10 Things We Learned From Champions League Matchday 2

By: chris | October 2nd, 2008

4 seeds are the new 3 seeds; or, Transylvanians, Cypriots & Belarusians are legit.

BATE were very fortunate to be eying a blonde Austrian rather than a turban-sporting Italian in net, but they were never predicted to sneak a deserved point. Cluj proved their Roma win was no fluke, even if they used a vastly different methodology back in Transylvania. And Anorthosis wasted Panathinaikos after a draw with Germany’s version of Circue du Soleil, Werder Bremen.

Don’t mess with the minnows.

Karma is a bitch.

Shakhtar’s Brazilian striker Brandao spent more time whining and putting out the imaginary flames on his shirt via the stop, drop & roll during the game than doing actual football things. There was some extended “professional time wasting” around the 84th/85th minute or so. 87th minute, karma forces Shakhtar keeper Andriy Pyatov into an epic blunder and Barca equalized. After that, well, even Ukrainians know not to bleed into the water when Lionel Messi has yet to have his fill.

Ukrainian football is the new Russian football.

After the hype of Zenit’s UEFA Cup win and the national team’s supreme showing in Swissaustria, Russia was on the way up. Everyone wanted their players, some actually got them, and their deep, ruble-stuffed wallets were enough to match even the biggest of Premiership boards. Then their ex-half-brother by marriage stepped in and wanted to one up them. So Dynamo Kyiv annihilated Spartak Moscow in qualifying 8-2 on aggregate, won two points against Arsenal at home and at a hostile Fenerbahce to exorcize last year’s demons; Shakhtar then beat Basil in Switzerland and wholly dominated Barca at home before karma & karma’s boss, The Messiah, intervened.

Russian football is on the way up, surely, but start paying attention a little further south, too. It may not be ‘99 all over again, but they haven’t shown up merely for the party favors this time around.

Villarreal might be the best defensive team in Europe right now.

Can’t argue with statistics: 7 games now, including a trip to Old Trafford, 2 goals conceded, one of which was a penalty. Two goals conceded in La Liga & Europe and it’s freaking October.

They also might be the most efficient: Scored only 8 to win 5 and draw 2.

This isn’t France’s year.

Bordeaux, Marseille & Lyon have a combined two points, both of which belong to Lyon, and only because of a Bayern own goal and the controversially polarizing goal against Fiorentina. On a positive note, they’re currently toting a combined goal differential of -8.

Bordeaux and Marseille are already dreaming of a UEFA Cup spot; Lyon might make it through, but you’d be hard pressed to convince anyone this is their year – certainly not one for French teams as a whole.

Xavi is the best player nobody talks about.

At least outside of Spain. And it’s not really anyone’s fault; after all, in Catalonia he is overshadowed by Lionel Messi’s weekly exploits and whatever is making Thierry Henry melancholy these days. But that goal was as much his as Messi’s, as Mr. Euro 2008 was the one who threaded the needle which only needed the finishing touch. A slight bit off an on-form Pirlo (it’s the magical hair), but one could say right now there is no better playmaker in the world.

Danny, not Dani, is the best Daniel Alves.

MOTM performance against ManU in the Super Cup and a superbly technical goal against Real Madrid. €30m? Sure.

Kun Aguero is the Champions League’s new Kaka.

Two years ago Kaka won the Ballon D’Or solely on the back of his amazing exploits in the Champions League, leading Milan to the title by viciously slaloming through the continent. Kun may or may not do the same for his team, but individually he’s filling Ricky’s boots while Milan is doing penance for their sin of poor results in the UEFA Cup. Two goals in qualifying and three in the first two group stage matchdays means 5 in 4 games.

Does this mean Kun will win his very own golden orb this year? Maybe. The lad’s going to win one sooner rather than later.

Josu Sarriegi & Tomas Hubocan should be strikers.

What finishing from the lads. Too bad they were in their own nets.

You can never have too much of a good thing.

I think the best way to improve all of our our lives would be to have the world magically play the Champions League theme song every time we perform a mundane task. Think about the productivity this would inspire. Can anyone make this happen?