The reigning Spanish champion from Madrid had a successful start to the match against the English vice-champion and got into the lead in the seventh minute. The visitors’ Félix came on for Lodiho had to leave the fray. The 22-year-old Portuguese striker has made his mark in this year’s Champions League for the second time. Vrsaljko could have increased the lead of the home team until the break, but his head after the running center ended up on the crossbar.
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In the second part, the guests rushed for a balance, but they found it difficult to assert themselves in Atlética’s concentrated defense. Coach Rangnick, however, had a substitution, and ten minutes before the end, Elang, who was five minutes on the field at the time, was hit. According to the Opta server, the Swedish forward scored United’s 500th goal in the Champions League or the European Champions Cup.
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The joy of Manchester United from the equalizing goal at the Atlética Madrid field in the round of the Champions League.Photo: Xavier Barbancho, Reuters
The English team could still lose the draw, but Griezmann hit only the crossbar three minutes before the end. Atlético did not lose the Champions League in the playoffs at home for the fifteenth time in a row.
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In the Ajax jersey, he set against Benfice for the 43rd match in the Champions League of the defender Blind, thus breaking the current club record of Jari Litmanen. The Dutch champion, who did not lose a point in the basic group, opened the score after a quarter of an hour of play. After a cross from the right side, Tadič pushed through with an uncompromising blow.
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Benfica equalized in the 26th minute. Former Ajax Vertonghen’s shot center knocked down guest striker Haller into his own net. The top scorer of this year’s Champions League three minutes later corrected his hesitation. After a quick transition to attack, he delivered the ball with a quick stop behind the back of goalkeeper Vlachodimovs, and with the eleventh goal in this year, Ajax returned to the lead.
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Ajax football player Sebastien Haller scores a goal against Benfica in the opening round of the Champions League.Photo: Rodrigo Antunes, Reuters
The Côte d’Ivoire gunner needed only seven matches for this goal, which no one in the competition had done before. In addition to consolidating the lead in the scoring table by two goals ahead of Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, Haller is also the second Ajax player in history to score 11 goals in one LM season. Until then, only Ruud Geels succeeded in the 1975/76 season.
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The active Dutch team was able to prevail for the third time at the end of the first half, but Álvares stamped the bar and the arriving Haller missed this time. The guests eventually lost the victory. In the 72nd minute, after a quick counterattack, the Russian striker Yaremchuk won, who scored after ten minutes on the field. The validity of the goal was also confirmed by a consultation with the video referee.
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Benfica’s Ukrainian Roman Yaremchuk celebrates a goal against Ajax in the Champions League.Photo: Rodrigo Antunes, Reuters
Ajax lost the opportunity to become the first team outside the five elite European leagues to win the LM seven times in a row.
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| Opening match of the round of the Champions League: |
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| Benfica Lisbon – Ajax Amsterdam 2: 2 (1: 2) |
| Goals: 26th Haller, 72nd Yaremchuk – 18th Tadic, 29th Haller. Judges: Vinčič – Klančnik, Kovačič (all Slovenia) – Fritz (video, Germany). ŽK: Núňez, Ramos, Jaremčuk – Mazraoui, Berghuis, Antony. Attendance: 60,000. |
| Benfica: Vlachodimos – Gilberto (90. + 1 Goncalves), Otamendi, Vertonghen, Grimaldo – Rafa Silva, Weigl, Taarabt (85. Bernardo), Everton (62. Jamemčuk) – Núňez (90. Lazaro), Ramos. Coach: Veríssimo. |
| Ajax: Pasveer – Mazraoui (90.+2 Rensch), Timber, Martínez, Blind (73. Tagliafico) – Álvarez, Berghuis, Gravenberch (73. Klaassen) – Antony, Haller, Tadič. Trener: Ten Hag. |
| Atlético Madrid – Manchester United 1:1 (1:0) |
| Goals: 7. Félix – 80. Elanga. Judges: Hategan – Grigoriu, Gheorghe (all Rum.) – Irrati (video, It.). ZK: Herrera, Mandava, Llorente, Gimenez – Shaw, Lindelöf, Rashford, Fred, Telles. Attendance: 68,000. |
| Atlético: Oblak – Vrsaljko, Giménez, Savič, Mandava – Llorente, Herrera, Kondogbia, Renan Lodi (76. Lemar) – Correa, Félix (75. Griezmann). Coach: Simeon. |
| Manchester United: De Gea – Lindelöf (66. Wan-Bissaka), Varane, Maguire, Shaw (67. Telles) – Fred, Pogba (66. Matič) – Rashford (75. Elanga), Fernandes, Sancho (82. Lingard) – Ronaldo. Coach: Rangnick. |
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