5 interesting stats from Matchday 4 | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
After four matchdays of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, six teams have sealed their qualification for the knockout stage of the competition with two games to spare. Three of them - Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona - have done so by winning all their four games.
In a year ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, this season's Champions League started only in October, a month later than usual, as teams played their first three group-stage games in as many weeks.
Unsurprisingly, there have been surprises galore in the latest edition of European club football's blue riband competition. Debutants Istanbul Basaksehir stunned English giants Manchester United at home; Atalanta dealt Jurgen Klopp his heaviest home defeat during his stint at Liverpool; a much-changed Shakhtar Donetsk won at the home of 13-time champions Real Madrid, to name a few.
Nevertheless, last season's sensation Erling Braut Haaland has taken off from where he left, scoring on all four matchdays this season, while last season's top-scorer Robert Lewandowski has also been among the goals in 2020-21.
Five interesting stats from Matchday 4 of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
With the Round of 16 of the 2020-21 Champions League beckoning, most of the top clubs in the continent have either sealed their passage to the next round of the competition or are very close to doing so, with former champions Inter Milan being a notable exception in this regard.
On that note, let us have a look at five interesting stats, in no particular order, from the fourth matchday of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo scores a record-equalling 70th home goal in the Champions League
After failing to score in his first Champions League game of the season at Ferencvaros on Matchday 3, Cristiano Ronaldo scored against the same team on home turf to etch his name into the record books.
Myrto Uzuni gave the Hungarian visitors a shock lead in Turin, but that was as good as it got for Ferencvaros on the night. Ronaldo soon scored his 131st Champions League goal, first of the season, to level proceedings before Alvaro Morata grabbed a late winner that ensured Juventus' qualification to the Round of 16.
The goal was of particular significance for Ronaldo, as it marked a record-equalling 70th Champions League goal at home for the competition's all-time top-scorer.
#2 Arturo Vidal becomes the third player to be sent off for three different teams in the Champions League
Chilean superstar Arturo Vidal's stint at Inter Milan since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer has gone from bad to worse.
After failing to score or provide an assist in 11 games in all competitions for his new club (8 in Serie A, 3 in the Champions League), Vidal accrued his fourth and fifth yellow cards of the season to receive his marching orders against Real Madrid, as beleaguered Inter Milan, who were already behind in the game, were reduced to ten men.
That made the Chilean player only the third in Champions League history to receive a red card in the competition for three different clubs — Vidal had earlier been sent off in the Champions League while playing for Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Unsurprisingly, Inter failed to recover from that setback as Real Madrid registered their first win at the San Siro to push the Nerazzurri to the brink of elimination in this season's Champions League.
If section toppers Borussia Monchengladbach or Real Madrid can garner a point from their two remaining games, Inter will be eliminated.