Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deal a blow as PSG beat Barcelona 4-2, but lose him

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, of Paris Saint-Germain, is facing a six-month spell on the sidelines, a major issue for the reigning champions as they manage the Champions League without last season’s key figure. Still, PSG came through on Tuesday with a 4-2 win over Barcelona, even as they absorbed the loss of their top performer.

“Why me?”, Kvaratskhelia posted on Instagram, and the piece notes that PSG’s approach of resting players in Ligue 1 to protect them for Europe didn’t end up shielding him. It also points to the wider club habit of saving legs for big domestic fixtures: Rodri, for instance, was rested by Barcelona before coming on in the 60th minute.

Anfield’s teenage spark

At Anfield, Rio Ngumoha stood out in Liverpool’s 4-3 defeat of Villarreal. The 18-year-old operated from the right and provided two assists with his left foot, making a case as a long-term option after Mohamed Salah. Virgil van Dijk added that “for him to work with Mo [Salah] last year was obviously massive”, as the teenager was handed his fifth start of the season.

City’s empty seats, Napoli’s big win

Manchester City kept rolling with a 5-1 win over AEK Athens, but drew fresh criticism over turnout: the official crowd was 40,402, and many felt the atmosphere looked smaller. In Italy’s spotlight, Napoli beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 thanks to two goals from Scott McTominay, his first since surgery for a benign heart arrhythmia—“I still need to find my best form, but I am not far away”.