After the Champions League matches played last night, the tournament's group stage battles have reached the halfway point. Having played three matches each, we present the most interesting observations halfway through the group stage battles. 3 matches, 9 points – a place in the next stage? At the halfway point of the Champions League group stage, five teams have not lost any points – "Manchester United", "Paris Saint-Germain", "Barcelona", "Manchester City", and "Besiktas". While the first four were considered favorites of their groups from the start, the Turks were expected to be underdogs in Group G. However, after beating all three opponents, the "Besiktas" players not only have not lost any points and went against all predictions, but also gained a solid advantage over the other teams in the group. Although technically all these teams can still fail to make it to the knockout rounds, history is in their favor: no team that started the Champions League group stage with three wins has failed to qualify for the knockout rounds, and in the past five years, only one such team did not finish first in the group. In the 2012-2013 season, "Porto" started with three wins but was overtaken by PSG and finished second. The Invincible English If in previous seasons, English Premier League clubs often faced serious problems in the Champions League group stages, this year the teams from the country are showing that they are determined to demonstrate excellent results at this stage. All five English teams lead their respective groups after three rounds ("Tottenham Hotspur" shares first place with "Real"), and after 15 matches, the Premier League clubs have not suffered any defeats – they have won 11 times and drawn 4 times. Moreover, English clubs are demonstrating exemplary attack play, having already scored 44 goals in their teams' first matches – an average of almost three goals per game. Most Disappointing Teams Three teams that reached the Champions League quarterfinals last season have still not won any matches in the first three rounds – "Monaco", "Atletico", and "Borussia". Of these, "Borussia" is in the most difficult situation, as even after very tough draws, their fans could not expect that after three rounds, the team they support would need not only to avoid mistakes but also to achieve favorable results in the remaining matches. If "Real" and "Tottenham Hotspur" draw in their second match and both beat "APOEL", the German club's doors to the next stage will be closed, regardless of how "Borussia" performs in the last three matches. With two points on their account, "Atletico" and one point for "Monaco" are three points behind second place, so they are still in the hands of fate. However, for both teams that reached the Champions League semifinals last season, there is no room for errors if they want to keep everything under control. Rewritten country history It took three matches for the Azerbaijani team "Qarabag" to inscribe their name in the country's football history in the Champions League group stage. After a draw with "Atletico" 0:0, they became the first team from their country to earn a point in the group stage of the Champions League. For a team that was put into a difficult group, failures were predictably expected before the start of the group stage, so now the team can be happy to have dispelled all the skeptics' predictions, and in the remaining three matches, they will try to surprise the European football world once again. Unfavorable history The "Atletico" players, having not won a single match, have not achieved a victory for only the second time in club history after the first round of the Champions League. Until now, this team finished without wins only in the first round of the 2009-2010 season, and then they failed to secure their place in the knockout rounds despite not winning any matches. However, it is worth noting that the Madrid team that finished third in the group that season shone in the Europa League tournament, where they competed for the winners' title. Once in a situation similar to now was the team of "Borussia": in the 2011-2012 season, after three rounds, they also had only one point. They failed to correct the situation then – with four points, they finished the group stage in the last position and ended their European season earlier than desired. Top Scorers After three rounds, the top scorers in the Champions League are Harry Kane and Cristiano Ronaldo. Both players scored five goals each in the first round, and if they manage to maintain this pace, they will achieve the same result as the most prolific player of last season's group stage, Lionel Messi (10 goals). By the way, at the top of the list of top scorers in the Champions League, one can see representatives of various nationalities like never before. Among the 13 players who scored three goals or more in the first three rounds, there are representatives from 12 different countries. The only country that boasts having two representatives in the top scorer list is Brazil, from which two players who scored three goals (R. Firmino and Neymar) come. The Best Season for "Besiktas" One of the biggest surprises of this season's Champions League is the three consecutive wins of "Besiktas" at the start of the group stage. Such a successful start for the Turkish club not only surprised the football world but also allowed the team to achieve the best result in the club's history in the Champions League. Participating for the seventh time in the Champions League group stage, the team had previously considered the 2003-2004 and 2016-2017 seasons as their best, finishing the group stage with seven points and in the third position in the group. Moreover, counting from last season, "Besiktas" has suffered only one defeat in the last 9 matches of the group stage. The Turkish club and its fans hope that they will be able to continue this streak in the next round, turning the successful start of the season into the first visit to the Champions League knockout rounds. Dominance of "Paris Saint-Germain" After winning three convincing victories in the first round of the Champions League group stage, the "Paris Saint-Germain" team not only has not lost any points but can also boast leading the league both in goals scored and defense. PSG remains the only team that has not conceded a goal in the group stage so far, and their 12 scored goals are a remarkable feat unmatched by any other team in the league. Hopeless Performance of "Anderlecht" The Belgian champion team "Anderlecht" can hardly find many positive aspects after the first round of the Champions League group stage. The team suffered three consecutive defeats, has not scored a single goal yet, and is one of only two teams against whose goal ten opponent goals have already been scored in the first round. Returning to the Champions League group stage after a two-year break, the team hoped for much better results, but even a change of coaches did not help – in all three matches of the first round of the group stage, the team was led by different coaches. Group stage table:
