The UEFA Champions League 2022-23 group stage draw grabbed headlines after pitting FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Inter Milan in one group.

Barcelona, Inter and Bayern Munich have been clubbed with Viktoria Plzen in Group C, which is considered as the Group of Death for the upcoming UCL group stage.

It is worth noting that Barcelona and Bayern Munich were drawn together previously in Group E during the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 group stage. Bayern ended up beating the Blaugrana 3-0 in both group games and relegating the Catalans to the Europa League.

Robert Lewandowski, who scored 69 Champions League goals for Bayern Munich between 2014 and 2022, will face his former employers in the UCL 2022-23 group stage.

Inter Milan, who crashed out in the Round of 16, will fancy their opportunity to qualify for the knockout phase.

Another group that football fans must watch out for is Group G. Premier League champions Manchester City have been drawn with Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund and Copenhagen.

Erling Haaland, who joined City from Dortmund earlier this year, couldn’t have asked for an earlier reunion with his former side. Having set the records for the youngest (20 years, 231 days) and the fastest player (14 matches) to score 20 UCL goals while at Borussia Dortmund, all eyes will be fixed on the Norwegian striker to see how he performs against Die Borussen.

Liverpool, who won UCL 2018�?9, will play in Group A alongside Ajax, Napoli and Rangers while Chelsea have been drawn with AC Milan, Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb in Group E.

Group H features Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus while Atlético Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur will be the favourites to qualify from Group B and Group D respectively.

Meanwhile, defending champions Real Madrid will begin their quest for a 15th European crown while taking on the likes of RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic in Group F.

UEFA Champions League 2022-23 group stage draw

Group A: Ajax, Liverpool, Napoli, Rangers

Group B: Porto, Atlético Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge

Group C: Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, Viktoria Plzeň

Group D: Eintracht Frankfurt, Tottenham Hotspur, Sporting CP, Marseille

Group E: AC Milan, Chelsea, RB Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb

Group F: Real Madrid, RB Leipzig, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celtic

Group G: Manchester City, Sevilla, Borussia Dortmund, Copenhagen

Group H: Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Benfica, Maccabi Haifa

Featured photo: AFP / OZAN KOSE

Erling Braut Haaland has agreed to join defending Premier League champions Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund on a permanent deal, the Cityzens confirmed on Tuesday, May 10.

Erling Haaland, new Man City player ⭐️ #MCFC

▪️ Manchester City will pay �?0m [not �?5m] release clause to BVB, plus commission to be added.

▪️ His salary will be worth £375,000/week, same level as de Bruyne.

▪️ Medical has been already completed.

The saga is over. pic.twitter.com/Qzf3HNDVhN

�?Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 10, 2022

The Erling Haaland transfer fee is reportedly set at £51.3 million (�?0 million) while his salary will be worth £375,000 a week, as per renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Haaland was born in Leeds in England while his father Alf-Inge Haaland was representing Leeds United in the Premier League in the 1999-2000 season.

Two years after relocating to the Norwegian city of Bryne, Erling Haaland signed for Bryne football club’s academy at the age of five. He first gave a glimpse of his immense potential when he netted 18 times in 14 matches for the reserve team.

Following a change in managerial positions, Haaland earned his senior debut for the club at the age of 15 under Alf Ingve Berntsen.

After 16 appearances and a trial with Bundesliga team Hoffenheim, Erling Braut Haaland signed for his first top-tier team in Molde - coached by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. His transfer fee was £90,000.

While his father’s former club Leeds tried to recruit him, Haaland joined Austrian giants RB Salzburg for £7.20 million in 2019 and signed a five-year contract. Salzburg took onboard an 18-year-old striker who scored 16 goals in 30 matches for Molde in 2018 alone.

Having arrived in the January transfer window in 2018, Erling Haaland would score a goal in five games across all competitions of the 2018-19 season for Salzburg. However, it was a short teaser of what was to come.

The 2019-20 football season saw Haaland get recognised as one of the newest prodigies in the sport, having scored 28 goals in 22 games across competitions. This included him becoming the first teenager to score in five consecutive UEFA Champions League games and the first to net six times in three games.

