Bayern Munich made it back-to-back statement wins in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, handing Barcelona its fourth-straight loss in the head-to-head series.
Lucas Hernandez and Leroy Sane scored four minutes apart in the second half to help Julian Nagelsmann’s side claim a 2-0 victory at the Allianz Arena. It was Bayern’s second-straight win in the group stage following a 2-0 Matchday 1 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro.
Following a scoreless first half, Hernandez broke the deadlock for Bayern by heading home Joshua Kimmich’s cross. Kimmich’s cross was misjudged by Raphinha, allowing Hernandez the opportunity to give the hosts a 1-0 advantage.
Sane doubled Bayern’s lead in the 54th minute after Jamal Musiala connected with his international teammate on an attack. Musiala’s pass allowed Sane to race towards goal before poking a shot past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen.
Manuel Neuer made four saves for Bayern to help preserve the shutout victory, denying former teammate Robert Lewandowski on two occasions.
Bayern remains top of Group C while Barcelona is in second place.
Here is a closer look at the top results from Champions League action:
Manchester City 2, Borussia Dortmund 1
(John Stones 80′, Erling Haaland 84′) – (Jude Bellingham 56′)
Manchester City struggled to get much going against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday but saved its best moments for last in a 2-1 comeback victory at the Etihad Stadium.
John Stones and Erling Haaland scored four minutes apart late in the second half as Pep Guardiola’s side remained unbeaten in all competitions. Despite allowing Borussia Dortmund to dictate much of the tempo in Manchester, the Citizens used some late magic once again on home soil.
Jude Bellingham propelled Edin Terzic’s side in front in the 56th minute, being in the right place to head home Marco Reus’ attempted shot. Reus’ shot following a Gio Reyna corner kick was headed towards goal, but Bellingham’s redirected header sent Ederson the wrong way.
Stones equalized for the Citizens in the 80th minute, lining up a shot outside of the box and hitting paydirt to make it 1-1. Haaland completed the comeback by stretching in the box to flick home Joao Cancelo’s cross for his 13th goal of the season in all competitions.
Man City remains perfect in Group G while Dortmund is second after suffering its first loss.
Juventus 1, Benfica 2
Arkadiusz Milik 4′) – (Joao Mario 43′ pk”, David Neres 55′)
Juventus’ early-season struggles continued on Wednesday with Massimiliano Allegri’s side suffering a disappointing defeat in Turin.
Joao Mario and David Neres helped Benfica overturn an early deficit to earn a 2-1 road win over the Old Lady. It was a second-straight win in the group stage for Benfica and a 12th-straight overall in all competitions this summer.
Arkadiusz Milik needed only four minutes to give Juventus an early lead, heading home a Leandro Paredes free kick. Milik was left untouched to flick his header into the bottom-left corner.
VAR ruled in favor of a penalty kick opportunity for Benfica as 19-year-old Fabio Miretti fouled Goncalo Ramos in the box just before halftime. Joao Mario stepped up and slotted home the spot kick, giving Benfica a lifeline heading into the second half.
Benfica completed its comeback in the 55th minute as early pressure in the second half led to the go-ahead goal. Rafa Silva’s shot in the box was saved by Mattia Perin, but David Neres was in the right place to slam home the rebound for a 2-1 Benfica lead.
Moise Kean rattled the post later in the second half while Angel Di Maria was also denied an equalizing goal. Juventus is now winless in its last four matches in all competitons while Benfica is second on six points.
Sporting Lisbon 2, Tottenham 0
(Paulinho 90′, Arthur 90+3′)
Tottenham needed late goals on Matchday 1 to pick up a victory over Marseille, but this time it was the London club who were the ones punished by a pair of late finishes.
Sporting Lisbon scored two goals in stoppage time to claim a 2-0 home victory over Tottenham, and stay ahead of the EPL side by three points.
Pedro Goncalves’ corner kick was met by Paulinho in the 90th minute to give the Portuguese hosts a breakthrough goal. Hugo Lloris could do zero about the forward’s header, watching as it landed into the back of the net.
Substitute Arthur added an insurance goal for Sporting Lisbon in the 93rd minute, picking up a pass from Paulinho before beating Lloris for his second goal of the season in all competitions.
Spanish international Antonio Adan was huge for Sporting Lisbon, making five saves to preserve a second-straight UCL clean sheet.
Here are all the remaining UCL results from Matchday 2:
Liverpool 2 – Ajax 1
Bayer Leverkusen 2 – Atlético Madrid 0
FC Porto 0 – Club Brugge 4
Viktoria Plzen 0 – Inter Milan 2
Marseille 0 – Eintracht Frankfurt 1
Rangers 0 – Napoli 3
AC Milan 3 – Dinamo Zagreb 1
Chelsea 1 – Red Bull Salzburg 1
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 – Celtic 1
Real Madrid 2 – RB Leipzig 0
FC Copenhagen 0 – Sevilla 0
Maccabi Haifa 1 – Paris Saint-Germain 3