UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 Review: Squeakers and Shockers

On Matchday 2 in which there were only two games that did not end up close (a 5-1 thrashing of Dynamo Kiev by a resurgent Real Madrid and Lyon’s 3-0 pasting of a good Steaua Bucharest side) the theme was pack in the defense and wait for the counterattack.

At least it seemed that way when Tuesday kicked off the festivities and Manchester United used an early goal off of, you guessed it, a counterattack down the right flank and a brilliant Louis Saha blast at the tip of the penalty box in minute 60 to seal a 1-0 win at the expense of Benfica in a packed Lisbon stadium.

The same went true for Celtic at home, though persistence paid off in minute 36 and a penalty kick was granted to Kenny Miller, who pounded it in and the defense held for a 1-0 victory over a game FC Copenhagen.

Though the name of the day was holding in and waiting for the chance to strike, Arsenal did things a bit different against FC Porto and tried to control the play in the air. They did so in minute 38 when Thierry Henry glanced home a crossed ball from the right to make it 1-0. Just 10 minutes later the word was again counterattack when Alexander Hleb took a pass from Henry to put it at 2-0 and that’s the way the match stood.

And then came the Tuesday ticklers, as CSKA Moscow showed they could be reckoned with though they missed the Champions League last year. Brazil import Dudu headed in a Daniel Carvalho service in minute 59 to seal the deal and stun Hamburg 1-0. Next up for CSKA is Arsenal twice. In other matches on Tuesday, AC Milan went level with Lille 0-0 despite each squad combining for 15 shots on goal. The theme for the match and the day was gritty defense, as Lille committed 22 fouls. In another doozy of a defensive battle, both AEK Athens and Anderlecht looked for a win, but instead got two early goals and watched their teams hang on for a 1-1 draw.