Borussia Dortmund – Milan 0-0, the Rossoneri waste a lot and don't take advantage of the opportunities
Half the glass for the Rossoneri, capable of facing the Westfalenstadion with courage and personality, but not of winning the match. This is why, in our opinion, the empty side prevails over the other, especially since the script is very similar to that of two weeks ago, when Milan failed to go beyond a 0-0 draw against Newcastle. Even then there was a lot of regret, but this time it is even greater: the many opportunities had, above all those of Giroud, Pulisic, Theo Hernandez and Chukwueze, really cry out for revenge and transform the draw in Dortmund into a half defeat. What creates further discontent is the ranking, not so much for the points themselves, but for Newcastle's victory over PSG (4-1), which makes the group even more balanced. The consequence is that now the Devil will play almost everything in the double confrontation with the French, with the risk that Tonali and his teammates will take off and block first place, leaving only one for three contenders. And to think that a little more cynicism would have been enough to comment on a victory, with a consequent reversal of the rankings, without transforming the next two matches into a sort of (very) early direct elimination.
Pioli regrets: "We lacked precision and effectiveness, against PSG it will be decisive"
“The opportunities in the second half were important and not being able to score, once again, is a shame – confirmed Pioli -. In Europe the pace increases and we must know how to stay at that level there, even if we have done so in terms of performance. The intention was to go and catch them high right away, we managed to recover a lot of balls, but then we managed them badly, allowing them to put us under in the first half. We live with great concentration knowing that we cannot miss a shot, our group is the one with the highest quality. The double comparison with PSG will be fundamental".
Celtic – Lazio 1-2: Scots take the lead straight away, then Vecino and Pedro score the turnaround
Opposite emotions, as we said in the introduction, in Glasgow, where Lazio first comes close to the brink, then gets back up and even ends up taking the 3 points. The final 2-1 is worth a lot, a lot, both for the morale of a group struggling with a difficult moment, and for the weight it may have on qualification for the round of 4, which is once again within reach. Now the Biancocelesti are leading at 25 points with Atletico Madrid, with a one-point advantage over Dutch Feyenoord, their next opponents in the double match between 7 October (in Rotterdam) and XNUMX November (at the Olimpico): a success would keep them at a distance while waiting for the return match against Celtic, anything more would be worth the ticket to the round of XNUMX with two rounds to spare. Much of the credit goes to Pedror, very good at heading the ball to make it 2-1 in full injury time, at the end of a crazy and fun match, in which many things happened from the first minutes. It was the Scots who broke the deadlock with Furuhashi, quick to beat Provedel after a nice assist from O'Riley (12'), sending Lazio to the edge of the precipice. But then he thought about it as usual Vecino, a true regular in hot matches, found the equaliser, before the final blow scored by the Spaniard in the 95th minute, the same minute as Provedel's goal against Atletico Madrid.
Sarri rejoices: “I hope this victory gives us confidence and courage”
“We had a great first half, at the beginning of the second there was the possibility of taking the lead, then we had a period of suffering, but we were good at staying in the game and when this happens, often, you are rewarded – Sarri's happy comment -. Did I get the answers I was looking for? We are close, we are close to being competitive. Unfortunately that little is the difference between winning and losing, but it is little and therefore it can be made up for. I hope that May this victory give us a boost of confidence and courage and that we can have a more positive period."
