UCL: Inter condemn Barcelona to second defeat, Bayern pound Plzeň 5-0

Inter defeated Barcelona 1-0 in Italy while Bayern walloped Viktoria Plzeň to go atop Group C.

Victor Olorunfemi • October 5, 2022

A first-half goal by Hakan Çalhanoğlu was all that was needed for Inter Milan to hand Barcelona their second consecutive defeat in the ongoing UEFA Champions League campaign.

Following the 2-0 defeat at the hands of familiar foes Bayern Munich in their last match in Group C, Barcelona were hoping they could turn things around, but that was not the case on Tuesday night.

Inter had their penalty appeal overruled after a handball by Gracia in the 18-yard box because of an offside in the build-up to the player.

However, in the second minute of added time in the first half, Çalhanoğlu fired the ball into the back of Barcelona’s net from 25 yards to give Inter the lead going into the second half. The goal would later become the match-winning goal.

Pedri thought he had scored an equalizer for the Catalans, only for the referee to consult the pitch-side monitor and chalk off the goal because the ball touched Ansu Fati’s hand in the build-up to the goal.

With 71 per cent of possession in the encounter, Barcelona could not find the back of the net as Inter clinched an important 1-0 win at the San Siro to put them second in Group C with six points.

The defeat sent Barcelona to third in Group C and the Europa League spot with only one win from their three group matches in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich thrashed Czech Republic side Viktoria Plzeň 5-0 in the other Group C fixture at the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition.

Leroy Sané opened the scoring for Bayern in the seventh minute of the encounter before Serge Gnabry doubled the lead six minutes later. Sadio Mane netted his first Champions League goal for Bavarians to hand Bayern a competitive 3-0 win in the first half.

In the second half, Cameroonian international Choupo-Moting scored Bayern’s fourth goal in the match before Sane put his second of the night into the back of the net to wrap up the victory for the German giants.

Bayern Munich remain Group C leader with a 100 per cent record and a nine-goal difference from three matches.

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