CRITICS of the Uefa Champions League will tell you it is a misnomer and should be re-titled. They base their argument on the comparative lack of domestic champions in the group stage and increased number of guaranteed places allocated teams from elite leagues under the altered system. However it must be acknowledged that this stance, while ideologically pure to some, is a minority view.

European football’s premier club competition is box office and the new staggered kick-off times only added to the excitement on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The football gods could hardly have come up with a more compelling script than the one that accompanied the early kick-off in Milan. Inter back, in the Champions League for the first time in six years, left it late before ripping the heart out of Spurs.

That Mauro Icardi, a player oft misunderstood by observers outwith Italy and his native Argentina, should help hammer the nail into Tottenham was typical of the man. I have seen him dismissed variously as lumbering, self-centred, inadequate and unorthodox. But Icardi has worked hard at improving his overall game and even though he disappears from matches at times, you cannot doubt his leadership qualities. His volley to level matters on 85 minutes was simply stunning.

When Matias Vecino headed home the winner in added time, it felt like a bygone era at the Giuseppe Meazza, a reminder of great times past for the Nerazzurri.

It is tempting to view the result purely through the prism of points squandered by Tottenham. That of course forms part of a narrative in line with a few worrying trends emerging for Mauricio Pochettino’s team. But had the shoe been on the other foot, we would be praising Spurs’ resolve and determination. So let us not make the mistake of depriving Inter of the credit they most assuredly deserve.

If the appetiser was gripping, how about the main course? I did say last week that Liverpool v PSG could scarcely fail to be a brilliant spectacle given the sheer number of top-level attackers deployed by Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel.

Liverpool fans once again showed other English clubs what it is to provide a raucous atmosphere on a gargantuan European night. The players, hosts and guests alike, seemed to feed off that from the start. A feast of goals and swashbuckling play ensued.

Once again, mention must be made of Glaswegian Andrew Robertson. As good as I thought he could be as a footballer, he has exceeded my expectations when commentating on his early games for Queen’s Park and Dundee United. The Scotland captain has taken his football to another level, elevating himself from an able and promising member of the cast to one of the genuine stars in a team brimming with talent. That Robertson delivered for Roberto Firmino to settle the issue came as no surprise.

Tears are rarely shed as early as Matchday 1 but Cristiano Ronaldo does things his way and in keeping with his own views on the world generally. Did Ronaldo in his first Champions League match for Juventus grab Valencia’s Jeison Murillo by the hair? Video replays show he did. German referee Dr Felix Brych, without the help of VAR remember, had to make a quick judgment call. I think it is hard to take issue with it on balance.

Manchester City might not have been crying after a wretched start in the form of a 2-1 defeat at home against Lyon, but the pressure is certainly on. With a suspended Pep Guardiola looking displaced as he watched from an executive box, City looked rudderless.

Lyon wisely decided that the only productive approach against the Premier League champions was to press high up the pitch and force errors. The French team found Fernandinho, a midfield player who doesn’t have many bad games, benevolent for once.

City now face a crunch game in southwestern Germany against group stage new boys Hoffenheim, who drew 2-2 in an entertaining match in Ukraine against Shakhtar Donetsk.

Bayern meanwhile, won with ease away in Portugal against Benfica. What stood out especially was the performance of Renato Sanches against his old club. Bayern paid

€35 million for his services in 2016 but last season it resembled a bad investment, as the youngster was sent on loan to Swansea.

The best player on show in Lisbon, Sanches played a part in the creation of the second goal, which he ultimately knocked in. We may well look back on that September night as the one that saw a gifted player’s luck change.

FRIDAY is decision day at Uefa headquarters in Switzerland. Euro 2024 might seem a long way off but tournament preparation requires considerable lead time.

This is a straight fight for hosting rights between Germany and Turkey, ironic given the Mesut-Ozil-meets-Erdogan story which broke just a few weeks before the World Cup and then the messy aftermath.

The German FA are currently in a state of disarray as a result of the country’s shabby showing at the World Cup and the Ozil controversy that has dominated the sports news.

So could Turkey take advantage? It is entirely possible. There will be many national associations keen to usher in the spirit of change, to give the tournament to a country that has never served in that capacity before.

Turkey, whose campaign motto is “Share together”, are pitching the fact that their stadia are slightly newer than those in Germany. Plus this will be their fourth bid in total.

But Uefa decision-makers usually do what is best for themselves and there is a clear case for Germany, for all their internal issues, to be given the nod. Being at the very heart of Europe with some of the best facilities of any country, will count for a lot.

The 2006 World Cup on German soil was one of the best organised in the history and that will not be forgotten either.

Turkey will attract votes but likely not nearly enough to get over the line.