This week’s action saw Vincent Kompany’s men roll on, upset results and a brilliant performance from a Liverpool defender
Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich. They rule supreme in Germany and are on a 16-match winning streak. Beating the defending champions, Paris Saint-Germain, on Tuesday was further proof of Bayern’s credentials. Luís Diaz, whose combativeness is sorely missed by Liverpool, scored two, but he took the aggression too far when his challenge on Achraf Hakimi led to a first-half red card. That meant the second-half became a test of defensive credentials that Bayern passed. “I also want us to enjoy it when we have to defend,” said Kompany. He was by no means his club’s first-choice as coach in the summer of 2024 – relegation from the Premier League with Burnley had damaged his reputation. But in Bavaria, the noise from the boardroom has been quelled – for now – by the brilliance of his team’s play.
Pafos make history. A familiar face – and hairstyle – played 90 minutes as David Luiz marshalled the defence for Pafos’s defeat of Villarreal. The 38-year-old, the defensive lion of Chelsea’s 2012 Champions League win, is the oldest outfield player in this season’s competition. When the Cypriot club were formed on 10 June 2014, Luiz was in the process of negotiating a move from Chelsea to PSG. The scoring hero for Pafos this week, coached by Juan Carlos Carcedo, a longtime assistant to Unai Emery, was Derrick Luckassen, Luiz’s defensive partner. Luckassen is the older brother of Brian Brobbey, Sunderland’s No 9. The assist came via Ken Sema, once of Watford, who is part of a Pafos squad from across the football spectrum. “As a first-time manager, it’s my greatest victory,” said Caredo; it was Pafos’ first-ever group stage win, too.