6 - Erling Haaland is the first ever player to score as many as six goals in his first three Champions League appearances. Phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/9IqD7Y86iL

�?OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2019

Erling Haaland’s impressive exploits saw the likes of Manchester United, Juventus and Borussia Dortmund fight for his signature. However, it was Dortmund who won the tug-of-war battle as they confirmed his signature for a £18 million fee and a four-and-a-half-year contract in December 2019.

Coming on as a 56th-minute substitute in the league game against Augsburg in 2020, Erling Haaland took just three minutes to register his maiden goal for Die Borussen. He would end the fixture with three goals in the 5-3 win, taking just 23 minutes to notch his first hat-trick for the club.

In a total of 88 appearances across all competitions so far, Erling Haaland has registered 85 goals and 23 assists for Borussia Dortmund and holds the record of being the youngest (21 years) and fastest (50 appearances) to notch 50 Bundesliga goals.

50 �?Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland scored his 50th goal in the Bundesliga today �?no other player in BL history has reached that mark in as few appearances (50) or at such a young age as the Norwegian (21 years 4 months 6 days). Machine. #WOBBVB pic.twitter.com/289FhPK8tI

�?OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) November 27, 2021

And after two and a half seasons with Borussia Dortmund, the Norwegian striker is set to draw curtains on his stay in Germany at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.

Erling Haaland’s teams

Teams	Years	Matches	Goals
Bryne	2016-2017	16	-
Molde	2017-2019	50	20
RB Salzburg	2019-2020	27	29
Borussia Dortmund	2020-22	88	85
Manchester City	2022-present	-	-

Featured photo: AFP / INA FASSBENDER

The first leg schedule of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 will kick off with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) hosting Real Madrid (RM) on Wednesday, February 16.

PSG, who finished second in Group A, will lock horns with Real Madrid in the round of 16 for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign. The first leg meeting will be played at the Parc des Princes. Watch live in India!

The next big game in the schedule is Liverpool’s hosting of Inter Milan. Six-time winners Liverpool were one of the three teams to have a 100 per cent winning record in the group stages and will entertain an Inter side that last won against the Merseysiders back in May 1965.

Defending champions Chelsea, recently crowned the FIFA Club World Cup champions, will face Ligue 1 side Lille OSC.

The last standout fixture in the first leg schedule of the UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 sees Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid take on Manchester United.

Both sides have had a topsy-turvy campaign so far in their respective domestic leagues, but, this fixture is surely one to not miss out on considering Cristiano Ronaldo returns to face one of his favourite opponents.

UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 first leg: Schedule, fixtures and India match times

All match times are in Indian Standard Time

Wednesday, February 16

Paris Saint-Germain vs Real Madrid - 1:30 AM IST

Sporting CP vs Manchester City - 1:30 AM IST

Thursday, February 17

Inter Milan vs Liverpool - 1:30 AM IST

RB Salzburg vs Bayern Munich - 1:30 AM IST

Wednesday, February 23

Chelsea vs Lille OSC - 1:30 AM IST

Villarreal vs Juventus - 1:30 AM IST

Thursday, February 24

Atletico Madrid vs Manchester United - 1:30 AM IST

Benfica vs Ajax - 1:30 AM IST

Where to watch UCL 2021-22 round of 16 first leg live in India?

The UEFA Champions League 2021-22 round of 16 first leg will be telecast live at 1:30 AM IST on the Sony TEN 1 and Sony TEN 2 SD and HD TV channels in India.

Live streaming of UCL 2021-22 round of 16 first leg will be available on the SonyLIV app and website.

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Interested in football betting? Click here to check out the list of top sites.

Featured photo: AFP / GABRIEL BOUYS

A total of 386 goals were scored in the 2019/20 Champions League season despite the fact that the campaign was largely hit by the global pandemic. This figure is a significant gain over last season’s tally of 366 goals, and while it may not sound like a bigger margin, keep in mind that there were six fewer games played this year. 

A season where Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich become only the second team in the tournament’s history after Barcelona to win a Champions League treble in multiple campaigns saw several enthralling games being played right from the group stages. And now that the tournament is dusted, it is the perfect time to look back at what transpired throughout the season. 

• Six managers who have won the Champions League treble

On that note, today we take a look at five of the most entertaining games of the 2019/20 season of the UEFA Champions League.

Tottenham 2 Bayern 7

In an arguably the lowest point of Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial career, his Tottenham side was ripped to shreds at home by Bayern Munich in only their second game of the group stage.

