It was pleasure and pain in the Champions League on Tuesday (AEST) for Liverpool and Tottenham who had mixed fortunes in the closing minutes of their second group stage matches.
Liverpool’s Joel Matip scored in the 89th minute against Ajax to break the 1-1 deadlock and secure a much-needed win for the Reds, having lost their opener against Napoli 4-1.
Tottenham looked set to claim an away point at Sporting Lisbon, but conceded twice in extra time to slump to a 2-0 defeat at the death.
Paulinho put Sporting into the lead in the 90th minute before Arthur struck again three minutes later for the final nail in the coffin.
Tottenham won its first game of the group stage 2-0 against Marseille.
MORE TO COME
Watch the world’s best footballers every week with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. LIVE coverage from Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Serie A, Carabao Cup, EFL & SPFL. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
LIVERPOOL 2-1 AJAX
Joel Matip’s 89th minute header kickstarted Liverpool’s season as a 2-1 win over Ajax at Anfield put the Reds back in the running to reach the last 16.
Jurgen Klopp’s men had won just two of their opening seven games of the season, and suffered a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Napoli on matchday one.
Last season’s Champions League finalists were much more like their old selves but still needed a late winner from an unlikely source after Mohammed Kudus had cancelled out Mohamed Salah’s opener.
Victory takes Liverpool level on three points with Ajax and Napoli, who travel to Rangers in the other game in Group A on Wednesday.
The match was preceded with a minute’s silence to mark the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Liverpool fans had booed the national anthem before winning both domestic cup finals last season, but any fears of a mass political protest were dispelled with only small band of individuals interrupting the moment of reflection.
On the field, Liverpool have had enough bad headlines to cope with so far this season.
Klopp described their demolition in southern Italy last week as the worst performance of his nearly seven years in charge.
A record-equalling defeat in the Champions League for Liverpool compounded an already poor start to the Premier League season.
But with Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota restored to the starting line-up after injuries, Liverpool were a far closer reflection of the side that came to within two games of a historic quadruple last season.
Jota’s inclusion came at the expense of Darwin Nunez as Liverpool’s new 80 million euro signing had to settle for a place on the bench for the second consecutive game.
The Portuguese international more than justified his inclusion, though, as he latched onto Luis Diaz’s header and teed up Salah to score his first goal in four games.
But the defensive deficiencies that have dogged Klopp’s men in the early months of the season were exposed for Ajax’s equaliser.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was again guilty of not tracking a runner as Steven Berguis broke down Ajax’s left and Kudus spun onto his cross before crashing in a shot off the underside of the bar.
Liverpool responded positively from that setback, but failed to make their dominance count for over an hour.
Remko Pasveer in the Ajax goal blocked efforts from Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Jota either side of half-time, but was not required to perform miracles.
Nunez was introduced along with Roberto Firmino for the final half hour as Klopp threw caution to the wind with a front four also featuring Salah and Diaz.
That decision nearly backfired as Ajax were inches away from picking off the hosts on the counter-attack to leave their Champions League hopes hanging by a thread.
Daley Blind nearly gave fans of his former club Manchester United something to cheer as his header drifted just wide.
Nunez has endured a far from stellar start to his Liverpool career after being sent off on his home debut for a headbutt on Crystal Palace’s Joachim Andersen.
The Uruguayan blew his big chance to silence the critics when he skewed wide with just Pasveer to beat eight minutes from time.
Moments later, Nunez nearly made amends when his dangerous low cross was deflected just out of the reach of Diaz.
Salah’s deflected shot then hit the woodwork, but just when it appeared Liverpool’s luck was out, they struck from the resulting corner.
Matip rose highest to meet Kostas Tsimikas’ corner and the ball had crossed the line before Dusan Tadic cleared.
BAYERN MUNICH 2-0 BARCELONA
Two second-half goals in three minutes, including a superb chip from Leroy Sane, helped Bayern Munich defeat Barcelona 2-0 on Robert Lewandowski’s return to Bavaria in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Bayern’s France defender Lucas Hernandez headed in a corner to open the scoring, but it was Sane who put the game beyond doubt for the home side.
Former Manchester City forward Sane, who scored one and created another in Bayern’s 2-0 opening Champions League win at Inter Milan, helped turn the match, which was well in Barca’s favour after a furious opening half.
The Germany attacker scored Bayern’s second in the 54th minute, chipping a ball over Catalan keeper Marc Andre ter Stegen, just three minutes after Bayern’s Hernandez headed in a corner from Joshua Kimmich to open the scoring.
Lewandowski, greeted by warm applause from the home fans during the pre-game warm up, had several chances to open the scoring.
Lewandowski latched onto a dipping pass from Pedri in the 19th minute, but shot too high, just tickling the top of the crossbar.
Just one minute later the Poland forward again received the ball just metres from Bayern’s goal, but his header was saved from close range by Manuel Neuer.
Raphinha, starting his first Champions League game after making the move from Leeds in the summer, drilled in a low shot past a stranded Neuer after 27 minutes, but the Brazilian missed the goal by inches.
In the dying stages of the half, Barca had appeals for a penalty waved away by referee Danny Makkelie when Alphonso Davies brought down Ousmane Dembele on the edge of the box, with replays showing the Canadian made clear contact with the Frenchman’s legs.
At half-time, Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann brought on Leon Goretzka for Marcel Sabitzer and the move almost paid immediate dividends, with the former’s rocket from outside the box deflected out by ter Stegen for a corner, which Hernandez would score from.
Bayern travel to Barcelona for the return fixture on October 26th.
ATLETICO 0-2 BAYER LEVERKUSEN
Atletico Madrid slumped to a surprise 2-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen thanks to late goals from Robert Andrich and Moussa Diaby.
The Spanish side were left reeling after Leverkusen struck twice in the last six minutes to claim only their second win of the season and leapfrog Atletico into second in Group B.
Andrich had an early chance to give luckless Leverkusen the lead, smashing the ball over the bar from close range after just seven minutes.
Atletico were unfortunate not to be given a penalty after an apparent handball from defender Edmond Tapsoba midway through the first half.
After a brief discussion with the video assistant referee, English official Michael Oliver decided against a spot-kick, despite the replay showing that the ball had struck Tapsoba’s outstretched arm in the box.
The hosts should have taken the lead shortly after half-time, but hit the woodwork twice within a matter of seconds.
Patrik Schick hit the bar from point blank range in a one-on-one with Atletico keeper Ivo Grbic, before Adam Hlozek headed the rebound onto the post.
Both sides had further chances to take the lead before Andrich and Diaby produced two smash-and-grab goals in the final minutes of the game.
Andrich curled the opener into the bottom corner from the edge of the area on 84 minutes, before Diaby tucked in the second at the end of a brutal counter-attack three minutes later.
Atletico head to Group B leaders Club Brugge in their next Champions League game on October 4, while Leverkusen head to Porto.
Elsewhere on the gameday, Inter beat Viktoria Plzen 2-0, Club Brugge won 4-0 over Porto, and Eintracht Frankfurt downed Marseille 1-0.
