The second night of Champions League action was far less entertaining than the first but the common denominator was yet another night of poor displays from the British sides. Chelsea and Celtic were outclassed last night and tonight Arsenal and Man City were both beaten comprehensively. It was a disappointing night for European giants AC Milan and Real Madrid also as all four groups now have at least three teams still in with a chance of qualification.
In Group A and Paris Saint Germain inflicted a third consecutive defeat on Dinamo Zagreb when they won by two goals to nil. It was a comfortable night for the French side as they led by two goals at the break after Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jeremy Menez got on the scoresheet. The result leaves PSG on six points and in second place in the group. In the other game from the group, Porto all but guaranteed their progress to the knockout stage with a third successive win. They had to fight off a strong showing from Ukrainian side Dynamo Kiev having twice been pegged back to all square before Jackson Martinez' winner in the 78th minute. Ideye Brown and Oleh Gusev had twice brought Kiev level but on the balance of play they can't complain about the result. Silvestre Varela and Martinez got the other Porto goals. That leaves Porto on nine points and Kiev in third on three.
In Group B Arsenal suffered a second loss in five days when they were beaten 2-0 by Schalke at the Emirates. The German side were the better team throughout and were fully deserving of their win. They were made to wait until the 76th minute to break the deadlock though and the goal came courtesy of a clinical finish from Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Just ten minutes later the result was wrapped up when Ibrahim Afellay scored from close range. A last minute goal gave Olympiacos a fifth win in six games as they beat French champions Montpellier by two goals to one. They fell behind in the first half of this one though when Gaetan Charbonnier put the French side in front but they couldn't hold on Vasilis Torosidis levelled the game before an injury time winner from substitute Kostas Mitroglou. Those results leave Schalke on top with seven points followed by Arsenal on six. Olympiacos finally converted league form to European and are now on three points with Montpellier on just one point.
Malaga may have been in serious financial trouble during the Summer and lost some top players but three games into the campaign their sitting atop Group C with maximum points. Tonight they beat Italian giants AC Milan with a strike from Joaquin enough to earn them full points. Milan have now lost their last three games and are really missing the players they sold during the Summer, Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva. A penalty from Aleksandr Kerzhakov gave Zenit St. Petersburg their first win in Europe this season as they beat Anderlecht at home. That leaves the Belgian side without a win and on just one point, trailing Zenit who are on two and Milan on five. All three trail Malaga who sit on nine points.
In Group D Man City are on the verge of elimination after losing to Ajax in Holland tonight. City took the lead against the run of play through Samir Nasri but Ajax were level after a fine finish from Siem De Jong just before half time. The Dutch side were in front when Niklas Moisander headed home unmarked before Christian Erikson capped off a fine performance when he scored a third. It was deserved win for Ajax who consistently exposed City, who were far too passive and sat back too much. City fans won't enjoy reading the other result from the group either as Borussia Dortmund moved top of the table courtesy of a 2-1 win against Real Madrid. Robert Lewandowski opened the scoring before Cristiano Ronaldo levelled with a fine finish. Dortmund weren't to be denied however, as Marcel Schmelzer scored from the edge of the box to send the home fans wild. Those results leave Dortmund on seven points followed closely by Madrid on six. Ajax have a slim chance of progression on three points but City are all but outwith just one point.
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