The Group Stage phase of this year’s Champions League has come to a close. There will be no more Champions League fixtures until next February, a dreadful wait. Through the Group Stage, the sixteen best teams revealed themselves. Some advanced like a walk in the park, and some were inches from the brink of elimination. Match week 6 was full of drama despite teams having rested their many key players. At the end of the day, the players still put out mesmerizing performances in the brightest light of European football. Some old and some new faces, but here is the Champions League Match week Six Team of the Week. This Best XI will be presented in a 4-3-3 formation.
GK: Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Real Madrid only conceding one against Celtic owed a lot to Thibaut Courtois’s talent. Their star-studded defensive line allowed too much space for Celtic’s Japanese trios to flourish, putting their goal in alarming positions. However, Courtois was there to deny everything the Scottish players brought, a Furuhashi one-on-one and even a penalty. Well, almost! A rainbow freekick from Jota defeated the Belgian, but that was the only instance. Seven saves, including a penalty, were enough for Thibaut Courtois to make it to this prestigious XI. Thibaut the Wall!
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
DF: Alejandro Grimaldo (SL Benfica)
This week’s Champions League’s most absorbing storyline was the battle for first place in Group H when Benfica edged out PSG by the seventh tiebreaker. Benfica’s feat was made possible by their 6-1 win against Maccabi Haifa. The left half of the angel wings was Alejandro Grimaldo. He was arguably the best player on the pitch in that game. Defensively he was putting up video game numbers of 6 tackles and 3 interceptions. But the highlight of his display was the glorious dipping freekick that increased their momentum even higher. The 27-year-old might have caught some eyes of top teams after this performance.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
DF: Marcos Alonso (Barcelona)
Rare but Xavi made a positive adjustment in the defense today. The injury crisis at the center-back position forced the former Barcelona midfielder to pull Marcos Alonso from the wing inside. When the fans were still in the shadow of doubt, Alonso ensured them by scoring the first goal. From then, he played very solid for an out-of-position player. And well, Barcelona still conceded twice. But the back four was arguably one of the oldest and slowest combinations ever. Alonso still played a phenomenal game in his unfavorable position. Quality is still there.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
DF: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
Benjamin Pavard had recently gone through some arduous days inside and outside the pitch. But his performance against Inter Milan didn’t reflect that. His presence made Lautaro Martinez a shadow of himself and made Inter struggle to create any chance inside the box. Pavard managed to grab himself a goal from the corner, which he dedicated to the tragic passing of rapper Takeoff. Benjamin Pavard was one of the best defenders this Match week. That performance was a statement of his significant position in Bayern’s star-filled backline, making the question of his future bothersome for Bayern fans and its management board.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
DF: Alexander Bah (SL Benfica)
The right half of Benfica’s angel wings was Alexander Bah. The under-the-radar transfer signing from Slavia Praha in the summer presented himself on the biggest stage. Two assists to Musa and Henrique Araujo erased the penalty he conceded earlier in the match. However, the decision against him could go either way and was accidental. The 24-year-old Danish has a long way to go. But his performance against Maccabi Haifa this week was unforgettable, with unimaginable highs and lows. Benfica’s fans hope to see Bah’s name mentioned more frequently, but not taken him away from them.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
MF: Federico Valverde (Real Madrid)
Unplayable! Absolutely unplayable! The Uruguayan Gullit, as called by many fans, the Man of the Match recipient of Real versus Celtic. Federico Valverde looked extra ready to lead Uruguay in the upcoming World Cup. Although Celtic is a much inferior opponent, we cannot deny Fede’s midfield control. His goal contributions shouldn’t go unnoticed as well: yet another banger from outside the box minutes after assisting Vinicius Jr. Real Madrid possesses a gem of a player, a bonafide superstar.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
MF: Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
RB Leipzig traveled to Poland to face Shakhtar Donetsk with a cannot-lose attitude because they fell to the Ukrainian side at home in the opening fixture. Just 10 minutes after kickoff, Nkunku smashed the ball in the back of the net to give RB Leipzig the lead going into the half. The celebration was special as well. In the second half, his attacking companions Andre Silva and Dominik Szoboszlai each grabbed a goal, in which Nkunku assisted Szoboszlai’s goal. An emphatic 3-0 victory made RB Leipzig the fourth German team to make it to the Knockout phase, all thanks to a wondrous performance from their superstar Christopher Nkunku. A great way to score points as the World Cup is approaching.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
MF: Ferran Torres (Barcelona)
Barcelona was eliminated, meaning this match against Viktoria Plzen was a dead rubber. Ferran Torres, alongside other bench players, finally got their chance to play Champions League football. The Spanish winger scored a delightful brace to send Barcelona’s farewell to the 2022/2023 Champions League. His performance versus Plzen was far different from what the old Ferran did. He was clinical and cherished his chances. This game was Ferran Torres’s first full match in the Champions League this season. If Xavi didn’t underutilize the 22-year-old, would Barcelona’s fate have been different?
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
FW: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Tired of seeing Mbappe on our list again? Well, pray he won’t deliver another world-class performance like this one. On the opening goal, he received the ball, dribbled past three defenders, and even got his shirt pulled before curling a stunner into the bottom corner. The shot was voted Goal of the Week by the fans. Juventus’s equalizer just minutes after meant they would have to sit second. Mbappe seemed like the only player who didn’t want it to happen. In the second half, he poked one through to Nuno Mendes on the counterattack to bring home the win. Although luck wasn’t on their side, Mbappe’s performance is still worthy of a spot here.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
FW: Olivier Giroud (AC Milan)
A direct battle for the second spot in Group E between Milan and RB Salzburg was a one-man show. That baller was Olivier Giroud. He opened the score sheet within the first 15 minutes of the first half. And just 15 minutes past the second half, he contributed 2 more to secure Rossoneri spot in the round of 16. And he was also the man who put the final nail in the coffin, assisting Junior Messias in injury time. Can you believe Giroud is 36 years old playing like this? Olivier Giroud was deservedly voted Player of the Week by the fans.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
FW: Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
Manchester City lost Erling Haaland due to injury meaning the goal-scoring duty is put on young Julian Alvarez’s shoulders. And he didn’t let his boss Pep Guardiola down. Down was Manchester City in almost the first hour of the game before Alvarez slid the ball into 17-year-old Rico Lewis to bring the match back to balance. Later, it was the Argentinian striker again, cleanly finishing the ball from De Bruyne. And just 10 minutes later, he put the cherry on top of this masterful performance with an assist to Riyad Mahrez and ended Sevilla’s hope of a comeback.
Fantom Sports’ Champions League Team of The Week spot: Earned!
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