It seemed a tough night for the English teams considering the strength of Napoli and Barcelona, and eventually, it ended in disappointment for both Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, who are momentary out of the first two spots that guarantee the pass through the second round.
Especially painful it is for the Londoners, that after losing the first match against Inter Milan, they knew that another defeat would complicate excessively their chances to reach the next step. And yet, the lack of intensity in the first half cost them an early goal scored by Coutinho.
Certainly, Pochettino's men improved considerably after the break, but the scoreline marked already 0-2 in favour of the visitors, and despite the efforts from Kane and Lamela to earn at least a draw, Messi had another plan.
Thus, the Argentinian scored twice, the same number of times that he hit the post and was a constant menace for Tottenham. Perhaps, it was the best performance of the Barcelona star in 2018, a man who has just won once the Champions League in the last seven editions and looks indeed defiant to break this curse.
Insigne blows Liverpool at the end
Without any single shot on target, Klopp's team would have been satisfied with a draw at San Paolo, where clearly the hosts deserved much than just a point.
Finally, they got a reward when their local hero, Lorenzo Insigne, scored in the last minutes to give Napoli a victory and the momentary lead of the group.
On the other hand, Liverpool have lost twice in the last three matches. Meanwhile, the other result was a late draw at Stamford Bridge during the last weekend. Apparently, the sparkling team who destroyed PSG just a couple of weeks ago and have been astonishing at the Premier League is suffering a downturn in an otherwise brilliant starting of the season.
Still, the next game will be played at Anfield Road, and the rivals are Manchester City, and therefore, it is an opportunity for Liverpool to show their ability to turn around the situation. In doing so, the formidable trident of forwards needs to find the path towards the goal again.
Southgate and the UEFA Nations League
The English manager has named the squad to face Croatia and Spain in a tournament that has started this year.
Then, Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount and Nathaniel Chalobah have been called to represent the Three Lions in these official matches.
After losing against Spain at Wembley during the last month, England needs to win both matches in order to keep alive their chances to reach the final four that will be played the next summer. Undeniably, the two victories obtained by Spain make them the main favourites to qualify for that instance.
Precisely, Luis Enrique's team will face Wales in a friendly, with Gareth Bale integrating the list though he has not been playing for Real Madrid due to an injury. Apart from that, it will be interesting to see if England can get their revenge against Croatia after the defeat at the World Cup semifinals.