If you turned off the Champions League early last night, there’s a good chance you woke up to some very confusing scorelines.
Because October 14 gave football fans a night where defending apparently became optional.
Real Madrid produced one of the biggest comebacks of the evening, beating Roma 4–3 after finding themselves 3–1 behind.
Roma looked in control, and for a while, Madrid seemed headed toward a difficult night in Italy.
Then the substitutions changed everything.
Brazilian youngster Endrick came off the bench and helped transform Madrid’s attack, scoring a header as the Spanish side fought its way back into the match.
Antonio Rüdiger eventually completed the comeback with a late winning goal, giving Madrid a victory that looked increasingly unlikely earlier in the evening.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain had plans of its own.
The French champions defeated Manchester City 4–2 in another dramatic encounter, reminding everyone that even Europe’s most expensive squads aren’t guaranteed a comfortable evening.
And the chaos didn’t end there.
Liverpool defeated LASK 6–3, Aston Villa demolished Fenerbahçe 6–0, and Bodø/Glimt pulled off a 1–0 victory against Borussia Dortmund.
By the end of Matchday 2, the competition had produced 78 goals, including 46 on Wednesday alone.
Six of Wednesday’s nine matches featured at least five goals.
For supporters, it was the kind of Champions League night that makes checking the scores feel like opening a group chat after an argument.
One thing is certain: nobody can accuse this competition of being boring.
