Story highlights
PSG and Real Madrid finishes goalless
Manchester United held in Moscow
Atletico cruises past Astana
Manchester City leaves it late to defeat Sevilla
They’re two of the wealthiest football clubs in the world and spend more on wages than all their rivals – but neither Paris Saint-Germain nor Real Madrid could buy a goal Wednesday.
The two teams finished goalless in their Champions League tie in the French capital after a game which never really caught fire.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Real’s main man, screwed his best chance wide of the far post while PSG failed to take advantage of Real’s injury crisis.
Real was without the injured Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and James Rodriguez who were all out injured.
But despite their absence, much was still expected from the two sports teams which pay the biggest wages in the world.
It is the first time Real has failed to score in a Champions League group game for seven years.
PSG, which is owned by Qatar Investment Authority, spends more on wages than anyone else, according to a study by Global Sports Salaries Survey (GSSS).
According to the survey, the average wage for a player at PSG is around $9 million a year while at Real Madrid it’s approximately $8.6 million.
That means that the French club is paying out a around an incredible $227 million a year on wages compared to Real’s $216 million.
But for all the money being spent, nobody could cash in their chances with both teams failing to produce anything of note.
The draw means both teams remain on course for a place in the knockout phase with four points separating the pair from third place Malmo.
That’s because the Swedish side defeated Shakhtar Donetsk 1-0 in Sweden.
Elsewhere, Manchester United was held to a 1-1 draw by CSKA Moscow with Anthony Martial’s equalizer canceling out Seydou Doumbia’s first half effort.
CSKA goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has now gone 34 consecutive Champions League games without keeping a clean sheet – a run which stretches back to 2006.
The draw leaves United in second place in Group B, two points behind leaders Wolfsburg which defeated PSV Eindhoven 2-0.
In Group C, Atletico Madrid trounced Astana of Kazakhstan 4-0, while Galatasaray came from behind to see off leader Benfica 2-1 in Istanbul.
Kevin de Bruyne, the $85 million man, scored a late winner as Manchester City overcame Sevilla 2-1 to move into second place in Group D.
The Spanish side, which won last season’s Europa League, took the lead through Yevhen Konoplyanka before an own-goal leveled the contest.
De Bruyne’s strike leaves City with two wins from three games.
“Even though we did not have our best game we tried to look for the victory and in the end we could score,” De Bruyne told BT Sport.
“We have a team to attack and we will try to get the three points in Sevilla too.”