Champions League

A blockbuster Champions League encounter between Italian champions Juventus and Valencia — fourth place finishers in LaLiga — descended into farce when Cristiano Ronaldo was sent off 29 minutes into his UCL debut with the Old Lady. 

Ronaldo had been active and involved throughout the early proceedings, and Juventus really should’ve taken the lead through either Mario Mandzukic or Sami Khedira, but both put close range shots over the bar in the game’s opening period.

Wednesday featured the first Champions League matches for both Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid since the two parted ways over the summer. Ronaldo, now with Juventus, was sent off after 29 minutes. Real Madrid, with a Welsh winger leading the line, scored a 3-0 win thanks to a brilliant Gareth Bale goal vs Roma. 

Manchester United coach Jose Mourinho hasn’t always seen eye to eye with his most expensive player, Paul Pogba — of this, there is no secret.

Mourinho has benched the Frenchman in the past and transfer rumors swirled around the powerhouse midfielder before the close of the summer window. 

Pogba is still arguably the best player Manchester United has, so Mourinho is a bit stuck with him for now. But that doesn’t mean he has to enjoy it.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Champions League debut with Juventus lasted all of 29 minutes at Valencia’s Mestalla stadium. With Juventus in possession of the ball out wide in Valencia’s third, Ronaldo made a run into the box before play was stopped with both Valencia and Juventus players remonstrating and gesticulating wildly. 

After a short break, German referee Felix Brych consulted the official behind the goal, and he looked adamant that Ronaldo deserved to be sent off for his actions. Brych duly obliged while Ronaldo went hysterical.  

In the end, Shakhtar Donetsk’s trusted strategy of supplementing its Ukrainian core of players with a bunch of Brazilians proved, once again, a masterstroke — this time in spoiling the appearance of the youngest manager the Champions League has ever seen, Hoffenheim’s 31-year-old whizkid Julian Nagelsmann.

Ajax struggled to break down AEK Athens in the first half of their Champions League opener on Wednesday in Amsterdam.

Then some Bob Marley made everything feel alright en route to a 3-0 win for the home team. 

Ky-Mani Marley, son of the legendary singer Bob Marley, took to the pitch at halftime to get the crowd going. He sang "Three Little Birds" — with the crowd singing along — and the scenes were fabulous.

¡LO MEJOR QUE VAN A VER EN EL DÍA!

In arguably the greatest American Champions League matchday since DaMarcus Beasley roofed one for PSV against Monaco in the 2005 Round of 16, our pubescent USMNT squad registered a game-winning goal and a point-obtaining assist on Tuesday. The goal was somewhat unknowingly golazo'd by Christian Pulisic (celebrating his 20th birthday), and the assist was recorded by Weston McKennie (who actually celebrated his 20th birthday a few weeks ago).

We told you Tuesday was going to be great. We were right.

Perhaps the most anticipated match of the entire Champions League group stage helped kick things off as the UCL returned in earnest on Tuesday — and Liverpool vs. PSG more than lived up to expectations. 

Tottenham is tired. How much of it is the World Cup? How much of it the complete lack of rejuvenation by way of transfers? How much of it is the media incessantly telling us that Tottenham’s tired (although Son Heung-min told us as much too)? How much of it is the dopey-looking faces of Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen? I just don’t know.