Real Madrid fought back from two goals down as Vinicius Jr grabbed a hat-trick in a thrilling 5-2 win over visitors Borussia Dortmund in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday.

In a rematch of last-season’s final, Dortmund lit up the game with a two-goal blitz around the half-hour mark from Donyell Malen and Jamie Gittens to silence the Bernabeu crowd.

However, the champions were livelier after the break and broke Dortmund’s resistance with Antonio Ruediger’s header on the hour before Vinicius equalised with a close-range strike.

Lucas Vazquez put Real ahead in the 83rd with an unstoppable strike after a counter-attack and Vinicius, with two pieces of individual Brazilian brilliance, wrapped up the win to leave his side level with Dortmund on six points from three games.

Still figuring out the ideal lineup and formation for a Real midfield missing the creative talent of Toni Kroos, who retired at the end of last season, Ancelotti reverted to his usual 4-3-3 after trying out a system with three center-backs in an unconvincing 2-1 win over Celta Vigo in LaLiga at the weekend.

However, after a promising first half hour in which Real looked solid at the back and in control of the match, Dortmund took advantage of a lack of concentration by the home defense to score twice in the space of four minutes.

Real looked as stunned as the home fans, anxiously missing several chances, and were often exposed by counter-attacks, with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois making brilliant saves to deny efforts from Gittens and Julian Brandt before the break.

Elsewhere, Arsenal needed an own goal to seal a scrappy 1-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk as they made it two wins out of three in the Champions League to soften the blow of their first domestic league defeat of the season at the weekend.

The hosts missed a penalty in the second half and squandered a number of decent chances, but the reality was they never found top gear and had to withstand some late pressure.

Arsenal, who were beaten 2-0 by Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday, made a fast start with Brazilians Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus both having good opportunities before a fortunate opener in the 29th minute.

A low shot from Martinelli rebounded off the post and off the back of Shakhtar keeper Dmytro Riznyk for what turned out to be the only goal of the game.

Arsenal would have doubled their advantage before halftime were it not for Shakhtar captain Mykola Matviyenko who hooked the ball off the line to prevent a diving Kai Havertz nodding in.

Leandro Trossard also missed a second-half penalty awarded by video assistant referee (VAR) following a handball in the box.

Shakhtar, who are yet to win in the Champions League this season, put more pressure on Arsenal after the interval and went close to equalising when substitute Pedrinho had a long-range effort superbly saved by Arsenal keeper David Raya in stoppage time.

Victory lifts Arsenal provisionally into the top four of the new 36-team league phase before Wednesday’s fixtures with their next match away at Inter Milan. Shakhtar will seek to bounce back in their next match at home to Swiss side Young Boys.

Arsenal will be relieved to have sealed the win but without key playmakers Bukayo Saka and captain Martin Odegaard who were missing through injury, were well off their fluent best.

Arteta, whose side have also suffered from three domestic league red cards this season, substituted defender Ben White at halftime after he had picked up a yellow card.

The two teams are set to face off once again this year, with their match scheduled to take place at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. Both teams have been in excellent form and will enter the game with considerable momentum.

The Catalans belted five goals past Sevilla at the weekend while Bayern put four goals past Stuttgart in their league game. The Germans got 24 hours of added rest before the clash while Hansi Flick’s men boast of the home advantage.

Barça Universal brings you three talking points ahead of Barcelona vs Bayern Munich.

The first big European test
Barcelona’s season so far has been as close to flawless as it can be. Two defeats indeed do not look good on the result sheet, but their performances apart from those two understandable slip-ups have been spectacular.

Under Hansi Flick, the Catalans have looked comfortable in defence, red-hot in attack and stable through the midfield with a high press defining their performances to date.

Now comfortable settled in and with the momentum on their side, they step into their first game against a European giant tomorrow night and it will be interesting to see how they fare against an elite opposition.

Bayern Munich are not without their flaws but hold a massive psychological edge over the Blaugrana, especially in recent years.

The Bavarians have won all of their last six games against Barcelona with the Catalans’ last win over the Germans coming back in their MSN era. Further, Bayern have scored 22 goals against Barcelona in the last six meetings compared to the hosts’ four.

A win would thus set the team’s wings free and serve as a serious testament to their form this season. They are well capable of dismantling Vincent Kompany’s men this season but it will all boil down to the psychological aspect.

The high defensive line

Barcelona deploy a very high defensive line under Hansi Flick with the centre-backs playing close to the halfway line and the full-backs advanced as false wingers.

While the gamble has paid serious dividends in improving the team’s presence in the final third, it has not come without giving opposition chances to counter-attack and teams with pace have often found paradise on the break.

Inigo Martinez and Pau Cubarsi have indeed been sensational so far, playing the perfect offside trap and not allowing the opposition’s chances to play long balls. Against Bayern Munich, however, it will be a whole new ballgame.

The Germans have one of Europe’s finest attacking trios. Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry and Michael Olise have been in great form with the wingers capable of lashing out vicious counter-attacks when given half a chance.

Jamal Musiala, meanwhile, is a big threat between the lines, creating chaos right outside opposition boxes.

The spotlight, thus, will be on the entire defensive unit tomorrow for keeping the attack at bay will be crucial.

Who will play as the mediapunta?

Hansi Flick’s lineup for tomorrow’s clash is almost written in stone as he has quickly identified his best XI in the current squad.

Inaki Pena will likely continue in goal and could end up as a weak link on the field. While Wojciech Szczesny would be a great option, it is unlikely that the manager will hand him a debut in such a high-pressure clash.

Real Madrid’s recent loss to Lille was a tough setback for the team. The match revealed a clear lack of creativity in Real Madrid’s gameplay, and the absence of star player Kylian Mbappe from the start made matters worse.

This defeat highlighted some issues that extended beyond just the team’s performance on the field. Meanwhile, an interesting aspect of the match that has caught attention involves the actions of the ball boys at Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

As captured by the cameras Movistar Plus+, these young helpers appeared to play a significant role in the outcome of the game.

During the closing moments, they seemed to be intentionally delaying the game, which was frustrating for Real Madrid players, particularly Dani Carvajal.

The ball boys’ tactics to waste time inadvertently made them a sort of extra player for the French side, helping Lille maintain their slender 1-0 advantage.

Carvajal was annoyed
As the game progressed a particularly tense moment occurred when Carvajal pushed the ball boy, who was reluctant to return the ball quickly.

This incident exemplified the mounting pressure felt by Real Madrid as they sought to equalize. Commentary during the broadcast reflected on Carvajal’s struggle, noting his visible frustration with the ball boys for not efficiently doing their job.

Their delays slowed down the pace of play and disrupted Real Madrid’s attempts to gain momentum and create scoring opportunities.

“Carjaval had a tough time with the ball boys in the final minutes of the match,” the commentator said.

Time-wasting tactics, especially in the closing minutes of a match, are a common strategy employed by teams looking to protect a lead.

However, such tactics can leave the opposing team feeling aggrieved and frustrated. For Real Madrid, this match was not just about the scoreline; it was a reminder of the small but significant factors that can influence a game.