Champions League

Pre-match press conferences are usually occasions for managers to give injury updates and talk about how their opponent is going to be tough, no matter who it is. This is a tried-and-true formula, and it mostly works as long as the journalists stick to said injury updates and platitudes about the other team. Let's be honest: no one ever learns anything at pre-match press conferences and it's amazing coaches don't answer every question with "I don't know, we haven't played the game yet."

Think of a meteor that unexpectedly appears in sight. It moves at remarkable speed through the atmosphere, in flames, dazzling the beholder. Harry Kane is  such a force of nature. Not only that, he is also a romantic.

After his stunning brace against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night, everybody is talking about (and wishing they could sign) Harry Kane.

But what are the keys to the young striker’s success?

There’s no fighting the feeling that the Champions League group stage has become more and more of a nonevent over the past few years. Over the course of this week’s action, we watched Chelsea hammer Qarabag 6-0, PSG pummel Celtic 5-0 and Manchester City put four unanswered past Feyenoord. Even the marquee matchup between Barcelona and Juventus had the feeling of an International Champions Cup match being played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando. 

Spartak Moscow fans are going to make the 2018 World Cup in Russia so much fun. Supporters of Narodnaya komanda (The People’s Team) traveled to Slovenia for the club’s Champions League match against NK Maribor on Wednesday and set the town on fire. Literally.

Spartak fans skirmished with police wearing riot gear before the match. 

Nobody expected a hit like that, not even the keeper but being out of position doesn't work in your favor. The beauty of the Champions League has begun.  

Cenk Tosun gol atmadı, şiir yazdı pic.twitter.com/XjTWL0XO0i

— Buko (@Homosapiens_17) September 13, 2017

In a Champions League group with Real Madrid and Tottenham, every point matters for Borussia Dortmund. Spurs torched BVB 3-1 on Wednesday in the UCL opener, Dortmund came away with an arguably more important victory: a gif win. 

Everyone knows the Champions League song, but not many folks know that it has lyrics and verses. 

These are the lyrics, which I am not making up:

They are the best teams

They are the best teams

The main event

There’s an immediate hot take available here that I just can’t commit myself to: the departure of Neymar from Barcelona has had an uplifting effect on 33-year-old midfielder Andres Iniesta, and El Ilusionista is about to enjoy the consummate season because of a mixture of peak footballing intelligence and a proverbial unchaining on the left-hand side of Barca’s midfield.

Have you ever wanted to watch the Champions League but you didn’t have a cable subscription? Have you ever wanted to listen to two friends who wouldn’t shut up about a match for the full 90 minutes? Facebook has just the thing for you.

The UEFA Champions League debuted on Facebook with a free livestream of the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Celtic match with former U.S. international Stuart Holden and former Dutch international Mario Melchiot providing what was either match commentary or two guys at a bar who didn’t realize they were mic’d up. 

You must know by now the fun stat that is floating around on the Internet regarding Marcus Rashford's prowess in debuts. The 19-year-old Manchester United forward is a debut goal machine.

Marcus Rashford debuts...

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