The Champions League returned from its winter slumber, though not in the most spectacular style. Tuesday’s matches went much as expected with Real Madrid’s 1-0 win at Leipzig, albeit a narrow one, accompanied by Copenhagen being beaten 3-1 by a slick Manchester City. On Wednesday, with Paris Saint-Germain beating Real Sociedad 2-0, Lazio’s 1-0 home win over Bayern Munich represented the week’s shock.
A selection follows of outstanding performers from the last-16 ties this week.
Goalkeeper: Real Madrid had to suffer for victory in Leipzig, and they did so, aside from the rather dubious decision to rule out an early goal from Benjamin Sesko, thanks to a great performance from Andriy Lunin. The Ukrainian has supplanted Kepa Arrizabalaga as Carlo Ancelotti’s first-choice in the absence of Thibaut Courtois. Sesko versus Lunin was a duel the keeper won hands-down, and he ended up making a total of nine saves in denying Leipzig, more decisive a contribution than any of his all-star teammates.
Defender: Far more than a mere defender, Achraf Hakimi entered the last 16 having created the competition’s most chances from open play, and his status as one of Europe’s most reliable supply lines continued with one beautiful pass that Ousmane Dembélé might have done better with. Paris Saint-Germain did not have it all their own way against Real Sociedad – the Moroccan was asked to do plenty of defending – but an assignment approached nervously ended up being completed to some satisfaction.
Defender: At the moment, central defenders come at a premium at Real Madrid due to an injury crisis where David Alaba and Éder Militão are recovering from cruciate injuries. Alongside the far more experienced Nacho, Aurélien Tchouaméni, an elite-level defensive midfielder, showed off his versatility by stepping back, just as he did against Girona on Saturday. He was asked to handle the dangerous Sesko in a far more challenging detail than at the weekend, eventually coming through for his team.
Defender: It was tempting to paint Bayern Munich’s second defeat in a week as a failure from their forward line but a disciplined Lazio win was embodied by Alessio Romagnoli. Harry Kane was reduced to potshots from distance and one free-kick during which he slipped rather embarrassingly. Romagnoli was outstanding, delivering some bruising tackles and Bayern did not have a shot on target for the entire game. The Italian international showed off the defensive wiles his country remains famous for.
Defender: Lazio full-backs Adam Marusic and Elseid Hysaj, a Montenegrin and an Albanian, excelled in dealing with attacks down the flanks from Bayern’s Jamal Musiala and Leroy Sane. Hysaj suffered a ropey opening first few minutes, only to pull through before having to leave the field through injury. Marusic moved out left to replace his colleague and, just as he had crunched into Musiala, kept Sane quiet, leading Thomas Tuchel to withdraw the winger as Bayern became increasingly desperate in the closing stages.
Midfielder: As debuts go, Magnus Mattsson had one to remember for Copenhagen. In his first game since joining from NEC Nijmegen, in his new club’s first match after a long winter break, he scored when he was gifted the equaliser by an Ederson error. His finish from the edge of the box was very well-struck. And while City were dominant for large parts of the match, Copenhagen players chasing shadows, Mattsson epitomised the efforts that kept the scoreline close. “I am ready to give everything,” he said of the second leg in Manchester.
Midfielder: Kevin De Bruyne’s early strike for City in Copenhagen was ominous, as was his overall performance for the holders. The Belgian has unfinished business in the competition, having limped off in last season’s final; he missed the group stages entirely this season. His goal was typically well-taken, drilled in with real venom, and he later managed to be the provider of goals for Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden. That he completed the 90 minutes by supplying the final goal suggests his fitness is holding up, another factor to chill any challengers to City’s throne.
Midfielder: There are no bigger shoes to fill in European football at the moment than those of Jude Bellingham, but Brahim Díaz proved himself an admirable stand-in. The former Manchester City youngster, having got the equaliser in the recent Madrid derby, scored a goal that Bellingham, who is dealing with an ankle problem, would have been proud of, speeding past three defenders before bending in a left-foot shot. It won a game that occasionally threatened to get away from Madrid, though Díaz, having seized his opportunity and even used Bellingham’s trademark celebration, suffered an untimely muscle injury.
Forward: While De Bruyne and Erling Haaland were out of the City team, it was left to Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to take up responsibility and nurse Pep Guardiola’s team along. Now that the big two are back Silva and Foden have not let standards drop, and it is a toss-up between which of the pair to include after Copenhagen. Early in the season, there were suggestions Foden would move more centrally, but De Bruyne’s return has shifted him back to the flanks on a more regular basis. His consistency remains awesome.
Forward: The recent talk has been of Kylian Mbappé frittering away his career by remaining at Paris Saint-Germain. His future is likely to lie away from the French capital but in his likely swansong season, he is a leading reason his club have one foot in the quarter-finals. Playing as a centre-forward and in a week decidedly short of top-grade finishing, his volleying technique for PSG’s first goal set him apart. He later hit the bar. He can do far better, but that proved good enough.
Forward: Another player from Denmark’s impressive production line, Gustav Isaksen supplied the key moment in Lazio’s defeat of Bayern Munich by winning a penalty from Dayot Upamecano, a foul that resulted in a red card. Playing off the right wing, Isaksen was a frequent menace to Raphaël Guerreiro and might already have opened the scoring had Manuel Neuer not saved with his legs. Ciro Immobile slotted the winning penalty but the 22-year-old, not yet a full Danish international, gave him the opportunity to do so.