To everyone’s surprise, it was Tottenham who went into the lead through Son Heung-Min, but the Bavarians restored the parity withing next three minutes. Striker Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 for his side right on the cusp of half-time, and it was all about Bayern and Serge Gnabry in particular in the second half. 

While Lewandowski had scored a brace, the former Arsenal winger, Gnabry, scored four in a mere 35 minutes to hand Tottenham their biggest defeat in their new stadium.

Liverpool 4 RB Salzburg 3

Liverpool started their Champions League title defence with a 2-0 away defeat to Napoli, but they bounced back to winning ways in their subsequent fixture in front of a demanding Red Bull Salzburg side.

The Reds started off on a bright note, with Sadio Mane scoring the opener in as early as the ninth minute, setting the momentum for left-back Andrew Robertson, who made it two just five minutes before the half-hour mark. Mohamed Salah kept it going for Jurgen Klopp, scoring the third some 11 minutes after, but Salzburg got their breakthrough after Hwang Hee-chan found the net five minutes before half-time.

The teams went into the break with the scoreline reading 3-1, and little did Liverpool know what was awaiting in the second period. 

It took a mere four minutes for the Austrian side to light the game as Takumi Minamino, now a Liverpool player, and Erling Haaland, now representing Borussia Dortmund, brought the game on level terms right on the hour’s mark. Nine minutes later though, Roberto Firmino’s cheeky header from the edge of the box found Salah, and the Egyptian made no mistake in restoring the advantage for his side as Liverpool won the clinched the victory right from the jaw.

Chelsea 4 Ajax 4

Stamford Bridge bore witness to an enthralling group stage game between Chelsea and Ajax in November 2019. The two teams had met before in the competition, with the Blues coming out with a 1-0 win at Johan Cruff Arena. And so, looking for resurrection, Ajax went full guns blazing, forcing Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham to put the ball into his own net in only the second minute of the game.

The Blues levelled the game through Jorginho’s penalty before Quincy Promes made it 2-1 after being set up by the now Chelsea player, Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan was at it 15 minutes later as his free-kick bounced back from the post only to find its way into the net through keeper  Kepa Arrizabalaga. The Stamford Bridge crowd was stunned after midfielder Donny van de Beek made it 4-1 ten minutes after the break.

It looked like game set and match for Ajax, but Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta pulled one back. What followed next was an absolute spectacle. Defender Daley Blind fouled Abraham, but the referee waved play on. In the same built-up, a shot then hit Joel Veltman's arm in the Ajax box. The official returned to Blind, handing him his second caution of the game, while Veltman also got his marching orders, reducing the Ajax side to 10 men with 20 minutes still to play.

Jorginho made it 4-3 from the spot before Reece James completed Chelsea’s sensational turnaround minutes later. The two-man advantage seemed obvious as Chelsea pushed for the winner and Azpilicueta seemed to have found one, only for VAR to intervene and chalk off the goal due to handball in the buildup.

Liverpool 2 Atletico Madrid 3

Atletico Madrid stunned the defending champions, Liverpool, in the first leg of the round of 16, with Saul Niguez’s fourth-minute strike proving out to the winner. As the teams went into the second leg, the Spanish side knew what to expect in front of a packed Anfield crowd.

Atletico defended for their lives, but Liverpool found a way through Gini Wijnaldum a couple of minutes before half-time. Such was the intensity that it needed extra-time after the full-time whistle to find a winner.

Four minutes into it and Liverpool thought they had overturned the game on its head after Roberto Firmino scored his first Anfield goal of the season. Three minutes later, Marcos Llorente scored Atletico's crucial away goal to make it 2-1. The 25-year-old restored parity in the 105th minute before former Chelsea striker, Alvaro Morata added salt to Liverpool’s wound by scoring his side’s third in the dying minutes of the game to send Atletico through to the last eight.

Barcelona 2 Bayern Munich 8

A game for the ages!

Bayern Munich taking on Barcelona always produces fireworks, but this particular game was much more than that. Given Bayern’s goalscoring form, they were duly branded as the favourite, but no one expected them to dominate the game as they did in Lisbon, Portugal.

