UEFA Champions League Roundup: Matchday 2

Throughout the season, we at 32 Flags will be giving you a complete recap of the action after each day in the UEFA Champions League.  Not only will we run down the biggest winners and losers, but the highlights and most talked about moments of the day.

1) Biggest Winner – Malmo

Malmo isn’t supposed to do anything in the Champions League group stage. With Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Olympiacos in the group, Malmo wasn’t supposed to get many points. After beating Olympiacos 2-0 today, Malmo sees itself in 3rd place and tied for the group lead after two games. Malmo may not be close to making the knockout stage but they sure aren’t giving up.

2) Standout Performer – Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck can be a special player for Arsenal. He is on pace to become the next Daniel Sturridge. Welbeck is a player who didn’t really have a chance at his former club and was someone who wanted more playing time and a chance. Welbeck gets sold to a great team, who could give him the opportunity and he has thrived so far. Stay tuned for more in the future for him.

3) Biggest Loser – Liverpool

Liverpool sucks right now, there’s just no other way to put it. They look like a team who seems like they’re satisfied with putting in a sub par effort and expect to replicate the success of last year because they’re Liverpool. Yeah, that’s not happening. Everyone else has gotten better and if Liverpool doesn’t want to revert back to their former 7th-8th place selves, they need to pick up the effort. What I have seen out of Liverpool so far this season, is shocking because this isn’t the kind of effort Brendan Rodgers would stand for. Whatever hopes Liverpool have or had before the season started, forget about them and get out of this rut.

4) Best Tweet

5) Biggest Surprise – Ludogorets

Ludogorets, like Malmo, isn’t expected to do anything in Champions League. They are an underdog in every sense of the word. They almost beat Liverpool in Anfield a couple weeks ago and they welcomed Real Madrid by (metaphorically) punching them in the face at the kickoff. Ludogorets scored in the 6th minute to make it 1-0 and saved a Cristiano Ronaldo PK in the 11th to keep it 1-0. Real Madrid got another PK and Ronaldo made up for his first kick to equalize and then took the lead for good in the second half. The great thing with this Ludogorets team is that they don’t care who they play. Ludogorets goes out to attack whoever and whenever and are unafraid because they realize that they have nothing to lose. No one expects them to do anything anyway so go out and risk being embarrassed by going out to shock the world. They arguably have been screwed over from getting points in both games so they have to have all the confidence in the world when they play Basel.

6) Best Moment – Francesco Totti

Francesco Totti is 38 years old and is a striker for Roma. Francesco Totti scores goals like a 28 year old as was the case yesterday in Manchester against Man City. Totti became the oldest goalscorer in Champions League history and it doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon.

7) Best Goal – David Luiz

This goal isn’t the best looking but it’s the most important goal of the week because it may have saved Laurent Blanc’s job (for the time being) and considering PSG paid 50 mil for David Luiz, he better be scoring more of those to help justify that sum.

8) Extra Time  

Matchday 3 will be back in three weeks on Oct. 21 and 22. Some big games include Roma vs. Bayern Munich and Liverpool vs. Real Madrid.

About Phillip Bupp

Producer/editor of the Awful Announcing Podcast and Short and to the Point. News editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. Highlight consultant for Major League Soccer as well as a freelance writer for hire. Opinions are my own but feel free to agree with them. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram @phillipbupp

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