Guardian's Champions League review reports he is expected to be out for six months.
PSG confirmed in a medical update that he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, and that surgery is planned. The ACL is the main ligament that stops the knee twisting and sliding forward, and it is one of the longest injuries a footballer can suffer. Play stopped in the 58th minute while he was treated.
The result still mattered a great deal. PSG are the reigning European champions and are bidding to win the trophy for a third season in a row. Barcelona, managed by Hansi Flick, lost for the third straight time to PSG, and the defeat ended an 11-game winning run. Rodri came off the bench for Barcelona in the 60th minute.
Elsewhere, Arsenal and Bayern Munich drew 2-2 in Munich on 21 October. Declan Rice scored a late equaliser for Arsenal, but the mood changed quickly for the English side. Bukayo Saka went off in the first half with a quad injury, a strain to the large muscle at the front of the thigh. Harry Kane scored for Bayern and also set up a goal.
Manchester City beat AEK Athens 5-1, and Phil Foden scored a hat-trick. The official attendance was 40,402, and the Telegraph reported swathes of empty rows at the Etihad. The stadium's newly expanded capacity is 61,000, according to TheScore.
At Anfield, Liverpool won 4-3 against Villarreal. The headline for many fans was 18-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who supplied two assists. Teenagers rarely have a night like that in Europe's biggest club competition, and the Guardian's review singled out his performance as the reason for optimism on Merseyside.
There was plenty more. Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3, with Scott McTominay scoring twice. Como beat Manchester United 4-1. Roma thrashed Slovan Bratislava 4-0, and Inter edged Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0.
Lamine Yamal, who scored against PSG, has 10 goals and 10 assists from 10 matches. For Barcelona, the night was about more than one result. For PSG, it was a win that came with a bad injury and a long wait to get their star back.
The Champions League works as a league phase, where every club plays a set number of opponents across the autumn, and the top teams move on. Each round is called a matchday, so every result carries weight for the table.
