Champions League XI: Lesser known players who impressed

After another thrilling round of matches which featured plenty of goals, some outstanding, plenty of talking points (Balotelli penalty, Scott Brown red card) and some brilliant football in general (Bayern, take a bow!), I bring to you to the best XI of the match day 2 of the Champions League, but with a difference. This will consist of players which will not pop up in your conversations with your fellow football freaks. These are the underdogs, the unheralded footballers who massively contributed to their team’s fortunes this week. So here it goes:

Fraser Forster (Celtic)

No surprises for this one. He almost single-handedly kept out the likes of Neymar and Alexis, with even a stupendous double save at the end to keep his team in the reckoning against the mighty Blaugrana.

Giannis Maniatis (Olympiakos)

A regular at the international level for the Greeks, Maniatis put in a superb shift at right back, stifling the likes of Matias Suarez and Massimo Bruno. Expect his stock to rise if he puts in more performances like these.

Yaroslav Rakitskiy (Shakhtar Donetsk)

He did not allow the likes of van Persie to even have a sniff on goal. A rampaging forward run and cross lead to the goal. Expect a move soon for this young talent. He is already a regular for the national squad.

Manuel Ortlechner (Austria Wien)

Lead from the front against a strong Zenit attack lead by the likes of Kerzhakov, Danny and Hulk. Resolute display which included some crucial interceptions and blocks. A truly marvellous display by the veteran.

Filipe Luis (Atletico)

Brilliant against the dangerous Silvestre Varela on the left while also supporting the mercurial Arda Turan. Barcelona were interested in him at one point of time, and he showed us why.Most probable first choice for Brazil at the World Cup if performances continue as they are now.