Champions League Team of the Week – Vinicius, Alvarez, Singo | OneFootball

Our Champions League Team of the Week from matchday seven, featuring names from Feyenoord, Real Madrid and Barcelona.

Goalkeeper: Justin Bijlow – Feyenoord

A birthday to remember for Justin Bijlow, who celebrated turning 27 with a shot-stopping masterclass this week. The Dutchman denied Bayern Munich time and time again, making superb saves from Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala at De Kuip. His heroics helped Feyenoord to a huge result, as the Eredivisie outfit won 3-0 in Rotterdam.

Centre-back: Wilfried Singo – Monaco

Monaco moved closer to the knockout rounds after a 1-0 win over Aston Villa. Wilfried Singo scored the decisive goal after just eight minutes, heading home after Emi Martinez’s parry. Singo’s strike was the highlight of a dominant defensive showing, in which the Ivorian racked up a mammoth 19 clearances.

Centre-back: Jose Maria Gimenez – Atletico Madrid

Jose Gimenez marshalled Atletico Madrid through a chaotic clash with Bayer Leverkusen. The Spaniards had Pablo Barrios sent off after 25 minutes and fell behind before half-time but held firm defensively to get back into the game. A series of well-timed interventions saw Gimenez impress, as Atleti hit back through Julian Alvarez’s double to take the points.

Centre-back: Nasser Djiha – Red Star Belgrade

It’s a rarity that a centre-back is included in a losing effort, but Nasser Djiha could not have done much more to help his side’s cause. Red Star trailed 3-0 to PSV Eindhoven after some shambolic set-piece defending but Ryan Flamingo’s red card changed the narrative.

Djiha’s brilliant cross set up Cherif Ndiaye for the first before the defender powered in a header to set up a nervy finish. The 22-year-old completed 94.5% of his passes and won 6/7 aerial duels in an accomplished individual outing.

Midfield: Joao Neves – Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain beat competition from the Premier League to sign Joao Neves last summer and the French champions have landed a gem. The 20-year-old was the standout player as PSG fought back from two goals down to beat Manchester City, leading the contest for duels (11) and tackles (5) won. Neves scored what turned out to be the winner, heading home at the back post to complete the turnaround.

Midfield: Pedri – Barcelona

Pedri is having some season at Barcelona. Back to his best, the 22-year-old has re-underlined his status as one of the best midfield talents in the game. A cool head amid a sea of chaos at Benfica, he carved out six chances and recorded an assist for Eric Garcia in the frantic 5-4 win.

It’s the continuation of a campaign that has seen Pedri lead all La Liga midfielders for through balls, key passes, progressive runs and passes into the final third. He’s a wonderful watch.

Midfield: Raphinha – Barcelona

Raphinha’s renaissance continues. The Brazilian’s brilliance led Barcelona into the last 16, scoring twice in the pulsating 5-4 win at Benfica. Raphinha has 22 goals and 11 assists in 30 appearances this season, including 10 goal involvements in just eight Champions League games. His transformation from the fringes to the focal point at Barcelona has been remarkable.

Right-wing: Charles De Ketelaere – Atalanta

Charles De Ketelaere is beginning to fulfil his potential at Atalanta. The Belgian swelled his return for the season to 21 goal involvements after another goal and assist in the Italian side’s 5-0 thrashing of Sturm Graz. He’s elegant on the ball, a fantastic creator of chances and able to carry the ball confidently in the final third. After a false start at AC Milan, Bergamo has proven the perfect fit.

Left-wing: Vinicius Junior – Real Madrid

Real Madrid turned on the style to swat aside Salzburg and, predictably, Vinicius Junior was at the heart of it. The Brazilian scored his 100th goal for Los Blancos with a beauty and added his 101st soon after. Tougher opposition awaits, but it was fascinating to see Real Madrid’s marquee men clicking into gear.

Forward: Vangelis Pavlidis – Benfica

Vangelis Pavlidis helped himself to a first-half hat-trick as Benfica lost a nine-goal thriller to Barcelona. A smartly-taken first opened the scoring, before Pavlidis capitalised on errors from Wojciech Szczęsny to claim the match ball before the break. It was the third-fastest hat-trick from the start of a game in Champions League history.

Forward: Julian Alvarez – Atletico Madrid

Julian Alvarez was the architect of Atletico Madrid’s comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen, as the Argentine netted his fifth and sixth goals in the Champions League this season. Even without that decisive double, Alvarez was the best player on the pitch.

His hustling style is perfectly suited to the demands of Diego Simeone, who will no doubt have been delighted to see the summer signing hurtling after the Leverkusen centre-backs. It’s 16 goals for the season and counting for Alvarez who is closing in on his most productive season in European football.

Read – Champions League Awards: Remontada part two, Madrid magic

See more – The greatest comebacks in Champions League history

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