 Yeah, back on your home of champions and we're going to be talking the UEFA Champions League matchday one taking place on Tuesday. There were eight matches across the four groups and let's have a look at those results. Newcastle back in the Champions League and they'll all draw away to AC Milan, PSG killing in back by getting on the score sheet in their 2-0 win over Dortmund, RB Leipzig 3-1 over young boys. Manchester City, like they did against West Ham in the English Premier League at the weekend, had to come from a goal down to win. They eventually won it again 3-1 over Red Star, Belgrade, Julian Alvarez in fabulous form scoring twice. Jean-Félix also on target twice as Barcelona beat Antwerp by five goals to nil. Porto, 3-1 over Shakhtar, Doniesk, Atletico Madrid held the lead until the 95th minute, but guess what? Lazio got an equaliser from their goalkeeper, even Profidel, only the fourth goalkeeper in the history of the Champions League to score a goal and then Feyenoord getting the better of Celtic by two goals to nil. Let's zone in on what many are calling the group of death, Group F, and start with PSG hosting Borussia Dortmund at the Parc de France. Here are those highlights. Oh, and the foul in there with the referee and gets his goal. He's about to take the penalty, he looks at the goalkeeper all the way through, the goalkeeper goes the right way. Williams, initially from Bettina, it's the back yield, then it's the 1-2, but look at this for quick feet, knows exactly what he's doing, just cuts inside and then just the outside the boot that just blinds it past the goalkeeper. But again, to have that composure at that moment in the game, this is brilliant. Defender sends him onto his. Yeah, there you have it. PSG winning that encounter by two goals to nil, one of our football correspondents. Simon Evans joins us to have a look at Groups F and G and we start with that Group F. Simon, welcome to the Sports Mag Zone. I hope you're doing well. Very well, thanks and you're looking very smart in your new studio. Thank you very much and you're looking pretty smart as well. Like you usually are, Simon Evans. Let's start Group F. Let's start the Group of Death. Let's start with the PSG performance. Two nil over Borussia Dortmund. The only win in the group today. Talk to me about the performance and the importance of getting out front early for this PSG team. Yeah, it is important because PSG have had so many problems with the Champions League over the years. They've never felt comfortable in the tournament. So this looked like a potential banana skin for them at home to Dortmund. But they handled it pretty well and Bapi was busy throughout and that finish there from Hakimi was absolutely wonderful. So they deserved the win overall. Dortmund were pretty resilient but PSG looked like a team who should get out of that group. What were you most impressed with about this PSG performance today? You know, they do start to look more of a team. You know, this has been the big debate with PSG for a long time. When they had all the stars, they had Neymar and Messi and yet the team always seemed lopsided and there was no balance there. But when you only have that one real focal point in the team now and Bapi, they look more like a normal football team, a good football team rather than a sort of Harlem Globetrotters that they've become at times. Yeah, and Borussia Dortmund, in terms of what you saw of them today, disappointed? Yeah, a little bit. But you know, they're not the favourites in that game, are they? So I don't think they'll be too down-heartened by losing away to PSG. And when they look at that other game in the group, I think Dortmund will still think they've got a really good chance of getting out of that group. Yeah, for sure. Let's talk quickly about the other game in the group, Newcastle taking on AC Milan. When you think about it, AC Milan, 25 shots, 14 of those coming in the first half. And many would look at that game, Simon, and say an opportunity missed for Milan to walk away with three points, given how much they dominated the game, definitely when it came to shooting towards goal. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Nick Pope, the Newcastle goalkeeper, had a great game, but he also fired a lot of shots straight at him as well. And he's a very good shot stopper, his Pope, but the finishing wasn't sharp enough from Milan. I mean, most of those chances actually came in the first 25-30 minutes of the game. It was incredible and they sort of ran out of steam a little bit, Milan in the second half. And Newcastle almost, at the end, sneaked it with Longstaff, had a great shot that was just off target, which would have been very unfair on Milan really, but it wasn't a good game. And that's why I was saying that overall, I think when Borussia Dortmund start studying their film tomorrow, they'll watch that and think they're capable of getting out of this group. Yeah, and Eddie House speaking after the match in his post-match interview, Simon, he spoke about the fact that his team will continue to grow in this competition. We can't forget the fact that, you know, Newcastle, they have been away from the Champions League for 20 years, approximately. So for him, he feels as if it was a good start, a good