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After four matchdays of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League, six teams have sealed their qualification for the knockout stage of the competition with two games to spare. Three of them - Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona - have done so by winning all their four games.
In a year ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic, this season's Champions League started only in October, a month later than usual, as teams played their first three group-stage games in as many weeks.
Unsurprisingly, there have been surprises galore in the latest edition of European club football's blue riband competition. Debutants Istanbul Basaksehir stunned English giants Manchester United at home; Atalanta dealt Jurgen Klopp his heaviest home defeat during his stint at Liverpool; a much-changed Shakhtar Donetsk won at the home of 13-time champions Real Madrid, to name a few.
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Nevertheless, last season's sensation Erling Braut Haaland has taken off from where he left, scoring on all four matchdays this season, while last season's top-scorer Robert Lewandowski has also been among the goals in 2020-21.
Five interesting stats from Matchday 4 of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League
With the Round of 16 of the 2020-21 Champions League beckoning, most of the top clubs in the continent have either sealed their passage to the next round of the competition or are very close to doing so, with former champions Inter Milan being a notable exception in this regard.
On that note, let us have a look at five interesting stats, in no particular order, from the fourth matchday of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo scores a record-equalling 70th home goal in the Champions League
After failing to score in his first Champions League game of the season at Ferencvaros on Matchday 3, Cristiano Ronaldo scored against the same team on home turf to etch his name into the record books.
Myrto Uzuni gave the Hungarian visitors a shock lead in Turin, but that was as good as it got for Ferencvaros on the night. Ronaldo soon scored his 131st Champions League goal, first of the season, to level proceedings before Alvaro Morata grabbed a late winner that ensured Juventus' qualification to the Round of 16.
The goal was of particular significance for Ronaldo, as it marked a record-equalling 70th Champions League goal at home for the competition's all-time top-scorer.
#2 Arturo Vidal becomes the third player to be sent off for three different teams in the Champions League
Chilean superstar Arturo Vidal's stint at Inter Milan since his arrival from Barcelona in the summer has gone from bad to worse.
After failing to score or provide an assist in 11 games in all competitions for his new club (8 in Serie A, 3 in the Champions League), Vidal accrued his fourth and fifth yellow cards of the season to receive his marching orders against Real Madrid, as beleaguered Inter Milan, who were already behind in the game, were reduced to ten men.
That made the Chilean player only the third in Champions League history to receive a red card in the competition for three different clubs — Vidal had earlier been sent off in the Champions League while playing for Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
Unsurprisingly, Inter failed to recover from that setback as Real Madrid registered their first win at the San Siro to push the Nerazzurri to the brink of elimination in this season's Champions League.
If section toppers Borussia Monchengladbach or Real Madrid can garner a point from their two remaining games, Inter will be eliminated.
#3 Liverpool suffer their worst home defeat under Jurgen Klopp in any competition
Defending Premier League champions Liverpool started their campaign in the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League with three consecutive wins, scoring eight unanswered goals during this period.
Following their convincing 5-0 win at Atalanta on Matchday 3, Liverpool were odds on favorites to seal their progress to the next round of the competition when the Italian club visited Anfield on Matchday 4.
However, that was not to be as last season's competition debutants scored twice in the second half without reply to hand Jurgen Klopp his worst home defeat as Liverpool manager while throwing group D wide open.
Liverpool still lead their group by two points and are expected to go through to the next round of the competition. However, the result came as a huge disappointment in what has been an up-and-down injury-riddled season for the club.
#2 Marseille lose a record 13th consecutive Champions League game
Marseille, who are the first-ever winners of the competition in the Champions League era, have spectacularly fallen off the pace in recent times.
In their first appearance in the Champions League in seven years, last season's Ligue 1 runner-ups have lost all four games in the competition this season following their 0-2 loss to Porto on Matchday 4.
In 2013-14, the Ligue 1 club lost all six group-stage games in their last appearance in the Champions League. Two seasons before that, Marseille lost both legs of their 2011-12 quarter-final against Bayern Munich after enduring a 1-2 away defeat in the second leg of their Round of 16 game against Inter Milan.
Marseille's latest defeat against Porto was their 13th on the trot in the Champions League, the worst losing run of any club to have graced the competition.
#1 Bayern Munich extend their win-streak in the competition to 15 consecutive games
Defending champions Bayern Munich's juggernaut continue to roll on in the 2020-21 Champions League.
Despite being reduced to ten men after the dismissal of Marc Roca, the Bavarian giants were too strong for visiting Salzburg on the night, as they cruised to a 3-1 win to seal their passage to the Round of 16 in this edition of the competition.
Last season, Bayern Munich became the only club to win all their games (11/11) in a Champions League en route to winning their second continental treble.
They have seemingly carried on from where they left off last season, cruising to victories against Atletico Madrid, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Salzburg (away) before beating the Austrian club on Matchday 4. It is the longest win-streak by any club in the Champions League.
On a night when Robert Lewandowski (71) moved to third all-time in the Champions League all-time goalscorers list, Bayern Munich put their beast mode on as they overcame a numerical disadvantage to seal top spot in their group and qualification for the next round with two games to spare.
Bayern Munich will need some stopping in the Champions League this season!
