Champions League Playoff Chaos
Galatasaray stunned Juventus 5-2 at home while Bodo/Glimt upset Inter 3-1 in Champions League playoff first legs. Newcastle crushed Qarabag 6-1, PSG edged Monaco 3-2, and Real Madrid won 1-0 at Benfica. Club Brugge and Atletico Madrid drew 3-3 in a wild encounter.
- The return legs for these Champions League playoff ties are scheduled for February 24 and 25, where the aggregate score will determine who advances to the Round of 16. - Newcastle's dominant 6-1 victory in Azerbaijan was fueled by a remarkable four-goal performance from Anthony Gordon, all of which came in the first half. - The Real Madrid-Benfica match was contentious; Vinicius Jr. scored the only goal and was later the target of an alleged racist incident which led to an 11-minute stoppage in play. Benfica's manager, Jose Mourinho, was also sent off in the 85th minute. - PSG's comeback against Monaco was sparked by 20-year-old substitute Desire Doue, who came on for an injured Ousmane Dembele in the 27th minute and proceeded to score two goals and assist another. Monaco had taken a 2-0 lead within the first 18 minutes thanks to a brace from Folarin Balogun. - Club Brugge fought back from a 2-0 halftime deficit against Atletico Madrid, with Christos Tzolis scoring a 90th-minute equalizer to secure the 3-3 draw. - Bodo/Glimt's victory over Inter is another significant upset for the Norwegian side, who previously defeated Manchester City and Atlético Madrid at their home stadium, which is located north of the Arctic Circle. - Galatasaray mounted a stunning second-half comeback against Juventus, scoring four goals after being down 2-1 at halftime. Juventus's collapse was compounded when substitute Juan Cabal received a red card just 22 minutes after coming on.
