Champions League Best XI - Top players of Matchday 2
Without star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paris Saint-Germain managed to beat Barcelona 3-2 in the teams' Champions League showdown on Tuesday, and the surprising result left a lasting impression on Yahoo's soccer experts around the world.
PSG landed two players on Yahoo's Best XI of the top players from Champions League Matchday 2 – midfielder Blaise Matuidi and defender Gregory Van der Wiel – as the defending French champions bounced back from a lackluster 1-1 draw with Ajax on Matchday 1.
[More Yahoo Best XI: Top players of Champions League Matchday 1]
Matuidi and Van der Wiel teamed up to produce the eventual winning goal in the 54th minute. Running down the right flank, Van der Wiel unleashed a pinpoint cross to Matuidi, whose left-footed finish beat Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen for a 3-1 lead.
Yahoo France's Alexandre Delperier believes Matuidi will continue to be a force for PSG now that he's recovered from World Cup duty with the French national team.
"He was exhausted," Delperier said of Matuidi. "He was not ready for the beginning of the season, but against Barca he had a fantastic game. He's back."
Below is the complete Best XI for Champions League Matchday 2. Do you agree? Disagree? Send your thoughts to @YahooSoccer on Twitter.
YAHOO BEST XI - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE MATCHDAY TWO | ||
Position | Player, Team | Statistics |
Goalkeeper | Rui Patricio, Sporting Lisbon | 6 saves in 1-0 loss vs. Chelsea |
Right back | Gregory Van der Wiel, PSG | 1 assist, 3 tackles, 7 clearances in 3-2 win vs. Barcelona |
Center back | Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid | 1 shot, 2 tackles, 7 clearances in 1-0 win vs. Juventus |
Center back | Fabian Schar, Basel | 6 tackles, 7 clearances in 1-0 win vs. Liverpool |
Left back | Ashley Cole, Roma | 2 tackles, 5 clearances in 1-1 draw at Manchester City |
Midfielder | Son Heung-Min, Bayer Leverkusen | 1 goal, 7 shots, 30 passes in 3-1 win vs. Benfica |
Midfielder | Shinji Kagawa, Borussia Dortmund | 1 assist, 61 passes in 3-0 win at Anderlecht |
Midfielder | Blaise Matuidi, PSG | 1 goal, 26 passes in 3-2 win vs. Barcelona |
Forward | Danny Welbeck, Arsenal | 3 goals, 5 shots, 36 passes in 4-1 win vs. Galatasaray |
Forward | Francesco Totti, Roma | 1 goal, 2 shots, 35 passes, 4 fouls suffered in 1-1 draw at Manchester City |
Forward | Lionel Messi, Barcelona | 1 goal, 2 shots, 58 passes, 2 fouls suffered in 3-2 loss at PSG |
