A night to remember

Milan, October 24

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Lautaro Martinez and Antonio Candreva scored in either half to boost Inter Milan’s Champions League last-16 hopes on Wednesday with a 2-0 win over Group F rivals Borussia Dortmund.

Argentina forward Martinez continued his fine scoring form after 22 minutes in the San Siro, but missed a chance for a second from the penalty spot eight minutes from time. Candreva sealed the three points a minute from time to move Antonio Conte’s side off the bottom of Group F having fallen 2-1 to Barcelona and being held 1-1 by Slavia Prague.

Inter join Dortmund on four points with Barcelona top with seven points from three games. “We knew we had our backs to the wall after picking up just one point before tonight,” said Conte.

Messi makes history

Prague: Lionel Messi claimed another goal-scoring record as Barcelona edged a spirited Slavia Prague 2-1 on Wednesday to stay top of Champions League Group F.

Messi opened the scoring after three minutes, beating Slavia goalkeeper Ondrej Kolar with a low left-footed shot to become the first player ever to score at least once in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons. Barca earned a second on 57 minutes when Slavia winger Peter Olayinka deflected a Luis Suarez close-range shot from an impossible angle into his own net as the hosts failed to clear Messi’s free-kick.

Olayinka sealed Barca’s sixth straight competitive win but deprived Suarez of a goal that would end his four-year drought in away games in European cup competitions. Barcelona top Group F with seven points from three games and are three ahead of Inter Milan who beat Borussia Dortmund 2-0. Slavia sit at the bottom with a single point. 

Mertens above Maradona 

Salzburg (Austria):  Lorenzo Insigne gave Napoli a thrilling 3-2 win away to Salzburg on Wednesday after Dries Mertens twice gave the Serie A side the lead only for Norwegian teenager Erling Haaland to equalise for the Austrian champions each time.

Mertens’s brace took his tally for Napoli to 116 goals and he overtook Diego Maradona as the club’s second highest scorer behind Marek Hamsik who has the all-time Napoli goals record of 121. Insigne’s goal ended a 71-match unbeaten home run in all competitions for Salzburg, stretching back to their 1-0 league defeat by Admira Wacker in November 2016.

Batshuayi rises for Blues 

Amsterdam: Chelsea showed that their young side were ready for the European stage on Wednesday after Michy Batshuayi’s late winner fired them to a 1-0 win at Ajax that puts them square in the fight for the knockout stages.

Substitute Batshuayi struck in the 86th minute to seal a hugely impressive win in Amsterdam that puts Chelsea level on six points with last year’s semifinalists at the top of Group H. 

Liverpool put 4 past Genk 

Genk (Belgium): Jurgen Klopp admitted his delight for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as the midfielder made the most of a rare start by scoring twice in Liverpool’s 4-1 win over Genk in Belgium on Wednesday.

The England international opened the scoring in the second minute at the Luminus Arena. He then scored the visitors’ second, a sumptuous finish also from outside the box, just before the hour. 

Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah added further goals for the holders before  Stephen Odey pulled one back for Genk. — Agencies

15 Lionel Messi is the first player ever to score at least once in 15 consecutive Champions League seasons

116 TH goal for Napoli’s Dries Mertens took him past Diego Maradona’s tally of 115 goals for the Italian club. He is five behind Marek Hamsik who has the all-time record of 121