English Teams Hit after Champions League Showdown

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Last season saw English Teams send a shockwave that rippled through the Champions League. They were dominant as they cleared their way to the finals. Spanish teams like Barca and Real Madrid, Juventus from Italy, Bayern Munich from Germany and even PSG from France all fell by the sword and were relegated to mere bystanders.. The final saw Liverpool and Tottenham slug it out with each other, with the former eventually lifting the trophy.

It was a kind of "You-should-be-scared-of-us" signal to other leagues notifying them of their threat. Well, the Champions league kicked off again today with top teams like Dortmund, Barcelona, Chelsea, Valencia, Napoli and Liverpool playing. It got off intriguingly I must say as everything went against the run of play, or how it was expected to be.

Barcelona were held by Dortmund. In a match that should have seen a flurry of goals, we saw none! Albeit, we were so close to seeing one towards the end of the match from the Penalty spot. But Ter Ster Gen saved the day and Barca clinged unto a point in their first outing.

Chelsea who just got off the euphoria of their 5-2 win against Newcastle were all in high spirits before the match, they probably did not envisage a loss to their opponents in a highly competitive affair where every point matters. They deserved at least a goal but their in-form players fumbled. Especially Tammy Abraham who could have scored earlier. Well, they were done justice when VAR handed them a lifeline. But then, composure was far from Buckley when he hit the bar from the spot. Willian wanted it, but didn't get it. Dressing rooms problems? Well, that's for another headline.

Liverpool also lost today. 2-0 to Napoli, the second time in a row in two seasons. Is Napoli their bane? We never can tell. They did everything they could. Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah really poked but they weren't lucky. Everything went against them and Napoli walked away with their shoulders high, 2 goals against the defending champions, and a clean sheet in their first Champions league match, what more could they have asked for?

We'll see how these teams respond in their follow-up matches. And yes, I know it's too early to judge.