UCL: Montilivi madness! Two own goals, two missed penalties and a whole lot more

Girona’s historic first home match at Estadi Montilivi in the UEFA Champions League ended in heartbreak, as two own goals contributed to a 3-2 defeat against Feyenoord, marking the Dutch side's first away victory against Spanish opposition in major European competition after three straight losses.

Both sides were looking to bounce back after disappointing Champions League opening match defeats, and a rainy afternoon in Catalonia presented the perfect chance to reset. Girona dominated the early stages, with Viktor Tsygankov creating danger in the box, forcing a save with a fierce shot. He also delivered a corner that saw Donny van de Beek head just over the bar. Girona's first-ever European goal came in the 19th minute from another Tsygankov corner. Ladislav Krejčí’s initial header was blocked, but David López pounced on the rebound to give the hosts the lead.

However, the advantage was short-lived. Yangel Herrera conceded a free-kick and, under pressure from Quinten Timber, deflected Igor Paixão’s delivery into his own net for an equaliser. Girona’s woes deepened when Tsygankov left the field injured, and moments later, Feyenoord took the lead. López, who had opened the scoring, saw his pass intercepted by Timber, who set up Paixão to slide the ball to Antoni Milambo. The young forward calmly slotted home to put Feyenoord ahead.

More drama ensued as Timber’s relentless pressing earned a penalty when he was fouled by Iván Martín after intercepting a poor Paulo Gazzaniga pass. Gazzaniga redeemed himself by saving Ayase Ueda’s spot-kick, keeping Girona within reach at halftime.

Girona thought they had leveled shortly after the break when Van de Beek's pass deflected off Dávid Hancko into the net, but the goal was disallowed for a narrow offside. More frustration followed when Feyenoord goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther dropped a cross and fouled Bojan Miovski, giving away a penalty. However, Wellenreuther made amends by saving Miovski’s spot-kick and his follow-up header.

Relentless in their pursuit of an equaliser, Girona finally got their reward in the 74th minute. Arnaut Danjuma weaved through Feyenoord’s defense and teed up Van de Beek, who finished calmly to make it 2-2. But Girona’s joy was short-lived. Just five minutes later, Krejčí accidentally diverted Hancko's cross into his own net, giving Feyenoord the lead once more. Wellenreuther sealed the win by denying Cristhian Stuani’s late header, securing Feyenoord’s first Champions League away win since September 2002. Meanwhile, Girona remains without a point in Europe and extended their winless run to six matches across all competitions.

YOU CAN WATCH THE GOALS HERE

Elsewhere, Ademola Lookman delivered a standout performance to guide Atalanta to a convincing 3-0 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Veltins-Arena, marking the Italian side’s first away win in the Champions League in five matches.

Atalanta entered the match with only one Champions League victory since September 2021, a stretch that included four draws and four losses. Determined to break that trend, they controlled the neutral venue in Gelsenkirchen from the outset, pushing for an early breakthrough. Their persistence paid off in the 21st minute when Lookman sent a pinpoint cross into the box, and Berat Djimsiti finished from close range to put La Dea in front.

The Italian side nearly doubled their lead soon after, with Lazar Samardžić testing Shakhtar goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk, who managed to divert the shot around the post. Meanwhile, Shakhtar’s attacking threat was almost non-existent, with Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi barely called into action. Lookman continued to impress, rattling the crossbar with a powerful volley, but just before halftime, he made no mistake. After a clever assist from Sead Kolašinac, Lookman calmly side-footed the ball into the net, extending Atalanta’s lead to 2-0 in the 44th minute.

Atalanta wasted little time in sealing the win after the break. Just three minutes into the second half, Davide Zappacosta capitalized on poor defending from Pedrinho, who failed to track back, allowing Raoul Bellanova to head in his first goal for the club since joining from Torino. Atalanta nearly added a fourth when Zappacosta beat Riznyk but saw his shot bounce off the post.

With the game firmly in their grasp, Atalanta eased off in the closing stages, confidently securing their first three points of the 2024/25 Champions League campaign. In contrast, Shakhtar extended their winless streak against Italian teams to nine matches (three draws, six losses), leaving them needing significant improvements to avoid another early exit from the competition.

YOU CAN WATCH THE GOALS HERE

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 2

Tuesday

Salzburg - Brest 0-4 (0-1)

/Sima 24, 70, Camara 66, Lage 76/

Stuttgart - Sparta Praha 1-1 (1-1)

/Millot 7 - Kairinen 32/

Leverkusen - Milan 1-0 (0-0)

/Boniface 51/

Dortmund - Celtic 7-1 (5-1)

/Can 8 pen, Adeyemi 11, 29, 42, Guirassy 40 pen, Nmecha 79 - Maeda 9/

Barcelona - Young Boys 5-0 (3-0)

/Lewandowski 8,51, Raphinha 34, Martinez 37, Camara 81 og/

Inter - Crvena Zvezda 4-0 (1-0)

/Calhanoglu 11, Arnautovic 59, Martinez 71, Taremi 81 pen/

Arsenal - PSG 2-0 (2-0)

/Havertz 20, Saka 35/

Slovan B. - Man.City 0-4 (0-2)

/Gundogan 8, Foden 15, Haaland 58, Mcatee 74/

PSV - Sporting 1-1 (1-0)

/Schouten 15 - Braganca 83/

Wednesday

Girona - Feyenoord 2-3 (1-2)

/Lopez 20, van de Beek 74 - Herrera 23 og, Milambo 33, Krejci 79 og/

Shakhtar - Atalanta 0-3 (0-2)

/Djimsiti 21, Lookman 44, Bellanova 48/

22:00: (5.30) Dinamo Zagreb (3.60) Monaco (1.70)

22:00: (6.00) Lille (4.10) Real Madrid (1.55)

22:00: (3.00) Benfica (3.45) Atl.Madrid (2.50)

22:00: (4.60) Aston Villa (3.80) Bayern (1.75)

22:00: (2.40) RB Leipzig (3.45) Juventus (3.15)

22:00: (1.20) Liverpool (6.75) Bologna (14.0)

22:00: (2.80) Sturm (3.40) Club Brugge (2.65)

***odds are subject to change***