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Man City and Inter Milan draw 0-0 in goal-shy Champions League. PSG scores late to beat Girona

By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer

GENEVA (AP) — Where did all the targets go?

The 0-0 attracts between Manchester City and Inter Milan in their rematch of the 2023 remaining, after Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk additionally couldn't discover a purpose, capped an untypically goal-shy night for the Champions League on Wednesday.

Just 13 had been scored in six video games someday after 28 had been fired in Tuesday, together with 9 by Bayern Munich alone.

How uncommon was this? Two 0-0 attracts after simply 12 of 144 video games to be performed in the new league part is already midway to the whole of 4 in 96 video games one yr in the past in the group-stage format that's now abolished. The complete competitors averaged three targets per sport final season.

Paris Saint-Germain and Girona additionally had been heading for a clean till a horrible Ninetieth-minute error by the Spanish debutant’s goalkeeper, Paulo Gazzaniga — spilling a cross by Nuno Mendes via his personal legs — gifted a 1-0 win.

“We won’t get to where we want to overnight,” Girona coach Míchel stated. “It requires hard work.”

Borussia Dortmund wanted late targets from substitutes Jamie Gittens, twice, and Serhou Guirassy with a stoppage-time penalty to win 3-0 at Club Brugge.

The new format has welcomed new faces and long-absent pals in European soccer’s marquee competitors.

Sparta Prague rose to the problem of its first sport for 19 years at this stage of the Champions League by beating Salzburg 3-0.

Bologna waited 60 years to return and deserved extra for its attacking ambition in opposition to Champions League veteran Shakhtar. The Ukrainian champion had a penalty saved in the fourth minute by Bologna goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Slovan Bratislava was overmatched in its first sport since 1992-93, the first season of the Champions League rebrand from the outdated European Cup, and with Georgia defender Guram Kashia making his competitors debut at age 37.

They couldn't hold out Celtic, which received 5-1 in Glasgow. Ireland internationals Liam Scales and Adam Idah, Japan forwards Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda, and Arne Engels of Belgium scored for the champion of Scotland.

“The quality of the goals was sensational,” Celtic coach Brendan Rodgers stated after only a fourth win in 33 Champions League video games for the 1967 European Cup winner.

A uncommon Thursday slate of Champions League video games will see Barcelona go to Monaco, Atalanta host Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen go to Feyenoord.

Six video games on every of three straight nights are launching the new format. Now, 36 groups every play eight completely different opponents via January and are ranked in a single league desk to determine which groups advance to the knockout part.

Man City held in uncommon residence shutout

There was nothing to separate the champions of England and Italy, 15 months after Man City beat Inter 1-0 in Istanbul to carry the European Cup trophy for the first time.

Ilkay Gundogan wasted two late possibilities for supervisor Pep Guardiola’s crew, failing to transform two headed possibilities.

It was the first time City had failed to attain at residence in Europe’s elite event since being held 0-0 by Sporting Lisbon in March 2022, and simply the second time at residence in all competitions since then. The different was a 0-0 draw with Arsenal in the Premier League in March.

But the outcome noticed City lengthen its six-year unbeaten residence run in European video games to 32, courting to a 2-1 loss to Lyon.

“I’m pleased with our performance, I liked everything,” Guardiola stated.

Dortmund retains clear sheet, once more, by some means

Dortmund’s protection had a Champions League-best six clear sheets final season on its technique to the remaining, the place Real Madrid discovered two late targets to take the title.

Somehow, goalkeeper Gregor Kobel stored out Brugge regardless of 18 purpose makes an attempt together with a close-range shot by Hugo Vetlesen that rattled the cross bar in the twelfth minute. Vetlesen’s effort ended a manic sequence of 4 pictures in a matter of seconds from a nook together with a diving save by Kobel.

The Switzerland ‘keeper’s 5 saves meant Dortmund didn't pay for its personal wastefulness in entrance of purpose till taking the lead in the 76th from a Gittens shot that deflected off two defenders earlier than looping previous Simon Mignolet into the Brugge web.

Salzburg’s heavy load

Few golf equipment will play extra worldwide video games this season than Salzburg, underneath its new coach Pep Lijnders, the former long-time assistant to Jürgen Klopp at Liverpool.

Salzburg needed to advance via two Champions League qualifying rounds in August — as a result of its 10-year title run in Austria was ended by Sturm Graz — and can play a minimum of three extra video games in June at the Club World Cup in the United States.

Salzburg certified amongst 12 European groups going to the relaunched FIFA membership occasion due to its constant outcomes in the previous 4 Champions League seasons, however was upstaged in Prague.

“A few of our players were playing their first game for the club,” Lijnders stated. “It’s a new team we need to build it.”

Sparta got here via three qualifying rounds, and 6 video games already, to achieve this stage and made a pointy begin Wednesday scoring inside two minutes to set the tone for a simple win.

The Associated Press contributed to this text.