showing for his team, because many of the players have not even played Champions League football ever. Well, yeah, that's one way of looking at it. I think that said, you've been being positive. I mean, it's looking through the results good for them. I think they'd take that result before the game to go and get a draw at the San Siro, as you say in their first game back in the competition after two decades. The performance wasn't great and they haven't been great in the Premier League either, so there's something not quite right at Newcastle. I can't put my finger on what it is and Eddie House clearly can't either, but they're not clicking in the way that they were in the second half of last season. So they need to get it together very quickly in the Champions League, but like you say, you know, coming into a different level of football, different environment, different atmosphere, that's not a bad result, but they could have easily lost that game three or four-nil. Yeah, I have to say the play of the match for Newcastle had to go to Nick Pope, but I want to hear your assessment of Sandra Tonali playing for Newcastle today. What did you make of him? Well, I thought in patches he was really busy and influential. Almost everything Newcastle tried to do on the break went through him. He's an excellent player, but the parts just aren't together. Like I said, they're not clicking in the same way that they were last year. And so Tonali, a couple of times I saw him, you know, doing something really good on the ball, getting past a man, creating a little bit of space, and then there weren't the options there for him that he would have expected. Yeah, Simon, and we all love football, but there are stories sometimes that go with the football that are disturbing. There was a Newcastle fan who was stabbed Monday night in Milan. Any details on that and how serious he may be because he was hospitalised, we're told. Yeah, the latest I heard from the English news agencies was in a stable condition, so it sounds like that's going to be OK. But yeah, that is worrying, and there's too much of that in Italy. It's been going on for a long time, the knives around the streets of stadiums and in town centres where fans gather. It's really worrying. Yeah, Simon, let's skip across to group G, Manchester City in this group, and they jump out front alongside RB Leipzig. Let's deal with the Manchester City performance, first of all. A 27th match on beaten at home in the UEFA Champions League. Only Bayern Munich and Barcelona have had longer runs on beaten at home in the UEFA Champions League, so real quality being shown here from Manchester City. But they went behind again, they went behind again, but they responded really well. Yeah, they went behind, but they went behind having had created as many chances as we were talking that Milan had done against Newcastle, very similar. City had a lot of chances, could have been two or three goals ahead, and then they got caught out with one on the counter attack, which of course then raises the nerves at halftime, they go in 1-0 down and there's a little bit of concern around the ground, but they came out very quickly, got on level terms, then it was cruise control from then on, really. Yeah, you spoke about creating a number of chances. There are 37 shots taken by Manchester City, so that tells you a story of what happened today. And Holland didn't score. And Holland didn't score. They assisted. And Red Star Belgrade as well, they have pretty much become the whipping boys of the Champions League. They have conceded 19 goals and scored just once since their last win about four years ago, so it's been quite a struggle for them. Think at your thoughts though, Simon, on Odeon Alvarez, because he's been in spanking form both in the EPL. Now he brings that form into the Champions League. If he's not assisting, he is scoring, and he is starting to become a real vital part of this Manchester City set-up. Oh, absolutely. You know, and it's going to be interesting to see how that develops. I watched him recently playing for Argentina in the South American World Cup qualifiers, and he rested Messi against Bolivia, because they were perfectly comfortable to play Bolivia with Alvarez up front. He's grown from what we saw in the World Cup where we thought, oh, he's a good partner for Messi in attack. He's grown from that already in this short period of time. His touch for his goal where he goes around the goalkeeper, quick second touch, very few players can do that. He's so alert and alive, and Manchester City really have two of the best in the world football at the moment. And it's interesting to see Guardiola, who's always played with either one striker or no strikers, is now playing with two, because he can't leave either of them out of the team. Yeah, and of course he loves the Champions League because the stats speak for themselves. Thirty goals in 26 Champions League matches, Simon. I think we don't need to say anything more because the numbers, they speak for themselves. What are your thoughts, though, on the young star, Jeremy Dukou, coming in today, who kept replacing Bernardo Silva for him. He was good in the EPL on the weekend as well. What do you make of him? Yeah, I like him. I think he's a really