The 2023/24 UEFA Champions League campaign is barely underway and has only played just a handful of game weeks so far. However, despite that, there has already been a bucket load of surprising results. The current term is following in the footsteps of last season, where both Milan clubs made it all the way to the semifinals of the tournament against all odds.
Ever since the tournament was revamped two decades ago to remove the second group stage, shock results have been part and parcel of dining at European football’s most elite dinner table. However, those results are usually reserved for the knockout stages. We are currently still in the group stage, but there is already plenty to talk about.
Manchester United 2-3 Galatasaray
Manchester United are in disarray under Erik Ten Hag at present. They are in free fall domestically and the Champions League had been seen as a way to garner some respite from their Premier League woes. As such, to steal off of the most popular football cliches, many expected Galatasaray to park the bus for their trip to face the Red Devils at Old Trafford on game week two. In the end, however, they did anything but. Goals from former Red Devil Wilfried Zaha, the talented young Kerim Aktürkoğlu, and former Inter Milan captain Mauro Icardi were enough to secure an impressive 3-2 victory.
Newcastle United 4-1 Paris Saint-Germain
Eddie Howe’s Newcastle hasn’t featured in the Champions League for two decades. A third-place finish in the Premier League last season secured their return to the upper echelons of continental football however, fans may have winced when they were drawn into the group of death alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund, and AC Milan.
An opening day draw at the San Siro was a positive result, but no one could have predicted what was about to come. On game week two, the French champions headed to St. James’ Park and they were favoured to get the victory. However, Kylian Mbappé — one of the most expensive Champions League transfers of all time — and Co. were stunned when they found themselves two goals down in 39 minutes courtesy of Miguel Almiron and Dan Burn.
Whatever PSG manager Luis Enrique said to his players at the halftime interval went straight out of the window when Sean Longstaff added a third five minutes after the restart. French defender Lucas Hernandez pulled a goal back six minutes later, but the visitors were unable to drag themselves back into the contest. Swiss defender Fabian Schar would put an exclamation point on the victory with a thumping fourth in injury time.
