Champions League Week 2 wrap: Veterans Totti, Xavi still here

The last time A.S. Roma played in the UEFA Champions League, Sir Alex Ferguson was still leading Manchester United to the finals of the competition, albeit losing them to Pep Guardiola's Barcelona.

Italy legend Francesco Totti was then already (arguably) past his prime at age 34, and finding it hard to get any minutes off of manager Claudio Ranieri's bench. Roma finished 2011 in 6th place in Serie A and disappeared from the group stages of European soccer's most renowned tournament. When i Giallorossi vanished from public eye outside of Italy, so too did Totti, Serie A's current second all-time leading goal-scorer. After another two years in Serie A mid-table obscurity, Roma has finally made their comeback to the Champions League. So too has the 38-year-old Totti.

But don't call him an old-timer.

Totti became the oldest player to ever score in a Champions League game in his side's 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the Ethiad Stadium. The 2006 World Cup winner latched onto a through ball from Radja Nainggolan and stabbed a perfectly placed chip past Joe Hart to equalize after Sergio Aguero had given the home side the lead.

His goal broke the record held by Manchester United's Ryan Giggs who scored at 37 years old. Totti is carrying a few extra pounds these days and his legs aren't as swift as they used to be, but his ability on the ball is still there.

Barcelona's Xavi is four years younger than Totti, but in this week's game against Paris Saint-Germain, the midfielder overtook Real Madrid legend Raul for the record of most appearances (143)  in the competition. Xavi is also a mainstay on his side's bench this season, coming on in the 69th minute to replace Ivan Rakitic. The record may flip-flop back to another Real Madrid player as keeper Iker Casillas is only two games behind.

Minnows? Says who?

BATE Borisov and Malmo FC were immediately deemed the whipping boys of their respective groups after the Champions League groups were drawn. BATE was dismantled by F.C. Porto in an embarrasing 6-0 rout and Juventus comfortably handled Malmo en route to a 2-0 victory two weeks ago. These teams were locked-in for last place finishes in their groups, right?

Well, this week proved that maybe it's not the case.

was slammed for its lethargic display against Porto with critics saying the team wasn't good enough to play in the Champions League. They rebounded quite nicely with a 2-1 victory against Athletic Bilbao. The Belarussian side went up 2-0 thanks to goals from Denis Polyakov and Aleksandr Karnitskiy, and even hit a strong effort against the post. Aduriz's goal for Bilbao before the half would bring the Basque side closer to being spared of blushes, but BATE continued to press for a third goal in the second frame and held on for a much-deserved win.

After shocking Atletico Madrid in the first round of fixtures by scrapping to a 3-2 win, Olympiacos was involved in another surprise this week.. Markus Rosenberg lifted Malmo to a 2-0 victory over Olympiacos. The striker's two goals were gifted by inexcusable lapses in concentration from the Greek side's defence.

Saint Patrick

Jose Mourinho says he prefers to go by the "Happy One" over the "Special One" moniker, but the Portuguese coach can always be found on the sidelines sporting a classic frown whether Chelsea is winning, tied, or losing. Chelsea could've won by five or six on Mourinho's return to Portugal against Sporting Lisbon if not for an incredible performance by Sporting keeper Rui Patricio. Patricio, nicknamed Sao Patricio (Saint Patrick) by the Sporting faithful, ensured Portuguese fans would catch another glimpse of Mourinho's scowl.

Diego Costa, Andre Schurrle, Oscar, Costa again, and Mohamed Salah were all denied on clear 1-on-1 opportunities against the Sporting goalkeeper. Chelsea would win the game thanks to headed goal from Nemanja Matic, but Patricio would steal the headlines and earn a handshake from Mourinho.

(Photo: Sport TV)

Keep your eyes on Group C

It's difficult to suggest putting aside a group that has Manchester City, Roma, and Bayern Munich competing for top spot, but Group C may yield more entertaining results for the fans.

There isn't a clear cut favourite in the group because all four teams are arguably on the same level, making results that much more unpredictable. Based on their rank with UEFA, Benfica should be the favourites, followed by Zenit, Bayer Leverkusen, and A.S. Monaco. After two rounds, Benfica finds itself in dead last with no points.

After losing the opening match to Zenit, Benfica's struggles continued as Leverkusen looked like their German rivals Bayern Munich, exhbiting an impressive quick pace, one-touch, high pressure style of soccer. The Germans cruised by Benfica to a 3-1 win. Zenit has been stomping on the competition this year in the Russian Premier League, embarrasing their opponents with an 8-1 victory over Torpedo Moskva and a 5-0 win over Rostov, but were held to a 0-0 draw by a solid Monaco side.

This group can end with any of the four teams on top. Benfica certainly have the offensive ability to pay back Zenit and Leverkusen the next time they face off. Monaco could continue riding a solid defensive display in the Champions League to the top of the group despite the loss of Radamel Falcao and James Rodriguez in the transfer window. Zenit and Leverkusen can continue to light up their opponents for goals. Anything can happen.

Wonderful Welbeck

Did Manchester United make a mistake letting Danny Welbeck leave for Arsenal in the last moments of the transfer window? He's certainly out to prove so. The 23-year-old scored a hat-trick against Galatasaray to lead Arsenal to a 4-1 victory. Arsene Wenger celebrated his 18th year at the head of the club with a smile on his face thanks to the Englishman's pin-point finishing. Welbeck has never been successful as a lone striker, flourishing more in a role alongside another forward than by himself. Today, his final touch rivalled that of Falcao, his replacement at Old Trafford. If he keeps flashing these abilities, he'll make his £16 million move look cheap.