Joe Hart, Gervinho, Robin Van Persie and Hulk among stars of UEFA Champions League Matchday 2

Joe Hart of Manchester City

Goalkeepers are rarely the stars of a match, but Manchester City’s Joe Hart made big saves every few minutes. Considering the money the Citizens spent on players, the talent they have and last year’s Premier League trophy, they should have done better than drawn on a penalty. They lacked focus, couldn’t create many opportunities and their defense had too many holes leaving the team open. Nothing seemed to work except England’s number 1.
German champions Borussia Dortmund were simply unlucky that Hart was in goal. He was never out of position, and his instincts were superb. Hart gave a world-class performance as he denied Mario Gotze and Ilkay Gundogan multiple times.

Dortmund should be proud of their performance, but winger Marco Reus might be more than others. He not only scored the Germans’ only goal, but  played well throughout the match. Reus and Mario Gotze were a pleasure to watch.
In the earlier game of Matchday 2, Zenit St. Petersburg hosted AC Milan and lost 3-2. A game that could have easily gone either way was dominated by the Russian club’s new signing Hulk. The Brazilian forward scored a goal and set up the other from a corner kick. He was the man to stop on the pitch and it was clear by the many times he was fouled. He was a tremendous help for Zenit by being quick with the ball and keeping possession. His arrival in Russia was not completely welcomed as a  few teammates have expressed complaints about his wages being more than Russian players on the team, but Hulk proved why he was worth the money.
In another important game, Arsenal beat Olympiakos 3-1. Despite the score, the match was close until substitute Aaron Ramsey scored in the 90th minute. Arsenal’s forward Gervinho was the key to the Gunners’ success. He opened the scoring at the end of the first half, and created the goal Lukas Podolski scored in the 56th minute after intricate passing with Santi Cazorla.
Elsewhere, Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and helped Real Madrid beat Ajax 4-1.
Wayne Rooney played a major role in Manchester United’s offense as they beat CFR Cluj 2-1 in Romania, back after a month-long recovery from a thigh injury. Althogh Van Persie scored the goals; Rooney deserves just as much credit. He kept the midfield intact and served as United’s primary creative force.
Arsenal News, Manchester City News, Manchester United News, Man United Latest