UEFA Champions League 2014, Matchday 2: Liverpool upset in Switzerland

Ludogorets went on top just six minutes into the game, and their goal was well deserved too. They were all over Madrid in the opening minutes and created multiple set pieces, eventually resulting in them taking the lead. The goal came from a near post corner headed backwards by Cosmin Moti, and Marcelinho did well to lose Arevalo Arbeloa, then tap in an easy finish.

It looked like Javier Hernandez had gotten Madrid back into the game instantly by drawing a penalty on Yordan Minev in the 10th minute, but Vladislav Stoyanov came up with a stunning save on Cristiano Ronaldo. However, Ronaldo was able to get his revenge 14 minutes later, drawing Madrid level by drawing a spot kick of his own on Moti, then converting to level the match.

The first half of the match was a pretty uneventful affair, with neither side able to carve out any clear-cut opportunities. Juventus were allowed to dominate possession, but Atléti’s defence was sturdy enough to prevent them doing any damage high up the field. At the other end, the Italians used their numerical advantage at the back to prevent their hosts causing problems on the counter-attack.

Eventually, with just over 15 minutes remaining, Atléti finally did score. A surging run by right-back Juanfran culminated in a deep cross into the Juve box, which was met at the far post by Arda Turan. He was left with a simple tap past Buffon, with Juve wing-back Lichtsteiner completely beaten to the ball.

Everyone’s favorite underdog Ludogrets Razgrad has a couple changes to the lineup that suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final minutes against Liverpool. Vladislav Stoyanov takes over in goal from Milan Borjan, as the rest of the formation shifts to a 4-4-2. Cosmin Monti, the man who filled in as a goalkeeper in their playoff win over Steaua Bucharest, starts as well.

Ludogrest Razgrad (4-4-2): Vladislav Stoyanov; Yordan Minev, Cosmin Moti, Aleksandar Aleksandrov, Júnior Calçara; Fabio Espinho, Dani Abalo, Svestoslav Dyakov, Marcelinho, Roman Bezjak

If you live in the United States, your options for watching this game are all through FOX, as it was not one of the games sublicensed to ESPN. If you have a TV subscription to a FOX Sports regional network, you can catch the game for free on FOX Sports Go. If that doesn’t work for you, there’s also FOX Soccer 2 Go, which is a paid service that does not require a TV subscription.

You can catch the game streaming on Sportsnet World Now in Canada, and on Sky Go in the UK. For listings from more countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.

I feel deceived. I feel like I’ve been lied to. Shame on you, Luis Enrique. Shame on you, Barcelona. Your defense was a lie, smoke and mirrors designed to deceive me into believing that your uninspiring signings and new head coach had done enough to get your defensive house in order.

Liars. Phonies. Rapscallions.

There were three thoughts going through Nani’s head in this moment:

1. There’s a teammate there.

There were plenty of surprises during the second Champions League matchday. Paris Saint-Germain won at home to Barcelona, Athletic were beaten by BATE, and Ajax, Schalke and Porto all dropped points in games they really ought to have won.

The rather more predictable results tended to come in the bigger clashes, with Roma holding Manchester City, Chelsea downing Sporting and Bayern Munich winning away at CSKA Moscow.

The Parisians played pretty well, especially on the attack, though to be fair Barca’s defense remains swiss cheesy to say the least. Still, without Zlatan Ibrahimović, PSG were able to use speed and set pieces to pick Barca apart. The defense looked susceptible a few times, but who doesn’t against the Blaugrana? Not having Thiago Silva in the lineup likely played a part in that. When it mattered though late in the match, when Barca were raining down pressure, the PSG defense was stellar.

Poor marking again on a set piece cost Barcelona in the 26th minute as PSG went back in front thanks to the head of Marco Verratti. Thiago’s Motta corner towards the far post setup the chance as Ivan Rakitić never saw Verratti sneak in behind him as ter Stegen made a desperate flailing attempt that couldn’t prevent the goal.

Chelsea managed to take all three points away to Sporting Lisbon on Tuesday, though they should have done it much more comfortably than they did. Despite their dominance in creating chances, they only converted once, so their 1-0 victory was in doubt throughout the match.

The Blues’ breakthrough came on a set piece, and a poorly defended one at that. Nemanja Matic wasn’t picked up on a 34th minute free kick to the back post, and Matic did well to rise up and direct a header back across goal and into the back of the net.

While some UEFA Champions League games have been sublicensed to ESPN, this is not one of them, so all streaming options are available through FOX. If you’re a television subscriber to FOX Sports 1, you can watch this game for free on FOX Sports Go. If you don’t have access to that service, the other option is FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that does not require any television subscription.

You can catch the game on ITV Player in the UK and Sportsnet World Online in Canada. For listings from more countries, check out LiveSoccerTV.

The biggest news ahead of this game was that Zlatan Ibrahimovic would be unavailable for PSG. He’s joined on the sidelines by star defender Thiago Silva, and Ezequiel Lavezzi might miss out as well. Not many are expecting PSG to pull an upset with their biggest stars missing.

In the United States, there are two options for watching the game, both through FOX. While some Champions League games are sublicensed to ESPN, this is not one of the games that is available on their networks and services. If you’re a TV subscriber to a FOX Sports regional network or FOX Deportes, you can watch the game for free on FOX Sports Go. If that’s not an option for you, the game is also available on FOX Soccer 2 Go, a paid service that does not require a TV subscription.