Champions League Roundup: Van Persie Bails Out Man U, Giorgios Samaras Scores, Bayern Can't Master BATE
By Ty Duffy
Gruesome Injury: Barcelona’s 2-0 result was expected and won’t be the headline after Carles Puyol’s gruesome arm injury. The Barca captain was just coming back after missing Euro 2012 with a knee injury.
More Improbable? Celtic winning an away match in Europe or Giorgios Samaras scoring the winner? Both happened. The Bhoys came from behind to beat Spartak Moscow 3-2 in Moscow, earning their first away win in the Champions League. The win puts Celtic on four points, two behind Barcelona in Group G. They are trying to qualify for the knockout phase for the first time since 2008.
Insert Dirty Headline Here. Bayern Munich’s journey to Munich was neither strange nor erotic as they failed to master BATE Borisov, losing 3-1 away in Minsk. BATE are now unchallenged masters of their domain, Group F, with two wins in two matches.
Flattering Scoreline: Chelsea beat FC Nordsjaelland 4-0, though a flurry of goals in the final ten minutes made this one look more decent. The Danish club nearly equalized in the 74th minute.