Arsenal 3 – 0 Real Madrid

Ok. Who the hell was this Arsenal team? You cannot convince me it’s the same squad that played in that execrable match against Everton on Sunday. Sure, only six started both games, but five new faces at the opening kickoff doesn’t explain the 180 degree change I just witnessed.

I’m gonna come out and say it: Declan Rice was astounding. He whipped an unreal free kick around the wall for Arsenal’s first goal. And then he DID IT AGAIN twelve minutes later!. Arguably, his second effort was even better than the first, power and placement in a perfect marriage with the upper right corner. Declan’s stats: 5 shots; 3 on frame; 2 goals. A good day at the office.

But this wasn’t a one-person victory. Mikel Merino has three shots, one of which went in. Myles Lewis-Skelly, at 18 years old, had a field day carving through the Real Madrid midfield from his left-back position. David Raya had four saves to keep the sheet pearly white.

I didn’t think Arsenal had a team that could be this dominant. Arsenal had 12 shots total; 11 on frame. Say what you want about Courtois on the first Rice goal (Thierry Henry is adamant he needed to put five on the wall), but he saved five other shots, some of them world-class stops. 

Real Madrid were really and truly beaten today in the Emirates. Kylian Mbappé was reduced to making rueful faces for the cameras. Jude Bellingham was lucky to escape getting a yellow for a cynical challenge on Ødegaard. Eduardo Camavinga got a boneheaded second yellow in the waning seconds of the match.

Bring on the Bernabéu. That has all the hallmarks of a classic.

Bayern Munich 1 – 2 Internazionale

With the fortress of Stadio Giuseppe Meazza awaiting them in the next fixture, Bayern Munich was essentially facing a must-win scenario over Inter. History was on their side. Munich hadn’t lost a Champions League match at home in 22 games. That streak is now over.

From the starting whistle, both teams traded shots and scoring opportunities. Then Harry Kane uncharacteristically hit a sitter off the post in the 26th minute. You could almost feel the Allianz crowd sink a few inches. A few minutes later, Lautaro Martínez took a Marcus Thuram dink pass and powered it into the top netting with the outside of his right foot.

Inter then did their usual defensive retraction, settling back to defend their lead. Yielding the momentum to Bayern wasn’t the best strategy however. Thomas Müller, days after announcing that he was leaving at the end of the season, stepped onto the pitch to rapturous applause in the 74th minute. Eleven minutes later, he directed home a Konrad Laimer cross from the far post to bring the teams level.

But Inter had one more trick up their sleeve. Carlos Augusto found open space on the left side and drove into the box. Bayern defenders frantically backtracked, but failed to properly mark Davide Frattesi who hammered Augusto’s cross into the goal.