There were hat-tricks for Viktor Gyokeres and Luis Diaz on Tuesday, both forwards firing their sides, Sporting Lisbon and Liverpool, to big victories in the UEFA Champions League.
Sporting marked the final home game of Manchester United-bound coach Ruben Amorim’s reign with a stunning 4-1 thrashing of Manchester City to continue their fine start in the competition.
The Portuguese league leaders were second best for most of the first half and should have trailed by more than Phil Foden’s early goal, but Sweden striker Gyokeres equalised before the break.
City were shocked at the start of the second half as Maximiliano Araujo finished a flowing move straight from the kick-off, before Gyokeres put Sporting further ahead minutes later from the penalty spot.
Erling Haaland had the opportunity to drag City back into the game but struck the crossbar with a penalty before Gyokeres sealed it for the hosts with another spot kick to send the Estadio Jose Alvalade crowd into raptures as Sporting earned their third win in four games in the competition.
Liverpool’s Diaz scored his own hat-trick as they maintained their perfect Champions League campaign with a rampaging second-half display in a 4-0 victory over Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen at Anfield.
Arne Slot’s men, who top the English Premier League table, provisionally lead the standings of Europe’s elite club competition with their fourth win in four matches, with Aston Villa, the only other team with a 100% record, playing Club Brugge in their fourth game on Wednesday.
Leverkusen’s loss spoiled the return of manager and former Liverpool hero Alonso, who won the Champions League trophy with the Reds in 2005.
Slot deployed Diaz as a centre forward and it proved to be a masterful move, as the Colombian broke the deadlock of what had been a drab affair in stunning fashion in the 61st minute, timing his run onto Curtis Jones’ pinpoint pass through the heart of Leverkusen’s defence before lifting the ball over keeper Lukas Hradecky.
Cody Gakpo doubled the Reds’ lead two minutes later when he dived to head Mohamed Salah’s cross home at the back post. The goal was initially ruled offside but the decision was overturned by VAR.
Diaz netted his second in the 83rd minute when he latched onto a cross from Salah, and then held off a challenge before slotting past Hradecky.
He completed his hat-trick with a tap-in in stoppage time after Darwin Nunez’s shot was blocked in a statement victory for the six-times winners of Europe’s top competition against the Bundesliga champions who lost just once in all competitions last season.
Super Eagles striker Victor Boniface started for Leverkusen and lasted for 81 minutes, while his compatriot Nathan Tella played the final nine minutes.
In Italy, AC Milan’s Malick Thiaw, Alvaro Morata and Tijjani Reijnders netted in a surprise 3-1 win at holders Real Madrid as the continental heavyweights clashed at the Santiago Bernabeu.
Thiaw gave seven-times European champions Milan the lead with a header from a corner in the 12th minute but Vinicius Jr equalised with a penalty 11 minutes later.
Morata put the visitors back in front by scoring from a rebound in the 39th minute and Reijnders fired home a Rafael Leao cross after a counter attack to wrap up Milan’s statement win over the lacklustre title holders.
Super Eagles star Samuel Chukwueze was an unused substitute for Milan on his return to Spain.
Real Madrid are languishing in 17th place in the 36-team Champions League table with six points, one spot ahead of Milan on goal difference after four games.
Off the back of a stunning 4-0 home defeat by Barcelona in the Clasico over a week ago, Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid struggled again and looked far from the commanding side who finished last eason’s campaign with a LaLiga and Champions League double.
The last time Real lost successive games in all competitions was over three years ago when they were beaten 2-1 by Sheriff Tiraspol in the Champions League in late September 2021 and lost by the same result to Espanyol in LaLiga five days later.
In France, Lille kept their composure to hold visitors Juventus to a 1-1 draw on Tuesday as the French side maintained their solid form in the league phase.
Jonathan David’s first-half opener for Lille was cancelled out by Dusan Vlahovic’s penalty after the interval with both sides now on seven points from four games.
Bruno Genesio’s team, who beat Real and Atletico Madrid in their two previous outings, were under pressure throughout but another scintillating performance by keeper Lucas Chevalier helped them secure a point.
In other fixtures on Tuesday night, Monaco snatched a 1-0 win at Monaco as Borussia Dortmund secured a home victory over Sturm Graz with the same margin and Celtic eased past RB Leipzig 3-1 in Scotland.
In the evening clashes, PSV Eindhoven overran Girona 4-0 in the Netherlands as GNK Dinamo stunned their hosts Slovan Bratislava 4-1.
RESULTS
PSV Eindhoven 4-0 Girona
Slovan Bratislava 1-4 GNK Dinamo
Bologna 0-1 Monaco
Borussia Dortmund 1-0 Sturm Graz
Celtic 3-1 Leipzig
Liverpool 4-0 Bayer Leverkusen
LOSC Lille 1-1 Juventus
Real Madrid 1-3 Milan
Sporting CP 4-1 Manchester City
