Tuesday in the Champions League saw goals galore and a weeping goalkeeper (Video)
Unusually, there wasn’t a whole lot left to play for on the first day of the final round of group stage games in this 2016-17 edition of the Champions League.
[ Champions League: Matchday 6 | Gunners win and lose? | Scores ]
First place was at stake in Group A, and in Group B, third-place Besiktas was still in the race to advance with Benfica and Napoli. But the Turkish club’s utter collapse in a nine-man 6-0 loss to winless Dynamo Kiev put an end to that within half an hour. The onslaught was so overwhelming that it brought goalkeeper Fabri to tears.
SENİ ÇOK SEVİYORUZ FABRİ pic.twitter.com/UN0pY9xZoo
— Beşiktaş Analiz (@Besiktas_Analiz) December 6, 2016
Ağlama adam. Güçlü ol. Seni seviyoruz #Fabri pic.twitter.com/43PSgkb14q
— SevinmekİçinSevmedik (@HergunBesiktas_) December 6, 2016
Other than that, the games were largely irrelevant.
There were, however, lots of goals – 25 in eight games, even though PSV-Rostov ended 0-0 and Bayern Munich squeezed by Atletico Madrid 1-0. Barcelona’s 4-0 stroll past Borussia Moenchengladbach, Arsenal’s 4-1 battering of FC Basel and Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-2 thriller with Ludogorets ran up the goal tally after Dynamo got a half dozen.
Naturally, plenty of those goals are worth revisiting.
Let’s start with Kelechi Iheanacho’s early equalizer for Manchester City in its 1-1 dead-rubber tie with Celtic. Iheanacho is one of the most promising young strikers in Europe. It’s just that he’s stuck behind Sergio Aguero on the depth chart and we don’t get to see a whole lot of him. But he’s capable of this sort of finish.
Celtic's lead was short-lived thanks to Man City's @67Kelechi. #UCLonFOX https://t.co/Z47eJT4hcA
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2016
Minutes later in Catalonia, Barca got the first of its four when Lionel Messi completed a beautiful team move by the trophy contenders for his 10th goal of the group stage and 93rd of his career in the Champions League, two behind all-time leader Cristiano Ronaldo.
Messi slots it home to pull within 1 goal of Ronaldo's single season #UCL group stage record! #UCLonFOX https://t.co/6wE4AZUuFL
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2016
Then Bobby Five Goals – also known as Robert Lewandowski, who once scored five goals in nine minutes in a Bundesliga game against Wolfsburg – bagged Bayern’s winner with a free kick.
Robert Lewandowski scores his 2nd free kick goal for Bayern in 5 days! ???? @HeinekenSoccer #UCL @lewy_official https://t.co/xxPxANitfQ
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2016
And that very free kick is becoming something of a signature shot.
New free kick master Robert Lewandowski is giving us déjà vu. #UCLonFOX @lewy_official https://t.co/fsNHFRMZZe
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) December 6, 2016
Now let us praise Edinson Cavani, the Uruguayan Apparition. He gets a lot of grief for missing chances in comical fashion, but then Cavani creates more chances for himself than just about any striker in the world with his shrewd routes and indefatigable running. The first of PSG’s two equalizers wasn’t enough to retain the group lead, though, as the Parisians had to settle for a tie. But still, bicycle kick goal!
Le but de #Cavani, sur une retourné acrobatique, contre Ludogorets #PSGLUD #PSG ???????????? pic.twitter.com/GBg1GL7nus
— Paris No Limit™ (@ParisNoLimit) December 6, 2016
Finally, there was Belgian substitute Dries Mertens’ immense impact for Napoli, giving an assist and scoring a goal in the 2-1 win at Benfica. Behold that goal, in which he dices up the defense as if it’s a cut of cheap meat on his chopping block.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @LeanderAlphabet.