interesting player because he's got a directness. You know, City's wingers, like Grealish, when he plays there, he likes to take his time on the ball to cut in, to move, he'll lay it off. Dukou is one of those wingers who will go at the full back. He'll go right at the full back and put him under pressure and make something happen. They lost Riyad Mahrez. I think he's a really good replacement for Mahrez. Yeah, and, Simon, I'm keen to get your views on pre-match talk from Pep Guardiola that he thinks having won the Champions League final last year, it may be easier for his team to win now that they've attained the level of championship success. Yeah, I mean, it was something that at City for several years was hanging over the club, that they'd won so much in the Premier League. We talked about it on this show. Guardiola was asked about it at so many press conferences. So I'm sure it's a relief for him to go into a Champions League campaign, not being asked, when are you finally going to win this thing for Manchester City? And that level of relaxness can give you a composure that can go into the tournament where you don't feel that pressure and that nerve. So they went one-nil behind today. There was no sense at all from what you picked up from the coverage of the arena that there was a real nerves around the ground. There was just a belief that, right, we'll have to come from behind to win this. And I think, you know, City in Europe now believes that they can do it. And you know what? I wouldn't be surprised if they did do it again. Army Limesick set to be their toughest challenge in this group, and they had a really good start, a 3-1 win over young boys. I guess you would have to say that is pretty much what would have been expected in this game. Yeah, I think so. When a Bundesliga team comes up against a team from the Swiss League, you know, you expect the Bundesliga side to come up on top. And Army Limesick are another team who now, you know, a few years ago we were talking about all the Red Bull team, there's something new in the Champions League. They're so experienced in this now. This group of players as well. The club doesn't have a long history in it, but this group of players does and they look pretty confident today. How good do you think they are, Simon? Do you think they have the quality to test Manchester City at all in this group? Because when you look at it, clearly you don't expect young boys, and we saw what happened against Red Star Belgrade today to be any real threat for this City set-up. You know, I think they could, they could shovel City in Limesick because the way they played this very energetic, high-pressing game really does benefit from having a crowd behind you and being on a home field. And I think that could be something, but what we've seen with Limesick as well in the Champions League over the last two or three years is they do get caught out by the big teams. They'll put in impressive wins like this one today, but then when they come up against the top-top quality, they just make too many mistakes, give the ball away too many times to really be one of those teams that's going to get into the last four of the competition. Yeah, well, Simon, it's only the first eight games of matchday one in the new season of the UEFA Champions League. Thank you very much for stopping by and for sure we'll be chatting a lot more throughout the course of the campaign as we recap the many exciting matches that we expect in this competition. Have a good one. Have a good one, you too. All the best. All right, Simon Evans, one of our international football correspondents. We'll take a break on the Sports Mag Zone, but so much UEFA Champions League action to come, including that 5-0 victory for Barcelona with Jean-Philippe scoring a couple of goals over back to discuss. With the UEFA Champions League, here's a reminder of the results from Tuesday. Okay, so we have no goals in that match between Milan and Newcastle, as we told you, PhD overcoming Dortmund, a 3-1 win for RB Leipzig against Young Boys, Manchester City coming from behind to secure three goals against Cravena Zaveda, Barcelona 5-0 against Antwerp, a 3-1 win for Porto against Schachtar. Done, yes. What about that match between Atlético Madrid and Lazio, one all between the teams and Feyenoord a 2-0 win over Celtic? Well, we're joined now by Brent Sancho to take us through Groups E and H. Brent, what an opener for today's Champions League matches. We're starting with Group E. Yeah, I'll tell you what. Finally, it's back, Champions League football and yeah, it was an opener. Of course, the talk of the group is that Atlético Madrid result with Lazio. Another dogged performance by Atlético Madrid. I have seen Atlético Madrid being stubborn opponents to many teams in Champions League football, but I've never seen them undone by a goalkeeper. And what an equaliser by Lazio, of course, goalkeeper Povadel with the equaliser, but a typical Diego Simone performance by Atlético Madrid. But more importantly, of course, Lazio coming away with a point from that. Again, that they dominated in possession of Lazio. Right. What would be the takeaway, though, for Atlético Madrid from today's match? Same as it is. I guess that's how they play. That's the football they