Alejandro Balde chose to stay at Barcelona this summer and fight for his place, but the opening weeks of the season have made that decision look increasingly difficult.The left-back had opportunities ...
Forward’s spurned opportunity to level the match proved decisive in the Champions League newcomers’ loss to Manchester UnitedFootball – like much of life – can be a story of what might have been, and on 39 minutes Joy-Lance Mickels had an experience that was a sliding doors moment for the centre-forward and Sabah that may haunt a long time.Azerbaijan’s champions were trailing to Matheus Cunha’s opener when Kaheem Parris spiralled the ball up to the far post of Manchester United’s goal. The lurking Mickels had a gilded chance, unmarked and close-in, yet when the delivery dropped, the 32-year-old snatched at his header and the ball fell wide. Continue reading...
Nico Paz's two assists in Como's historic Champions League debut win made him the youngest Argentine to do so since Lionel Messi in 2008. Nico Paz delivered a performance that immediately drew comparisons to Lionel Messi as Como kicked off their first-ever Champions League campaign in style, routing RB Leipzig 4-1 at the newly renovated Stadio Sinigaglia. According to OptaJoe, Paz’s two assists made him the youngest Argentine to set up multiple goals in a single Champions League match since Messi did the same for Barcelona against Basel in October 2008, when Messi was 21 years and 120 days old. Paz, at 22 years and two days old, becomes the first Argentine to repeat that feat since Messi accomplished it 18 years ago, though Messi still holds the record as the youngest player ever to do it. Messi’s last Champions League assist came on November 2, 2022, setting up Kylian Mbappe’s opener in a 2-1 win over Juventus that closed out PSG’s group-stage campaign. 2 – 🇦🇷 Nico Paz (22y 2d) is the youngest Argentinean player to assist 2+ goals in a UEFA Champions League game since Lionel Messi in October 2008 (21y 120d v Basel).Tens. pic.twitter.com/BY8rc2MUEW— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 10, 2026 The Argentine finished that tournament with 4 goals and 4 assists in seven appearances, and the round-of-16 elimination to Bayern Munich that followed turned out to be his final Champions League run before his move to Inter Miami closed the book on his European career, a stretch of history Paz now finds his name attached to nearly two decades later. Como’s debut win goes down in the Italian football history books Como’s 4-1 rout of RB Leipzig stands as more than just three points to open their maiden Champions League campaign, it’s the widest winning margin ever recorded by an Italian club in a European competition debut. Martin Baturina got things started before setting up Tasos Douvikas, and Assane Diao and substitute Maxi Perrone rounded out the scoring in the second half, with Andrija Maksimovic’s strike serving as Leipzig’s only reply. At the end of the match, Nico Paz revealed that his desire to make history with Como was behind his decision to stay in Italy, despite rumors linking him to Real Madrid. “It was for nights like this that I wanted to stay, I knew this is where I would grow the most, and I am really pleased with my decision. I made the right choice,” the Argentine said.
Tap a headline to view metadata and excerpt fields in Sportra, then use the article website button to continue on the original publisher page.
