HomeChampions LeagueFive players who smashed it in Champions League Matchday 2

Five players who smashed it in Champions League Matchday 2

Gameweek two of the Champions League saw Liverpool and Chelsea register their first wins of the campaign, whilst German giants Bayern Munich returned to haunt North London once again.

Elsewhere the likes of Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and last season’s semi-finalists Ajax maintained their perfect starts to the group stage.

Without further ado, here are five players who smashed it on Matchday two of the Champions League…

Serge Gnabry – Bayern Munich

The German giants ran riot at Tottenham on Tuesday evening, in one of the most clinical offensive performances you will ever see.

The Bundesliga champions scored seven on a humbling night for Mauricio Pochettino’s side in North London, and to add further insult to injury it was a former Arsenal player who was at the heart of their destructive display.

Arsenal fans must be left wondering if this was the same Serge Gnabry who enjoyed a largely forgettable four year spell at the Emirates, the 24-year-old having flourished since his return to Germany and demonstrating his undoubted quality against their bitter rivals in midweek.

Gnabry’s ruthless repertoire of finishing saw him finish with four goals in the 7-2 win, joining the likes of Marco van Basten, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as only the 12th player to score four times in a Champions League fixture.

Few fancied Bayern to lift the trophy following their timid exit to Liverpool last season, but boasting the firepower of the likes of Gnabry and Robert Lewandowski they will have ambitions of reaching the latter stages.

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Emmanuel Dennis – Club Brugge

The Belgian minnows came close to pulling off the upset of the round, racing into a two-goal lead at the Bernabeu before being pegged back to draw 2-2 with Real Madrid.

Nigerian forward Emmanuel Dennis did the damage with two first-half goals, his first was one of the more bizarre finishes you’ll see as the 21-year-old clumsily bundled the ball past former Chelsea ‘keeper Thibaut Courtois who was subsequently subbed at half-time.

The youngster’s second further silenced the 13-times European champions, whilst his audacity to perform Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark celebration to the stunned Bernabeu crowd was the ultimate shithousery. We’ve always got time for that.

Achraf Hakimi – Borussia Dortmund

Whilst Real Madrid were floundering, one of the club’s loan stars was lighting up the biggest stage with Borussia Dortmund.

Currently enjoying his second season on loan at the German side, Achraf Hakimi would score his first Champions League goal with a brilliant effort for Lucien Favre’s side, showing scintillating pace and composure to open the scoring in Dortmund’s 2-0 win at Slavia Prague.

The Moroccan international would go on to score the second, sealing his first career brace, with the full-back thriving in an unfamiliar forward position on the flank.

Luis Suarez – Barcelona

The Barcelona star has been criticised, and rightly so, for his lack of Champions League goals in recent seasons, having scored just twice in his past 20 appearances in Europe’s premier competition.

The Uruguayan forward provided a timely reminder of his qualities though as the Spanish side came from behind to beat Inter Milan on Wednesday night, scoring a fine double to kickstart the five-times winners campaign.

The first was arguably the goal of Matchday two, firing home a wonderful volley from Arturo Vidal’s cross to bring Barcelona level.

He would go on to score a late winner after being found by Lionel Messi, his double remarkably his first group stage goals in over three years.

After a disappointing start to the season, the win was timely for Ernesto Valverde’s side, who sit level with Borussia Dortmund on four points at the top of Group F.

Takumi Minamino – Red Bull Salzburg

The one player to make our list despite ending on the losing side, Red Bull Salzburg’s Takumi Minamino was a stand-out star in his side’s thrilling 4-3 defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday night.

The Austrian outfit have developed some top talent in recent seasons, notably Liverpool duo Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, and following his performance at Anfield their Japanese star could be the latest to earn a move to a European giant.

Minamino was superb as Salzburg fought back from three goals down to level, scoring once and providing an assist, only to see his side succumb to a Mohamed Salah winner.

Such was the 24-year-old’s performance that today’s social media channels have been flooded by Liverpool fans imploring their club to make a move for the talented attacker, who currently forms part of an exciting forward line alongside Hee-chan Hwang and the prolific Erling Braut Haaland.

See also – Five of the best players never to win the Champions League

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