“Honestly, this Tottenham schedule is crazy. In six days we played Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham. Then we had a four-day break, now we will have three big games again in six days, namely with the reception to Marseille and the visits to Manchester City and Sporting. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen this in my career… ”, lamented Antonio Conte in the run-up to his debut in the Champions League. However, the competitive density it was a good sign.

“You have to remember that we are only here because of the brilliant work we did last season. Now it’s time to enjoy playing in a great competition and give my best. let’s be ambitious play with passion and try to be protagonists in what is the most difficult race in the world”. So it was. And, in a game much more complicated than it might seem in theory, the group stage began to win, now going to Alvalade to tie the tie with Sporting, who are in the lead after the triumph of the lions in Frankfurt.

After a very disputed first half but without great chances, the match began to change its characteristics with the expulsion of Mbemba, a former FC Porto central defender, as soon as the second half began after stopping Son when he was isolated in the area. Igor Tudor also swapped Gerson for Belardi, the French team kept Tottenham away from their goal, even having a chance in the opposite box with one less unit, but ended up overcoming the Londoners’ competitiveness in this era of Antonio Conte, pushing Marseille to his area until he discovers the open to decide the match as has happened in the Premier League. And the open one had a name, Richarlison, that in his debut in the Champions League he scored in two shots with chemical paper with a header in the area that made the final 2-0 (76 ‘and 81’).

pigeon head????

???? @Champions League | @SpursOfficial 1×0 @OM_Official#ChampionsELEVEN pic.twitter.com/fYm7Mgddwb

– ONCE Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) September 7, 2022

Richardson???? Summary: continuation of the previous class ????

???? @Champions League | @SpursOfficial 2×0 @OM_Official#ChampionsELEVEN pic.twitter.com/ZFdEVdNwpb

– ONCE Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) September 7, 2022

Sylla redeemed himself from the start with his left foot and gave Club Brugge victory

In the FC Porto group, it will be necessary to undo and redo the calculations that were being made at the beginning: in a game in which Bayer Leverkusen, due to status, value and experience, started with a theoretical favouritism, Club Brugge managed to surprise in Belgium the Germans with a 1-0 win in the first half and leads the group together with Atl. Madrid, who beat the Dragons 2-1… at 90+11′.

Sylla version CR7 ????

???? @Champions League | @ClubBrugge 1×0 @bayer04fussball#ChampionsELEVEN pic.twitter.com/3CWhvIgx7O

– ONCE Portugal (@ElevenSports_PT) September 7, 2022

Abakar Sylla, a 19-year-old central defender from Ivory Coast, ended up being the protagonist of the game by scoring the only goal of the game in what it was the debut in the Champions, in addition to scoring the Belgians’ 500th goal in European competitions and being considered the Man of the Match by UEFA. All this after having entered the 2022/23 season with the wrong foot, inadvertently revealing the club’s new kit on their social networks for having confused the embargo dates agreed with the players.