the exploits of Lille and Brest, PSG as a bad student… What to remember from the 2nd day

For French football, the celebrations came from the less hospitable posters, while Paris, like other big names, fell.

Two memorable victories, acquired in the two most difficult posters. French clubs defied predictions during the second day of the league phase of this new formula Champions League. Lille beat Real Madrid (1-0). Brest piled up the goals on the road to Salzburg (4-0). Conversely, PSG missed its first big test of the season against Arsenal (0-1) and Monaco gave everything to snatch a draw on the soaked lawn of Zagreb (2-2).

Major feat for Lille

All the elements seemed to indicate that Losc did not have much to hope for on Wednesday evening. Opposite, presented the title holder, record holder for coronations in C1 (15), undefeated for nine months and reinforced with the arrival of Kylian Mbappé in the summer. The Mastiffs presented themselves facing this mountain without even being able to count on Angel Gomes, who was suspended. It was with a young 17-year-old midfielder, Ayyoub Bouaddi, that Bruno Genesio decided to look the Merengues straight in the eye… And the magic happened.

Dominant, Lille made the difference on a penalty converted by Jonathan David just before half-time (45th+2), but it would be unfair to call it a hold-up. They were hardly put in danger for almost 85 minutes. In any case, goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier was ready to endure the assaults of Madrid’s offensive armada.

Brest, the thunderbolt

Two matches, two victories, including a 4-0 on the pitch of RB Salzburg, to begin the first Champions League campaign in its history. Even an irreducible Breton would not have announced it. Eric Roy’s team signed one of the most notable successes in French football in the Champions League on Tuesday, with a hold-up which ended up turning into a lesson. By failing to find the solution, Erling Haaland’s former team lost the thread on the hour mark, while Brest was already leading 1-0. In ten minutes, Mahdi Camara made the break (66th), Abdallah Sima scored his second goal (71st) and the incoming Mathias Pereira-Lage killed the match (76th).

Excluding PSG, the Breton club is the first French club to win a C1 match by at least four goals since Lyon in December 2011 (7-1 in Zagreb). It is also the second French team to win the first two Champions League matches in its history after Strasbourg in 1979. For a few minutes, the SB29 even held the lead in this classification phase. Despite everything, Eric Roy insisted on showing temperance in front of the camera. “You shouldn’t make a mistake about your status either. The club knows very well that there is still little chance that we will be in this competition again next season”warned the coach, three weeks after a tough trip to Bayer Leverkusen.

A PSG far from the mark

The Parisian club used to carry the UEFA Ligue 1 index on its shoulders. This week, he was the only one to lose in the Champions League. On the Arsenal pitch (0-2), he will have missed a lot of things. The Gunners pressed where it hurts: on set pieces. Kai Havertz first beat Gianluigi Donnarumma, still not at ease outside of his goal (20th). Then, a free kick from Bukayo Saka passed in front of everyone before finishing in the net (35th).

Behind, the Gunners closed the door. The Parisians beat around the bush without ever managing to even reduce the gap. If this defeat allows us to target the projects to begin, it risks being costly at the end of this tough classification phase for PSG, which still has to face Atlético de Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City. Tensions are also starting to be felt around coach Luis Enrique, who refused to answer a question from a Canal+ journalist. “I have no intention of explaining my tactics, because you would not understand them,” he justified himself, very dryly.

Bayern surprised, Atlético sinks

If the logic was largely respected on Tuesday evening, Barça, Inter and Manchester City wandering around, the other favorites in the Top 8, directly qualifying for the round of 16, were not all smiling at the end of the evening on Wednesday. In the lead, Antoine Griezmann’s Atlético de Madrid which disintegrated against Benfica (0-4). But the biggest surprise remains Bayern Munich’s defeat against Aston Villa (1-0). The German cador was undefeated in his last 41 C1 group stage matches.

Only seven teams have 100% victories: Borussia Dortmund (leader thanks to a goal difference of +10 in just two games), Brest, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Juventus.