Their were contrasting fortunes for the two Premier League teams in UEFA Champions League action on Wednesday.
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Arsenal hammered Turkish giants Galatasaray 4-1 at the Emirates as Danny Welbeck bagged his first-ever hat trick, while in Switzerland Liverpool lost 1-0 to Basel as they’re now without a win in four games.
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Elsewhere Real Madrid squeaked by Bulgarian minnows Ludogorets and their were also wins for Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and Malmo.
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Below are details on all eight matchups, while you can find all you UCL news courtesy of ProSoccerTalk right here.
Group A
Atletico Madrid 1-0 Juventus
Last years runners up got their 2014-15 UCL campaign up and running by beating Italian champions Juventus at the Vicente Calderon. Arda Turan got the game-winning goal 15 minutes from time in a feisty game as Diego Simeone’s men are back in business.
Malmo 2-0 Olympiakos
Swedish side Malmo are holding their own in the UCL as former West Brom striker Markus Rosenberg bagged a brace to give them a 2-0 win at home vs. Olympiakos. All four teams are on three points in Group A.
Group B
FC Basel 1-0 Liverpool – Recap
Marco Streller was the game winner for the Swiss side as Liverpool were poor in Basel. Mario Balotelli’s long-range free kick caused Basel trouble but it was another night to forget for Brendan Rodgers’ men who now face back-to-back matches vs. Real Madrid.
Ludogorets 1-2 Real Madrid
A shock was on the cards as Ludogorets took the lead against the reigning European Champions through Marcelinho but Cristiano Ronaldo first missed a penalty kick and then scored one to make it 1-1 at half time, then substitute Karim Benzema jumped off the bench to bag a controversial winner late on. Real favorites to win Group B, but they made hard work of this one.
Group C
Bayer Leverkusen 3-1 Benfica
Kiessling gave Leverkusen the lead after tapping home a lose ball from close range, then Son Heung-min scored before half time as Benfica suffered a second-straight defeat. Salvio pulled one back for Benfica just after the break but Calhanoglu scored a penalty to make it 3-1 and send the points to Germany. Leverkusen now have three points and are in second.
Zenit 0-0 Monaco - Recap
Zenit and Monaco lead the way with four points in Group C after their 0-0 draw earlier on Wednesday. Carrasco came closest to scoring but his shot across goal clipped the post. Poor game but both teams are still unbeaten.
Group D
Arsenal 4-1 Galatasaray – Recap
Danny Welbeck scored a hat trick for Arsenal as they hammered Galatasaray. Early on at the Emirates Welbeck dinked the ball through Fernando Muslera‘s legs after a great pass from Alexis Sanchez. Welbeck grabbed a second before the break, then Sanchez got in on the act to give the Gunners a commanding lead. Shortly after half time Welbeck bagged his hat trick, the first of his career and just the sixth Englishman to do so in the UCL, with a delicate finish. Burak Yilmaz scored a penalty for the Turkish side as Wojciech Szczesny was sent off for bringing him down but Arsenal cruised to their first Champions League win of the season.
Anderlecht 0-3 Borussia Dortmund
Ciro Immobile made it two goals in two UCL games for Dortmund as the Italian forward put BVB ahead in Belgium, then Adrian Ramos jumped off the bench to add two more and put some gloss on the scoreline. Two wins from two for Dortmund who sit atop Group D with six points.