Playing in their 13th consecutive quarter-finals, Barcelona conceded the opening goal inside the first five minutes. They, however, responded a couple of minutes later as an own goal from David Alaba made it all square on the night. But from this point on, it was all about Bayern and their utter domination.

• Best reactions to Barca's 8-2 thumping by Bayern

The Bavarians scored three goals inside nine minutes as the teams went into the dressing room with the score 4-1. Returning to the fray, they scored four more, but the highlight remains the return of their on-loan midfielder, Philippe Coutinho, who came from the bench in the 76th minute, assisted one and scored two against his parent club as Bayern completed the highest-scoring knockout game in UEFA Champions League history.

It was the first time that Barcelona had conceded six goals or more in a European match.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Manu Fernandez

If you ask any defender who is the striker they would not want to face at this moment, it would not be Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Neymar or Kylian Mbappe. The answer would be Erling Braut Haaland. The 19-year-old Norwegian wonder kid has become the worst nightmare for the defenders within months of bursting into the fray. Son of former Premier League veteran Alf-Inge Haaland, Erling started making headlines early this season when started scoring hattricks for fun and was making a joke of the Austrian teams in the Austrian Bundesliga.

As doubters often like to do it, they tried to dismiss his potential by saying that it is easy to score in the league. But then Haaland came to play the UEFA Champions League where he did not just become the highest scorer of the group stage but reached 10 goals in just seven games! Here, his victims were defending champions, Liverpool, Italian giants Napoli and FC Genk. 

Now at Borussia Dortmund, the youngster is simply unstoppable and his very name is terrorising defences out of the match. He has already scored eight goals in just five games in Bundesliga for Dortmund. 

Read | Who is Barcelona’s new signing Martin Braithwaite?

What is it actually that makes him so lethal? 

Erling Haaland is a player of the rarest kind. In the age of false nines and shadow strikers, there are very few pure number nines. Although the teams have target men in their ranks, a number nine is way more than just that. Alf-Ing has probably taught his son all the tricks of all the strikers he has ever faced in his career. 

Haaland is gifted with exceptional movement both on and off the ball. He has great close control on both his legs. Standing at 6'4", he can command the aerial balls easily and therefore can function as a target for crosses with effortless ease. His long limbs give him a headstart over most of the defenders around the world.

While physically, he was born to be a striker and his attitude is something that makes him stand out from other teenagers. Haaland can both attack the post from the front and also hang back for cut-backs during attacks. His ability to poach goals is unparalleled for teenager while his second goal against PSG proved his ability to blast the nets from distance. Haaland also drops deep to help building attacks. All this with an innocent smile on his face. 

Read | Mikel Arteta’s handling of Granit Xhaka shows touch of class

Furthermore, his spatial awareness is one of his biggest treasures. One of the most dominant features of his runs is he steps back to stay onside and in behind the defensive lines. This makes it hard for the defenders to pick him up when he makes the runs. He has immense faith in his ability to shield the ball from onrushing defenders and for that he can hold on to the ball if needed. His first goal against PSG shows his ability to anticipate a ball inside the box. While the shot was being made, Haaland took a step back to stay inside and then suddenly sprang to life on the rebound and slotted it home before the defenders could take a step. 

All these traits show that he is more than just a wonder-kid going through the form of his life. He has all the qualities to become the best in the world. Right now, all we can do is to just sit back and take a trip to the Haa-land!

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Thomas Kienzle

The 2019/20 UEFA Champions League has been full of with exciting match-ups. From lopsided scorelines and nail-biting encounters to surprise results and shock upsets, Europe’s premier football competition has delivered on all fronts, providing quality entertainment to the fans.

With the Champions League campaign currently on an indefinite pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, SportsAdda takes a look back at five of the best matches from the 2019/20 season so far.

RB Salzburg 6-2 Genk (September 2019)

This was the match that put Erling Haaland firmly on the map. While it’s true that the Norwegian had been scoring goals for fun at Salzburg for a while up till then, stepping up and bundling in a hat-trick on his Champions League debut made every top club across Europe sit up and take notice.

It just took Haaland two minutes into his debut to open his goalscoring account, before he doubled his tally in the 34^th minute. Hwang Hee-chan then made it 3-0 minutes later, but Jhon Lucumi pulled one back for Genk. Haaland would then go on to complete his hat-trick on the verge of half-time to become only the eighth player to bag a treble on his Champions League debut.

