Pulse Sports’ talking points from Champions League Matchday three fixtures played on Wednesday, October 24. The excitement continued in the Champions League on Wednesday, October 24 with the concluding Matchday three fixtures. These are five things we learnt from that game1. PSG defence not food enough Paris Saint-Germain are now in a hard-pressed position in Group C following a disappointing 2-2 home draw against Napoli. They were indeed lucky to snatch a draw with a last minute goal but they should feel hard done by their defence. Napoli two goals of the night were from defensive errors and for all the money the club has spent, their defence is still not good enough. The Champions League is now the holy grail for Paris Saint-Germain but with the defensive showing of Wednesday night, they have a long way to go. 2. Suarez shines in Messi’s absence Barcelona welcomed Inter Milan and without Lionel Messi, the game was supposed to be a bother for the Catalans. But Barcelona completely dominated Inter and with Luis Suarez in prime form, it turned out to be a cakewalk for Ernesto Valverde’s men. It was Suarez who stepped up to make sure Messi was not a sore miss. His precise pass led to Barcelona’s opening goal and he was a nuisance all through for Inter.3. Dortmund’s big statement Borussia Dortmund have not been breathtaking in Champions League since their sensational journey to the final in 2013. But after a run of some decent results this season, they stunned Atletico Madrid 4-0 on Wednesday to make a huge statement. It’s been a good season so far for German side who are currently top of the Bundesliga table and their big win over Atletico Madrid is a huge statement that they can be the dark horses in Europe again. 4. Inter still way off the top They would have fancied their chances at the Nou Camp against Barcelona who were without injured Messi, but Inter Milan were played off the park by the Catalans to show they are still some distance away from European elites. Getting back into the Champions League showed good progress from Luciano Spalletti’s men but to make an impact in Europe’s top competition, they need more time and some decent transfer windows. 5. Huge problems persist for Atletico Madrid Atletico Madrid were one of the biggest winners of the summer transfer window after holding on to their star man and World Cup winner Antoine Griezmann. With Griezmann along with Diego Costa and one of the meanest defence in Europe lead by the impressive Jan Oblak, Atletico Madrid were tagged one of the favourites for the Champions League. But this season hasn’t gone according to the script for Diego Simeone’s men. A 4-0 thrashing in the hands of a very young Borussia Dortmund side shows that huge problems persists for the Spanish giants.