play. They're a very defence-oriented team. They drop a very low line of confrontation. They're extremely good in transition. I was impressed with Morata up front and his mobility. And they always look comfortable. Marshall at the back by that man at the back there, Obracos, who had another outstanding game. They didn't really necessarily look troubled. Yes, of course, as I mentioned, Lazio had the lion's share of possession. But look, I think the goal, of course, if a two-hater's goal there by Barrios for Atlético Madrid, of course, gave them the lead. But I think the goal that they conceded Moraya is... I don't think any of us could have dreamlit it up or chalked it up. It was just an unreal goal by a goalkeeper lingering in the half. I think he's a fourth goalkeeper in Champions League history to ever score in open play. But what a header by the goalkeeper. His header was better than a lot of strikers that I know. But I won't call any name of those strikers. Yeah, for sure, Brent. And what's for Satan is Group E had a lot of mouth-watering clashes. It had some really exciting action. And we saw one where a nine-man Celtic team lost a firenode. Yeah, they lost a firenode. They started brightly under Brandon Rogers. Celtic, of course, away from home. And then I just think it was a moment of madness. Absolute chaos in the second half. Eventually, of course, being the undoing for Celtic. It's always going to be difficult for Celtic in this group. Of course, firenode was always favored to win this particular encounter. With, of course, the likes of Atlético Madrid and Lazio still in it. Albeit, of course, because of the tie between Atlético Madrid and Lazio, it still leaves Celtic within touch and distance. Of course, they're the bottom of the group for now, after one round against. But from a Celtic perspective and an overall perspective, it is going to be very difficult for the men from Glasgow to come out of this group. And I think moving forward, they're going to have to try to get their points at home where they're normally quite sure. Yeah, Brent, I wanted to get your thoughts on the Atlético Lazio game and the equalizer that came in the 95th minute. But more from the standpoint of how disappointed Atlético Madrid would be given that this was a game that they were pretty much on course to win. And for most of it seemed as if this was a match they were going to win. Yeah, you know, Ricardo, when you think about Atlético Madrid, you think of a resolute defending, you think about, of course, excellent set plays, defending set plays, of course, closing down people in the middle of the park, stifling defenses. And then when you look at this, a goalkeeper goes into the box and scores. That is so anti-Atlético Madrid. If you've shown this picture to any football fan around the world and said, guess the team that conceded this goal. I can bet you everything that I own and everything you own that at least 95% of the fans will not say it was Atlético Madrid conceding that goal because it's not like them. It certainly is. And especially at the time of the game that it was conceded. It's the last kick of the game. This is a team that is always fully concentrated and very, very difficult to beat. But I tell you what, what a moment of madness. This is what Champions League is made of these sorts of nights. And I'm very sure this is a story that will be tool for years and years to come. Yeah, I'd like to see Ricardo giving you the permission Brent to bet anything that he owns. I understand you betting everything you own, but I'm not sure if Ricardo would be in for that. But before we leave for Madrid story, remember in the middle of the last decade, they've been beaten finalists twice in the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid and towards the back end of the decade, we thought that the squad needed refresh to be refreshed and so on to be potent and to be a strong European power house. How do you think they've done on that front? Yeah, it's still an ongoing conversation and I'm still there in terms of refreshing and my refreshment, as I said about two years ago, I did say on this very program that I was there at the stadium about two years ago and you know, you listen to the taxi drivers, the concession people, and they're all saying that it does need a refresh. The upper management, however, is saying something completely different but from where I sit and from what I've seen you just feel that Diego Simone has taken this team as far as he can take them and it's very difficult to disagree with that point for them to get over the hump you just feel that we need some refreshment but last, I think if they brought someone in, it would change the identity of the team, the club and maybe the way they play and some of the players they have and the question is, will Atlético Madrid want to put out that sort of financial outlay to do such a change? Whenever anyone talks about finance and financial, I think about Barcelona and their financial issues but today Brent, we'll leave that topic aside and we talk about that 5-0 win against Antwerp. Two goals coming from Felix, the Barcelona team ensuring that they keep a clean sheet. What a way to start this Champions League season. Alright, unfortunately I'm in several chat