Dominik Szoboszlai added yet another goal for RB Salzburg immediately after, to make it 5-1. Mbwana Samatta found the net for Genk early in the second half but the result was a foregone conclusion by then, as Andreas Ulmer scored for Salzburg in the 666th minute to add yet another layer of sheen to the scoreline.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-7 Bayern Munich (October 2019)

One of the lowest points of Mauricio Pochettino’s career at Tottenham came when Bayern Munich tore his team to shreds at their new stadium in the group stage.

It all started well for Spurs, with Son Heung-min handing them the lead just 12 minutes in, but it wouldn’t last for long.

Joshua Kimmich equalised only three minutes later, before Robert Lewandowski made it 2-1 on the verge of half-time to put Bayern in the driving seat.

The floodgates opened after half-time as the German giants, led by a fired-up Serge Gnabry, tore through the Spurs rearguard relentlessly. The former Arsenal winger added two goals within ten minutes in the second period.

Harry Kane pulled one back for Tottenham from the penalty spot at the hour mark, but two more goals from Gnabry on either side of a Lewandowski strike condemned Tottenham to one of their worst defeats.

Chelsea 4-4 Ajax (November 2019)

A match packed with drama every step of the way kicked off when Tammy Abraham scored into his own net to hand Ajax the lead just two minutes in. However, Chelsea struck back two minutes later as Jorginho bundled home a penalty after Christian Pulisic was fouled.

Quincy Promes would then make it 2-1 for the visitors after being set up by soon-to-be Chelsea player Hakim Ziyech. The Moroccan was involved in Ajax’s third goal soon after, as a free-kick delivered by him bounced back off the post and hit Kepa Arrizabalaga in the face before rolling into the net. When Donny van de Beek made it 4-1 ten minutes after the break, it seemed like the game was done and dusted.

But Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta pulled one back and what followed was frantic action at its best. Daley Blind fouled Abraham but the referee allowed play to continue and a Blues�?shot then hit Joel Veltman's arm in the Ajax box.

The official awarded a penalty, went back and showed Blind a second yellow card, with Veltman also getting sent off seconds later for the handball.

Jorginho scored again from the resulting penalty to make it 4-3 before Reece James completed Chelsea’s sensational turnaround minutes later.

With a two-man advantage, Chelsea pushed for a winner and Azpilicueta seemed to have clinched it for his team, only for VAR to intervene and chalk off the goal due to handball in the buildup.

Truly, a match for the ages!

Dinamo Zagreb 3-3 Shakhtar Donetsk (November 2019)

One of the most exciting finishes to a match in this season’s Champions League came when Zagreb played hosts to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Alan Patrick had put the visitors ahead early in the game but Dinamo Zagreb reined them back through Bruno Petkovic before half-time.

Both teams lost a man in the second period but as the game entered the final ten minutes, no more goals were scored. So when Luka Ivanusec made it 2-1 in favour of the hosts in the 83^rd minute, it seemed that Dinamo had done enough to win it. And when Arijan Ademi added another in the 89^th minute, it looked as if the game was surely in the bag for the Croatian champions.

Not quite. Two minutes into stoppage time, Moraes headed home a Victor Kovalenko cross to offer a glimmer of hope to Shakhtar. The visitors pressed on in search of an equaliser and Dinamo crumbled, handing Shakhtar a penalty in the final minute of stoppage time. Under immense pressure, Mateus Tete stepped up and made no mistake, pulling off one of the unlikeliest comebacks for the Ukrainian giants.

Liverpool 2-3 Atletico Madrid (March 2020)

Leading 1-0 in their round-of-16 tie thanks to a home win in the first leg, Atleti came to Anfield with just one intention �?defend and see out the game. While they managed to frustrate Liverpool for the most part, a Gini Wijnaldum strike on the verge of half-time changed everything.

The visitors, for their part, stuck to their tactics and kept pushing back Jurgen Klopp’s men even as they turned up the pressure, forcing the game into extra-time. And when Roberto Firmino bundled home four minutes into extra-time, the atmosphere at Anfield was electric.

A mistake from stand-in Liverpool goalkeeper Adrian provided Atletico with an opportunity and defensive midfielder Marcos Llorente, who was brought on early in the second half to help contain Liverpool’s pressure, turned into a hero for the Spanish giants by finishing past Adrian, making it 2-1 on the night and 2-2 on aggregate and putting Atletico on their way to the quarter-final.

