AC Milan and Newcastle opened the “death group” of the Champions League with a 0-0 draw.
Rafael Leão’s failed diversion will live on as a social media joke. PDO
Rafael Leão is a gifted scorer.
In last season’s capocannoniere race (Serie A’s best goal scorer), the Portuguese finished fourth and was naturally AC Milan’s best power cannon.
Against that background, it is somewhat incomprehensible how badly Leão fumbled in the opening round of the Champions League when he should have put the ball in Newcastle’s net.
A good half hour was behind us at San Siro, when the Rossoneri winger danced wonderfully through the Harakat tackles and got to an excellent goal position. He had already done the hardest part. Up front was either a pass to a teammate in an open spot or a finish.
Leão tried something in between. However, the end result was pathetic: the Portuguese’s heel kick did not hit the ball at all, and he tripped over his own wit.
The story continues after social media updates
The saddest thing about the situation was that Leão’s place was Milan’s best chance to score the winning goal. During the 90 minutes, it was a clearly more active team on the field.
Returning to the Champions League after a 20-year absence, Newcastle struggled to adapt to the pace of the Champions League and will surely be the happier side for the 0-0 draw.
The other two teams of Group F of death, PSG and Borussia Dortmund, will play each other in the battle starting at 22:00.
In the opening game of Group G, played in the early evening, RB Leipzig claimed a valuable 3-1 away win over Bern on the home field of the local Young Boys. Xaver Schlager scored the winning hit from outside the penalty area in the 73rd minute before Benjamin Sesko finished the final numbers with the additional time given by the judge.