Champions League: Best XI from Matches of September 30 and October 1

Matchday 2 of the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League group stage had pretty much everything.

There were dull draws, blowouts and late drama. And, crucially, there were a handful of standout performances that got 11 players into our Team of the Week for matches played September 30 and October 1.

Naturally, we were hard-pressed to select only a first-team squad, so we included some others on our bench.

Following is our Best XI from Matchday 2 of the competition, as well as our substitutes.

Goalkeeper: Vladislav Stoyanov, Ludogorets

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Vladislav Stoyanov ended up on the losing end of Wednesday’s Group B match against Real Madrid, but the Ludogorets goalkeeper nevertheless shone between the sticks for the hosts—making a penalty save on Cristiano Ronaldo and denying Gareth Bale a sure goal just after the restart.

Right-Back: Lukasz Piszczek, Borussia Dortmund

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Borussia Dortmund have been inconsistent to start the season, but on Wednesday, they walloped Anderlecht, 3-0, in Belgium. It was perhaps their best match of the campaign to date.

Right-back Lukasz Piszczek was a persistent menace along his flank, and in the 69th minute, he set up the first of two Adrian Ramos goals.

Centre-Back: Erik Johansson, Malmo

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Malmo, which beat Olympiakos 2-0 in Sweden on Wednesday, were one of Matchday 2’s biggest surprises.

Despite enjoying just 35 percent possession (statistics courtesy WhoScored.com), they managed to keep an energetic Olympiakos side off the scoreboard. Defender Erik Johansson, who made a vital goal-line clearance for the hosts, played a large part in Malmo's surprising victory.

Centre-Back: Marko Suler, Maribor

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Maribor picked up a surprise point away to Schalke on Tuesday thanks largely to their ability to soak up pressure from the Bundesliga outfit without conceding quality goalscoring opportunities.

Defender Marko Suler, a retired Slovenia international, was especially heroic for the guests, who are second to Chelsea in Group G after two rounds.

Left-Back: Kieran Gibbs, Arsenal

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Arsenal toyed with Galatasaray at times on Wednesday, and left-back Kieran Gibbs continually linked up nicely with Alexis Sanchez. Gibbs, who touched the ball 73 times at Emirates Stadium (per WhoScored.com), was part of the buildup that led to the first of Danny Welbeck’s three goals.

Midfielder: Arda Turan, Atletico Madrid

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After 74 tense minutes at Estadio Vicente Calderon, Arda Turan finally put Atletico Madrid ahead against Serie A champions Juventus. They wouldn’t relinquish the lead, and the Turkey international would finish his night with 90 percent of his passes complete and three tackles contributed on defense, per WhoScored.com.

Midfielder: Thiago Motta, Paris Saint-Germain

Christophe Ena/Associated Press

Thiago Motta’s midfield partners—Marco Verratti and Blaise Matuidi—both found the back of the net in Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-2 win over Barcelona on Tuesday, but it was the 32-year-old who kept things tidy and organised for the hosts in the centre of the park.

Motta completed 90 percent of his passes against the Catalan giants and threw himself into an eye-popping eight tackles, per WhoScored.com.

Midfielder: Heung-Min Son, Bayer Leverkusen

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Bayer Leverkusen rebounded from a Matchday 1 defeat to Monaco with a 3-1 win at home over Benfica on Wednesday, and Heung-Min Son was a primary reason why.

The 22-year-old scored what proved to be the winning goal in the 34th minute. Over the course of the match, he attempted more shots than any other player.

Forward: Jackson Martinez, Porto

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Until Jackson Martinez’s late heroics on Tuesday, Porto appeared destined for a 2-0 defeat away to Shakhtar Donetsk.

But then, with a minute remaining in normal time, Yaroslav Rakitskiy handled the ball inside the penalty area, and Martinez pulled one back for the guests from the penalty spot. Then, deep into the time added, he latched onto Cristian Tello’s cross and scored the crucial equaliser.

Forward: Danny Welbeck, Arsenal

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Arsenal rode Danny Welbeck’s hat-trick to a 4-1 win at home over Galatasaray on Wednesday. Welbeck, who arrived at Emirates Stadium from Manchester United on the final day of the 2014 summer transfer period, opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after some fine buildup involving Alexis Sanchez and Kieran Gibbs.

Then, on the stroke of the half-hour, he ghosted past his marker to double the scoreline with an exquisitely finished solo effort. The 23-year-old completed his hat-trick shortly after the restart, having linked up nicely with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Forward: Markus Rosenberg, Malmo

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Wednesday wins for Malmo and Atletico Madrid mean all four Group A participants have three points from the section’s opening pair of matches.

In Sweden, Malmo picked up their first points of the campaign thanks to a Markus Rosenberg brace against Olympiakos. First, the striker converted his own rebound shortly before the restart. He capped off his scoring exploits after Pawel Cibicki put him through in the 82nd minute.

Bench

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Manuel Neuer, Bayern Munich

Juanfran, Atletico Madrid

Fabian Schar, Basel

Serey Die, Basel

Evgeni Yablonski, BATE Borisov

Adrian Ramos, Borussia Dortmund

Francesco Totti, AS Roma