Champion's League: Round 2

The second group of Champion's League matches was played on September 16. Just as the day before, some interesting results were observed. At this point, any conclusions as to the winners of this round are largely speculation. But hey, where's the fun without a bit of guessing?

In group E, two matches were played: Liverpool vs. Debrecen and Lyon vs. Fiorentina. Both teams whose name starts with an "l" won the match 1-0. Coincidence?.. Most likely, yes. Sorry, all of you conspiracy theorists out there; you'll have to try your luck elsewhere (if you need a place to start, research the Chelsea-Barcelona Champ's League semi-final last season). Anyway, the only thing that surprises me about Liverpool's victory is the low score. As with MU the previous day, I am suspecting Liverpool did not try their best out on the field. Lyon and Fiorentina were pretty evenly matched; kudos to the French club for getting the upper hand.

Group F, consisting of Barca, Inter, Dinamo Kiev, and Rubin is one of the most intriguing groups. After getting destroyed by Dinamo, Rubin does not stand a chance. Barca and Inter were my original predicted winners in this group. They are both wonderful teams, and it is no wonder they couldn't score on each other. However, Dinamo's towering victory over the current champion of the Russian Premier League brings a new twist into the situation. The Ukranian team may actually stand a chance... let's see what happens.

In group G, Sevilla beat Unirea 2-0. Not too spontaneous of a result (sorry, Unirea fans... I can't stand my brutal honesty either!) Stuttgart tied the Rangers 1-1. I am pretty confident in the Spanish team's advancing to the next round; the other winner is difficult to guess right now, so I'll wait on that.

The last group, H, oversaw an interesting match between Standard and Arsenal. The Belgian team put up a hell of a fight against the British giant. Although I doubt they will hit first place in this stage, Standard Liege have a sure chance at 2nd. Olympiakos defeated Alkmaar 1-0; I thought they could do better, but hey, maybe they weren't trying hard enough (sound familiar?).