Uefa Champions League: Lewandowski extends Barcelona's red-hot form as Arsenal suffer 'very difficult' defeat

Mikel Arteta's team lose to Inter Milan after two contentious penalty decisions

Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski continued his goal-scoring form in the Champions League on Wednesday. Reuters

Robert Lewandowski scored a goal in each half as Barcelona secured a comprehensive 5-2 win at Red Star Belgrade in the Uefa Champions League on Wednesday.

It was another statement performance from La Liga leaders Barcelona who are in superb form, scoring 24 goals in six successive wins in all competitions, which included crushing wins over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.

Barca climbed to sixth place in the 36-team Champions League table with nine points. Manager Hansi Flick was understandably pleased with his team's performance.

"The most important thing is the three points, it's not easy to win away from home in this competition, the Champions League is complicated," Flick said.

"I'm very happy, I really value what we're doing. We've been very good on the ball and we've put a lot of pressure on.

"Red Star played very well, they knew how to play with the ball and it's difficult to defend against them. I really appreciate my players being focused for 90 minutes because it's not easy."

Lewandowski netted twice to extend his scoring streak to 15 goals in his last 10 matches with the Catalan club, while an in-form Raphinha also scored, taking his recent Champions League tally to eight goals in his last six appearances.

“We played very well again today,” said Lewandowski. “We had the match under control and got the three points.”

Barca took the lead after 13 minutes with Inigo Martinez heading home superbly from Raphinha's free kick. The Brazilian winger should have scored the second himself but lashed wildly over after a sensational ball from Lamine Yamal sent him racing in on goal.

Red Star surprised by hitting back in the 27th minute when Silas got the better of the offside trap and clipped a finish past the onrushing Inaki Pena.

Barcelona nudged their way in front shortly before the break when Lewandowski reacted quickly to finish the rebound after Raphinha's low drive hit the post.

The 36-year-old Poland striker wasted a fine chance to add another when Raphinha teed him up but was able to bundle home his second from point blank range after 53 minutes when Jules Kounde's cross found him.

Raphinha stroked home the fourth with a low effort from the edge of the box after more good work by Kounde, who then completed a hat-trick of assists by cutting the ball back to substitute Fermin Lopez to slot the team's fifth goal past Marko Ilic.

Arsenal players after their Champions League defeat to Inter Milan. AFP

Arteta unhappy

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan in the Champions League was “very, very difficult to accept” after two penalty decisions went against his team.

The only goal of the game came just before half time after Inter were awarded a penalty when a free kick into the area skimmed off Mehdi Taremi and onto Mikel Merino’s outstretched arm, and Hakan Çalhanoglu converted from the spot.

Merino had a penalty appeal of his own rejected earlier in the match – after being checked by the video assistant referee – when he appeared to be punched in the head by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer as they both went for a cross.

“Well, I don’t understand, it’s just a deflection,” Arteta said on the penalty that was awarded against Merino.

“There is no danger at all, you can not react because the ball is very close. But OK, they decide there is a penalty. But then if that’s a penalty, the one on Mikel Merino, you know, when he punches in the head, it has to be 1,000 per cent a penalty. And these are the margins in this game and very, very difficult to accept.”

The defeat in the San Siro marked Arsenal's second in a row after their 1-0 loss at Newcastle last weekend which cast them seven points adrift of Premier League table-toppers Liverpool.

Arsenal dominated large spells of Wednesday's fixture, but they failed to find a breakthrough against a side which has not conceded in the Champions League so far. It leaves the Gunners, who face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, 12th in the 36-team league.

Atletico stun PSG

Substitute Angel Correa scored a dramatic winner with the last kick of the game as Atletico Madrid snatched a 2-1 victory away to Paris Saint-Germain, casting a large cloud over the French club's European hopes.

It looked as if the game at the Parc des Princes would end in a draw after Warren Zaire-Emery's early opener for PSG was quickly cancelled out by Nahuel Molina in the first ever meeting of the clubs.

PSG have been let down by their finishing in the Champions League all season and that was the case again here as they failed to convert a host of chances, but Atletico did not look like winning it until Correa struck in the 93rd minute.

The Spaniards would have been the happier of the two teams with a draw, especially as goalkeeper Jan Oblak had been forced into several second-half saves.

Having lost back-to-back matches against Benfica and then Lille, the win puts Atletico back on track to at least make the play-off round of this new-look Champions League, with the league phase now at the halfway stage.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa, who started the week atop the 36-team table, saw their winning run ended after a bizarre penalty was awarded when defender Tyrone Mings picked up the ball in the area at Club Brugge, resulting in a 1-0 loss that sent the English club plummeting to eighth place.

Atalanta won 2-0 at Stuttgart to stay unbeaten on eight points and Salzburg got their first goals and points in a 3-1 win at Feyenoord.

Bayern Munich won 1-0 at home to Benfica in a game that was delayed 15 minutes by crowd congestion and then was played in a muted atmosphere because of a medical incident for a fan.

Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker Heorhiy Sudakov had a fine assist and an even better goal in a 2-1 win for the Ukrainian champions against Young Boys.