Llorente doubled his tally on the night minutes later, as Adrian failed to save his effort from distance, thus killing off any hopes of a comeback that Liverpool had, before Alvaro Morata rubbed salt into their wounds by adding a third late in the game.

And just like that, Liverpool’s train, hurtling at top speed, had been brought to a screeching halt.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Daniel Leal-Olivas 

The January Transfer window is now done and dusted. While some players and clubs have spent wisely, some others have failed to make the most of the time. Let's take a look at which clubs made it count and which clubs were caught hibernating. 

Winners

Inter Milan: 

Inter Milan were one of the biggest winners in the transfer window and it was their approach that made them stand apart from others. This year, they have come out of their " Big Club" shell and have gone for quality players for whom they would have to pay less. 

The Antonio Conte lead team signed Ashley Young, Victor Moses and Christian Eriksen in this window. Although Conte doesn't want to boast about the business they have done as he said "You in the media seem to act as if we just signed half of Real Madrid, but that’s not the right message," but it is beyond denial that the Nerazzurri have been the clear winners of the January transfer window. 

Borussia Dortmund

How are Borussia Dortmund the undisputed winners in the transfer window with only one signing? 

Because they have signed Erling Braut Haaland!

How is that a win?

He scored 5 goals in his first 57 minutes of play. 

The teenager was the hottest property in Europe and Manchester United were looking the favourites in the chase because Ole was the one who gave him his first senior appearance in Molde. But Dortmund hijacked the deal from the Red Devils.

Keeping in mind that they spent their entire summer reinforcing their midfield with Brandt, Weigl and Thorgan Hazard, getting Haaland for just 20 million was the cherry on the cake. Also on deadline day, they secured the services of seasoned midfielder Emre Can, who was out of favour at Juventus and would look to restart his career in his native Germany.

Manchester United

Given the injury woes that they had with Rashford, McTominay and Paul Pogba on the bench, United needed to strengthen their squad. Signing 25-year-old Portuguese Bruno Fernandes could be a massive upgrade from the likes of Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira in the midfield. 

They were also strengthened by a deadline day signing of Odion Ighalo, who lit up the Premier League with Watford a few seasons back. The 31-year-old has been signed on a loan deal for the next six months, and presents a completely non risk option for the Red Devils as they deal with their injury crisis. He’s Premier League proven, but whether he can still deliver for an elite club is to be seen.

Losers

Chelsea:

Frank Lampard has done a commendable job with a limited number of players to his disposal till now but one would've expected Chelsea to sign at least another striker to partner Tammy Abraham.

Olivier Giroud has featured in the team only when Lampard has to choose between him and a defender playing as a centre forward and his lack of efficiency has not helped his cause for the Blues. 

Lampard was livid with the situation as he said "I certainly wanted to bring players in. I think I’ve made that pretty clear over the last few weeks and it hasn’t happened."

Adding to their worries, Clinton Mola and Tariq Lamptey, the two highly rated Chelsea teenagers have also left. So, the first transfer window after the ban was lifted was not much of a success for the London club.

RB Salzburg

RB Salzburg have to accept that they are doing great when it comes to grooming players, but when it comes to business, they might feel robbed.

With two young sensations, Takumi Minamino and Erling Braut Haaland, in the team, they could've surely cashed in on them. After Mane and Keita, Minamino also joined Liverpool but for just 7.25 million Euros. 

Haaland had scored a staggering 29 goals in 27 games for the Austrian side, including 8 in the Champions League. Therefore, seeing him go for just 20 million Euros was probably a big miss in the business planning of Salzburg.

Barcelona

Life has not been easy for Quique Setien who seems to be happy just to be at Barcelona. But with an injured and clearly ageing Luis Suarez, signing a centre-forward was only logical.

But the Barcelona management seemed least interested in the business. Now they will go into the second half of the season with no one to lead the attack. But with Setien still in awe to have Messi playing for him, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him asking the Argentine to finish every game for him. 

Whether Messi can keep on doing what he does for the entire second half of the season is something to be seen, but in any case, the transfer window was nothing but messy for the Catalan giants. 