groups with Barcelona fans and they're already talking about winning the Champions League. Typical Barcelona fans, they've had great results in the weekend against a very poor Real Batista team and of course Antwerp today. But let me give credit where credit is due and many in this show would know I am one of the biggest critics with Xavi simply because I don't think he is championship ready a statement I've made several times and I still believe that. However I do think however that the performance on the weekend and the performance today will probably class for me one and two as Xavi's best as a manager and a lot of it is down to the freedom and the tactical expression that Jao Felix had in both games and I think he will be a pivotal factor to Barcelona's success. But before Barcelona fans go away, of course with all this hope in their heart remember I'm pinning the hopes of Barcelona and Jao Felix the most inconsistent footballer I've known for a very very long time. So Brent, Barcelona have been eliminated in the group stages in the past two UEFA Champions League competitions. Do you see that same thing happening and I have to ask you that based on how you started the narrative. No it's I think this time around I think they should be alright. I really do think so of course when you look at the rest of the group they should be able to come out of it but again Mariah I'm a henshin Barcelona success and someone that I just you know I think is a great talent Jao Felix and I would even throw a concealer as well Jao Cancelo. But these players are very inconsistent there's a reason why they've hopped around from club to club because it does not need to give you a total season performance. Remember at the end of the day the Champions League is won in February and March that's when the real business end comes up. Will Jao Felix still be counted in February and March again if I was to put Ricardo's everything that he wounds on this I would say no. Clearly you don't want much returns Brent because I really don't have a lot I am a poor man trying to make an honest living that's that's all and I don't bet by the way Brent maybe in the past I have made educated investments in sport but I don't bet. That's why I'm using your money because you don't bet I'll use it for you. Right but I want to talk I don't want to speak about Ricardo's money that he claims that he doesn't have I want to talk about Robert Lewandowski because Brent I have a lot of time for Barcelona where La Liga is concerned and I was happy on the weekend to see Lewandowski getting his name on the score sheet we all know it's no secret he had a slow start to the La Liga campaign this season he got his name on the score sheet again today so are we getting some sort of consistency from him? Well again Mariah and I hate to say this but it comes back to that man Jao Felix remember a couple weeks back before Felix signed with Barcelona and Lewandowski had a sound bite that of course expressed his frustration and almost cut him a lonely figure up front for Barcelona all of a sudden Jao Felix comes in the squad Concello who's allowed to of course go higher up the path and now he's getting that support he's getting that link complete and he's getting to express himself and more importantly he's getting someone to supply him with the type of goals that he scored throughout his career but again all of this is relaxes on the shoulder of Jao Felix because if you look through that Barcelona squad one through 22 there ain't no one that can play the type of role that Felix plays you know within the squad yes they have road players that do different things but as Jao Felix with that killer pass with that eye for a pass they don't have it within their squad and so for Lewandowski's success and that ability to play with someone and someone that can supply with it on the shoulder of my good friend Jao Felix yeah Brent Sancho 10 seconds to answer this one matchday one will be completed on Wednesday and I just wanted to get your thoughts about which game you are most excited about and be very careful how you answer that of course it's Manchester United my friend who else would it be Brent why would you be looking forward to a team that is in 13th place in the EPL because of the fans I love the fanfare I'm a big fan to see how you guys are doing to be honest Ricardo I'm curious to see if the what is happening now in Manchester United continues to happen this is a massive game you heard about locker room bus stops and all is going wrong they are going to buy in Munich and get a result all of a sudden all is forgotten so let's see do you think Manchester United can get a result stay tuned absolutely not that's what I thought Brent no no it's possible I'll be honest because Bayern Munich is up playing well as well they're not playing particularly well so it's a good time to play Bayern Munich however I have zero belief in Manchester United yeah Brent your first answer was the honest answer that's fine Brent that's okay I'll save you that's it for us for today we will chat with you again and I can't wait to be talking about that tomorrow so thank you so much for your time talk soon alright Brent Sanchez our sportsmax football analyst let's take a quick break Ricardo can't wait for tomorrow