Wednesday's Champions League roundup: Dortmund destroys Atletico, Barcelona tops Inter Milan

Wednesday’s Champions League slate mostly underwhelmed, but that isn’t to say there weren’t a few highlights to pluck from the eight games that marked the halfway point of the competition’s group stage.

The marquee tilt between traditional powers Barcelona and Inter Milan lost some of its luster when Lionel Messi was ruled out earlier this week because of a broken arm. However, the match itself was entertaining nonetheless, even if the teams managed just one goal through the first 82 minutes of the contest. Luis Suarez’s cross was sick, though:

Jordi Alba put the match away with Barca’s second, and the hosts kept Inter off the score sheet to win 2-0 and stay perfect in Group B.

Mohamed Salah scored twice in Liverpool’s 4-0 home win over Red Star Belgrade, giving the Egyptian forward his first multiple goal game since his otherworldly 2017-18 campaign. Reds fans will be hoping the twin strikes — the second his 50th for the club — signals that Salah is rounding into the form that made him the Premier League’s top player last season. Salah has managed just four goals from nine Prem games so far this year.

In Germany, Borussia Dortmund put a beating on Atletico Madrid, which has been the Champions League runner-up twice in the last five seasons. Axel Witsel opened the hosts’ account in the first half before Raphael Guerreiro came of the bench to add two more in the second. English youngster Jadon Sancho completed the rout when he scored Dortmund’s fourth with seven minutes to play.

Only a stoppage time equalizer by Angel Di Maria saved star-studded Paris Saint-Germain from a loss at Napoli, which settled for a 2-2 tie after squandering two leads in the match. Check out the bend on Di Maria’s desperate left-footed hit at the death:

Despite the result it was still a disappointing performance from PSG, which only got on the board to begin with because of an own goal.

Thierry Henry’s first Champions League match as Monaco’s manager didn’t go as planned; Henry and Co. were held 1-1 in Belgium by Club Brugge. Meantime, in Istanbul, Galatasaray and Schalke couldn’t manage one measly goal in their scoreless draw.

Porto picked up the lone away win of the day, beating 10-man Lokomotiv in Moscow 3-1. Each of the visitors goals came before defender Solomon Kvirkvelia was sent off in the second half, however, with both of Porto’s Mexican national teamers, Jesus Corona and captain Hector Herrera, finding the net.

And another red card in the Netherlands helped prevent Tottenham Hotspur from taking all three points against PSV Eindhoven in one of the day’s two early matches. (Brugge-Monaco was the other.) With Spurs leading 2-1 in the 79th minute, World Cup-winning goalkeeper Hugo Lloris was sent to the showers:

PSV’s Luuk de Jong pulled the home team level just eight minutes later.

Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.

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