Feature image courtesy: AFP/ Ina Fassdender

The Champions League's heavyweights flexed their muscles as Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool secured big wins this midweek.

Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Napoli also took major steps towards the last 16.

15 - Barcelona forward Lionel Messi has become the first player in Champions League history to score at least once in 15 consecutive seasons in the competition. Longevity. pic.twitter.com/mWxv6tLnJZ

�?OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 23, 2019

Here, we take a look at five things we learned from the third round of group-stage matches:

Lampard learning quickly

Frank Lampard won just two of his first eight games as Chelsea manager, including a 1-0 home defeat to Valencia on matchday one that put the Blues on the backfoot in Group H.

However, despite blooding a host of youngsters, coping with a transfer ban and the loss of Eden Hazard, Lampard has quickly righted the Chelsea ship with a 1-0 win at Ajax making it six wins in a row in all competitions.

9 - Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Michy Batshuayi has scored nine goals as a substitute for Chelsea - four more than any other Blues player. Impact. pic.twitter.com/OpqEEEd9G0

�?OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2019

After inflicting Ajax's first defeat since their heartbreaking late exit to Tottenham in last season's Champions League semi-finals, Chelsea are now well-placed to qualify along with the Dutch champions for the last 16.

Both sides are on six points with Valencia on four and Lille one after they drew 1-1 in France.

Haaland hype intensifies

Image: AFP / Stringer

Erling Braut Haaland became the first player to ever score six goals in his first three Champions League appearances, but his double was not enough to save Salzburg as Napoli emerged 3-2 victors in Austria.

The 19-year-old Norwegian is already being chased by Europe's top clubs and added a few more millions to his asking price by taking his tally to 20 goals in 13 appearances this season.

6 - Erling Haaland is the first ever player to score as many as six goals in his first three Champions League appearances. Phenomenal. pic.twitter.com/9IqD7Y86iL

�?OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 23, 2019

The son of former Leeds and Manchester City midfielder Alf-Inge Haaland is just the third teenager to score in his first three Champions League games.

And with Salzburg's chances of making the last 16 now slim, the potential for a big-money move as soon as January took another step closer on Wednesday.

Life in Tottenham yet

Tottenham recovered from taking just one point from their opening three group games last season to make it all the way to the final, but a 7-2 thrashing at the hands of Bayern Munich and poor Premier League form gave Red Star Belgrade plenty of reason for hope ahead of their trip to north London.

Instead, the Serbian champions returned home on the end of a 5-0 hammering themselves as two goals each from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min saw Spurs recover their mojo and take control of second spot in Group B.

There remains work for Mauricio Pochettino's men to do with two of their last three games away from home, but on the evidence of Tuesday's meeting there is little for them to fear bar a boisterous atmosphere when they head to Belgrade in two weeks' time.

Madrid back on track

Image: AFP

Real Madrid still harbour expectations of returning to Istanbul for the final come May, but the 13-time champions found themselves in the unusual position of seeing their third group game against Galatasaray branded "a final" by the Spanish media.

That was because Zinedine Zidane's men had taken just one point from their opening two games against Paris Saint-Germain and Club Brugges and ran a serious risk of missing out on the knockout stages for the first time in 23 years with defeat on Tuesday.

Madrid had to withstand an early onslaught as Thibaut Courtois silenced his critics with two huge saves from Florin Andone, but Toni Kroos scored the only goal for a 1-0 win that puts the Spanish giants back on course for the last 16.

Mbappe doesn't waste time

Kylian Mbappe was only fit enough to feature for the final half hour of PSG's 5-0 romp over Club Brugges, but still had enough time to score a brilliant hat-trick as the French champions closed in on the last 16.

2008 - Kylian Mbappé is the 1st substitute to score 3+ goals in a Champions League game since Joseba Llorente with Villarreal (v Aalborg) in October 2008. Crazy. #BRUPSG pic.twitter.com/5DWL8QcrwQ

�?OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 22, 2019

Thomas Tuchel will have difficult decisions to make if and when he can finally get his full compliment of forwards in Mbappe, Neymar, Edison Cavani and Mauro Icardi fit.

Icardi also scored twice in Belgium with PSG in a dominant position in Group A, five points clear of Madrid and seven ahead of Brugges in third.

Feature image courtesy: AFP / Francois Walschaerts