CRISIS MODE: ANALYTICAL BREAKDOWN OF NAPOLI'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DEFEAT TO BENFICA
Napoli appeared fatigued and uninspired in their 2-0 loss to Benfica, highlighting the crucial absence of Stanislav Lobotka and Billy Gilmour in midfield.
Napoli's Champions League hopes took a hit as they fell 2-0 to Benfica, managed by Jose Mourinho. They appeared tired and lacked energy.
Missing key players like Stanislav Lobotka and Billy Gilmour, Napoli fielded the same lineup that defeated Juventus in Serie A on Sunday. Benfica, after losing their first four games, had previously beaten Ajax. They were without Dodi Lukebakio and Henrique Araujo, but surprisingly, star striker Vangelis Pavlidis started on the bench.
Early on, Benfica's Leandro Barreiro appealed for a penalty, but VAR confirmed the referee's decision that Eljif Elmas made a clean tackle on the ball first.
Benfica then had a good chance as Fredrik Aursnes broke the offside trap and passed to Franjo Ivanovic, but Vanja Milinkovic-Savic made an excellent save. Aursnes' attempt on the rebound went just wide.
Napoli was lucky when Milinkovic-Savic's poor pass went straight to Aursnes, who then missed the target.
Soon after, Benfica took the lead when Ivanovic headed down a cross, and Richard Rios scored.
Giovanni Di Lorenzo headed a ball across the goal, and later, Scott McTominay and Matias Olivera collided while trying to head the ball.
An attempt by Nicolas Otamendi was blocked, and his rebound shot went over the bar. In response, Antonio Conte made two substitutions at halftime, switching to a 4-4-2 formation.
After Alessandro Buongiorno's easy header for the goalkeeper, Benfica scored again after a good play on the right side. Rios crossed the ball, and Barreiro scored from close range.
Napoli's confidence seemed to vanish, and they struggled to create chances in Lisbon.
David Neres forced a save from Anatoliy Trubin, and McTominay couldn't connect with a cross from Matteo Politano.
Milinkovic-Savic kept the score down with saves from substitute Pavlidis late in the game.
Napoli has now lost their last five Champions League away matches.
CORNERED: HOW ALEX GRIMALDO ENDED NEWCASTLE'S AWAY-DAY UCL HOPES AT BAYARENA
Lewis Miley's historic goal looked set to secure a huge UCL win, but Alex Grimaldo's late strike exposed Newcastle's severe issue with conceding goals late in games.
Alex Grimaldo scored late, stopping Newcastle from completing a Champions League comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen, ending the game in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.
Newcastle thought they had pulled off an amazing turnaround when Lewis Miley wrote his name in the history books, becoming the club's youngest-ever Champions League scorer at 19 with a second-half goal. Anthony Gordon, who had earlier scored Newcastle's tying goal, set up Miley perfectly. The goal raised hopes that Newcastle's struggles away from home were over, but Leverkusen didn't agree.
After losing to Marseille after leading, Gordon lamented Newcastle's tendency to concede goals late in games.
"It's happened way too often," Gordon told TNT Sports after the match. I really don't know why they are scoring late goals. Maybe it's because we're tired with so many games coming up. I think it comes down to mentality.
Newcastle's struggles with late goals continue. They've lost the most points (11) from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Only three teams have lost more points from winning positions in the Champions League than Newcastle this season (5). Of Premier League clubs, only Burnley (8) have let in more goals in the final five minutes of games than Newcastle (7).
After beating Manchester City in their last game, the Bundesliga team had their sights set on another English team when Robert Andrich's header, deflected into his own net by Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, gave them the lead in the 13th minute.
Leverkusen almost got a second goal when Malick Thiaw fouled Patrick Schick just outside the box. VAR checked if the foul deserved a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring chance, but the original yellow card decision stood.
Newcastle got lucky at one end, and then, in the second half, they couldn't believe their fortune when Mark Flekken's hesitation led to him bringing down Nick Woltemade in the box. Gordon took the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way to score his fifth Champions League goal of the season.
Newcastle then had their best period, with Gordon hitting the post while seeking a second goal. Miley, who came off the bench, then scored what Newcastle needed to improve their chance of finishing in the top eight. But Grimaldo ruined the party, firing past Aaron Ramsdale to tie the score in the 88th minute.
Howe's team has two more Champions League games in January to try and move into the top eight, starting with Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven at St. James' Park on Jan 21. They will then finish their league games with a tough trip to current champions PSG on Jan 28.
ANALYTICAL: TWO BODO/GLIMT COMEBACKS EXPOSE BORUSSIA DORTMUND'S DEFENSIVE FLAWS
Borussia Dortmund missed a vital chance for UCL knockout stage qualification after an unheralded Bodo/Glimt side came back twice to secure a frustrating 2-2 draw.
Borussia Dortmund's chances of immediately getting to the Champions League knockouts took a hit when Bodo/Glimt came back twice to tie the game.
This tie puts Dortmund at 11 points, a point away from the top eight. The Norwegian team is in 32nd place, still searching for their first win after six games.
Julian Brandt's goal, assisted by Fabio Silva, seemed like it would lead to an easy win for Niko Kovac's team, especially after their big win against Villarreal at home.
But Haitam Aleesami, the experienced defender, scored with a header from a great corner kick, tying the game for the visitors.
In the second half, Jens Petter Hauge, who used to play for AC Milan, scored from close range, tying the game again after Brandt had put Dortmund back in the lead.
Dortmund controlled most of the game, taking 22 shots compared to Bodo/Glimt's seven. Still, Kjetil Knutsen's team earned the praise of their traveling fans when the game ended.
Before the game started, Dortmund icons Dede and Marco Reus were honored on the field. Reus, now with LA Galaxy in MLS, was named a club ambassador. He played over 400 games for Dortmund and was the team's captain for five seasons.
Dortmund's next game is against Tottenham on Tuesday, January 20. Bodo/Glimt will play Manchester City on the same night.