And just like that, as September reaches only its midway point, we are one-third of the way through the Champions League group stage. The 2022-23 European soccer season is a particularly relentless ride, thanks to the World Cup, and big teams that have started slowly in league play now have holes to dig out of in the Champions League too.
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Let's talk about the most noteworthy shifts and stories from the first two matchdays of Europe's biggest club competition.
Inflection points
In terms of winning the big prize, not much has changed through two weeks.