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The fifth round of the Champions League group stage again provided some sparkling displays.
Some teams outperformed others, with PSG and Liverpool traveling to impressive victories, while Juventus and Real Madrid took the win when they visited Benfica and RB Leipzig respectively.
Meanwhile, Manchester City and Tottenham had to draw in their matches and Barcelona were knocked out before even kicking a ball after Inter Milan’s 4-0 win over Viktoria Plzen.
With a number of starring appearances across Europe this week, who makes? Sportsmails Team of the week?
Paris Saint-Germain stormed to a dominant 7-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa . on Tuesday evening
keeper
Lukas Hradecky (Bayern Leverkusen)
It’s not often that goalkeepers are hailed as Champions League heroes, but that was exactly the case for Leverkusens Hradecky.
The Finnish shot-stopper came to the fore when he denied Atlético Madrid’s Yannick Carrasco from the penalty spot in the 99th minute of the game.
The Spanish side was dramatically awarded a spot kick late in the game – tied at 2-2 – that gave them a shot at a spot in the next round.
However, Carrasco was denied by Hradecky before Madrid bundled their rebound over the bar and saw their spot disappear before their eyes on the round of 16.
Lukas Hradecky’s crucial penalty in extra time knocked Atletico out of the competition
DEFENDERS
Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig)
What an evening it was for the young talent of Leipzig. Gvardiol continued his climb through the football ranks after scoring the opening goal for his side against Real Madrid.
The 20-year-old defender has sparked the interest of some of Europe’s top clubs, given his appearances in Germany and his Tuesday cameo won’t change that.
The Croat reacted fastest after Thibaut Courtois made a first save in a corner, and nodded past the Belgian to give his side the lead. They went on to win 3-2, as Gvardiol won four of his five games that night.
Josko Gvardiol continued to write an impressive season with a header against Real Madrid
Mats Hummels (Borussia Dortmund)
Mats Hummels proved on Tuesday night why he is regarded as one of the best central defenders of the modern age.
The 33-year-old was crucial at Dortmund, taking a 0-0 draw against high-flying Manchester City as he was tasked with flagging his former team-mate Erling Haaland.
The Norwegian barely had a sniff in the first half and Julian Alvarez was barely noticeable to City in the second, thanks to Hummels’ impressive defence.
He was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match trophy that night.
Dortmund’s Mats Hummels made his 76th Champions League appearance against Man City
Andy Robertson (Liverpool)
As Jurgen Klopp’s side walked to a 3-0 win over Ajax – thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez and Harvey Elliott – Andy Robertson garnered credit for his sparkling left-back display.
The Scotland international was a constant threat all night and was resolute when needed to get on the defensive.
And it was from his corner that club record tally Nunez went home to give the Reds some much-needed breathing room in the game.
He also managed to win eight balls back in the game against the Eredivisie champions, before finally being replaced by Kostas Tsimikas.
Andy Robertson took the Player of the Match award after his performance against Ajax
MIDFIELDS
Mykhaylo Mudryk (Shaktar Donetsk)
The Ukrainian winger is quickly becoming one of the best prospects in world football and continued that way against Celtic on Tuesday.
Mudryk, 21, only took his first Champions League in September and now has three to his name after scoring an absolute screamer at Celtic Park.
The youngster collected the ball just in Celtic’s half before driving towards goal, cutting in with his right foot and unleashing an unstoppable charge past Joe Hart.
Another impressive display from the winger who is quickly gaining serious interest from top clubs across Europe.
Shaktar’s Mykhaylo Mudryk has five assists and three goals in six league games this year
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
Chelsea fans hope Kai Havertz has finally launched his 2022-23 season after scoring their winning goal on Tuesday.
The German star has struggled domestically this season, scoring just two goals from his 10 league appearances, but you couldn’t say that given the nature of his goal against RB Salzburg.
The 23-year-old collected a pass from Christian Pulisic before firing a bad left-footed attack into the top corner of the goal after it bounced off the crossbar.
It was a huge goal for Graham Potter’s side, who have nothing to fear when they face Dinamo Zagreb – with qualification to the round of 16 already secured.
Kai Havertz scored his third goal of the season with a screamer against RB Salzburg
Sandro Tonali (AC Milan)
The AC Milan midfield general was an inspiring form for his side as they rode to a 4-0 win at Dinamo Zagreb.
The Italian scored Milan’s first goal of the evening after giving defender Mattia Gabbia a cross to go home from close range.
His involvement in goalscoring didn’t stop there, as he later won a penalty for him after being knocked down in the penalty area by Robert Ljubicic – who couldn’t handle his outburst in the penalty area.
He was typically solid in his defensive duties throughout the game, winning four of his five ground games at the Maksimir Stadium.
Sandro Tonali got an assist and his team won a penalty when they beat Dinamo Zagreb 4-0
Rafa Silva (Benfica)
It’s not often that Juventus concede four goals in the Champions League, but thanks to Rafa Silva, Benfica did.
Not many teams can say they have scored four goals against Juventus in the Champions League before, but thanks to Rafa Silva, Benfica can say they have.
The Portuguese midfielder was instrumental in their 4-3 win over the Italian giants, with his two goals proving he was match-winning.
Silva’s first was a neat chop that fooled Wojciech Szczesny before taking his second with an nimble chip over the post.
Juventus couldn’t stop Benfica’s Rafa Silva from grabbing a brace against them
FORWARD
Lionel Messi (PSG)
Normal service resumed on Tuesday evening when Lionel Messi picked up a brace – one of which was named Goal of the Week – against Maccabi Haifa.
The Argentine played a key role as the Parisians separated their Israeli opponents and went on to win 7-2 in their fifth group match.
His first goal of the evening was a nice, curling effort from off the foot that settled into the top corner of the goal.
For his second, he plays a quick one-two with Kylian Mbappe before dropping a shoulder, passing a defender and firing his shot into the bottom corner.
In the end it was another brilliant display of the second highest goalscorer ever in the league.
Lionel Messi got the goal of the week for his first goal against Maccabi Haifa
Edin Dzeko (Inter Milan)
The Bosnia and Herzegovina attacker showed up when it mattered most as his side secured a place in the Champions League round of 16 – against the odds.
The former Manchester City striker grabbed a brace against Viktoria Plzen in their 4-0 win – who in turn has beaten Barcelona in the Europa League.
Dzeko scored his first goal of the evening after Federico Dimarco drilled a cross into the six-yard box where the 36-year-old was on hand to poke home.
And 20 minutes after the break he had achieved his second of the evening. A neat finish to direct the ball to the bottom corner bagged all three points for Inter.
Inter Milan striker Edin Dzeko scored a brace as his side secured qualification for the next round
Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
The World Cup winner picked up where he left off – after a brace against AC Ajaccio in Ligue 1 – when his side faced Maccabi Haifa in the Champions League.
Mbappe added two more goals to his campaign tally after a stunning individual performance against the Israeli outfit – and also got two assists in the match.
His first attempt came after half an hour when the Frenchman curled a stunning attempt into the top corner from an incredibly tight corner. It was eerily similar to Messi’s strike ten minutes earlier.
And he doubled his total for the night in the 64th minute with an equally good, if not better, finish. A cross-field ball from Achraf Hakimi found the 23-year-old in space and he made no mistake in finding the top right corner again. Deadly.
Kylian Mbappe was on fire as he secured two goals and two assists for Paris Saint-Germain