From stunning saves to mesmerizing goals, Bolanews reveals standout players that featured in our UEFA Champions League Team of the Week.
GOALKEEPER
Thibaut Courtois: Standing at 2 meters tall, Courtois is one of the biggest shot-stoppers on the planet and inevitably hard to beat. Chelsea FC’s attack could attest to that, as the Belgium goal custodian was a man mountain between the sticks. He recorded the most saves (6) and recoveries (12) on his return to Stamford Bridge.
DEFENDERS
David Calabria: The Milan captain was faced with the daunting task of marking Napoli’s danger man, Kvaratskhelia. Consequently, Calabria had to put in a lot of defensive work to limit the Georgian, and he did so. No player in the match recorded more tackles won (5) and interceptions (6) than the right back.
Eder Militao: One would be perplexed at how Chelsea did not score against Real Madrid on Tuesday, looking at the host of clear-cut chances they had. Well, Eder Militao played a huge role in the game panning out like that. The Brazilian made the most clearances (8) and blocked the most shots (3).
Eduardo Camavinga: The young Frenchman has continued to impress in his makeshift role as a fullback. With Vinicius Jr. given a lot of attacking freedom, Camavinga had to remain alert to the attacking menace of Reece James. His performance saw him register the most tackles (4) and duels (11) won during Los Blancos’ 2-0 victory against Chelsea.
Federico Dimarco: Dimarco played a huge role in the mouth-watering six-goal thriller between Inter and Benfica on Wednesday. The flying fullback ghosted in behind SL Benfica’s defense to set up Lautaro Martinez’s goal. The 25-year-old added another assist to his name when he found Joaquin Correa, who slotted in Inter’s third goal.
MIDFIELDERS
Fede Valverde: It was another robust and industrious performance from Valverde, as we have come to expect. No Real Madrid player created more chances (3) at Stamford Bridge than the Uruguayan. His most significant contribution in the match was when he danced past Chelsea’s backline and set up Rodrygo to pass into an empty net.
Kevin de Bruyne: The midfield genius was very instrumental in keeping Manchester City from being overplayed in the middle of the park. He was constantly used as an outlet to open up Bayern Munich’s defense during the transition. When Haaland struck on the counterattack, it was only ever inevitable that the assist would come from him. No Manchester City player had more touches of the ball (63) and attempted more crosses (4) than the Belgian.
FORWARDS
Rafael Leao: The Portuguese winger showed us yet again why he is one of the most sought-after players in Europe right now. Rafael Leao won a spot-kick for AC Milan after being fouled, which Olivier Giroud failed to put away.
Just before the halftime break, the 23-year-old made a penetrating run into Napoli’s defense before squaring the ball to Giroud for the lead. The flamboyant winger also walked away with the official UEFA Man of the Match award.
Rodrygo: The exciting 22-year-old Brazilian forward was too good for Chelsea FC’s defense on the day. Rodrygo left center-back Chalobah for dead before racing toward the goal and exchanging passes with Vinicius for the opening goal. He was also in the right place at the right time for the easiest goal he will ever score.
Lautaro Martinez: The World Cup winner was the star of the show in the thrilling 3-3 draw between Inter and SL Benfica at the San Siro. Nicolas Barella’s spectacular opening goal was courtesy of an assist from the Argentine. Lautaro Martinez then popped up in the six-yard box to finish off the cutback made by left-back Dimarco. The striker is looking to join the handful of players who have won the UEFA Champions League and FIFA World Cup double in a single season.
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Erling Haaland: The big Viking broke Bayern Munich’s hearts at the Allianz Arena on Wednesday. Haaland had the opportunity to kill off the tie much earlier in the game but unexpectedly skied his penalty kick. The Norwegian center-forward made amends for his blunder by scoring his 35th Champions League goal in only 27 games. He left Frenchman Dayot Upamecano sitting on the turf as he fired past Sommer to silence the home fans for the stick he got after missing his spot kick. Haaland is inevitable, and that’s now 48 goals in all competitions for Manchester City.
