After months of waiting, the Champions League is finally back to those loving the highest stage of club football. The Round of 16 first leg was a treat with plenty of surprises and dramas. However, some players displayed their class to give their team advantages in the second leg. Let’s look at the most impressive players from the fixture.
GK: Gregor Kobel (Dortmund)
Contributing to the biggest upset of the first leg, Gregor Kobel is deservingly the best goalkeeper of the fixture. Seven saves, including four inside the box, kept Dortmund from being scored on by Enzo Fernandez‘s or Reece James‘s beautiful shots. Kobel was also the highest-rated player by Sofascore this matchday.
DF: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)
That was a proper captain performance from the Napoli right-back. Di Lorenzo has always been a crucial part of Spalletti’s build-up on the left wing. And from a beautiful collaboration with Kvaratskhelia, he placed the ball into the back of the net to give Napoli a considerable lead into the second leg.
DF: Eder Militao (Real Madrid)
After conceding two goals early in the 15 minutes, we thought this game would be a horrendous performance for Militao and the Real defense. But after a clutch goal-line clearance, everything turned around for Eder Militao. Not only stopping all attacking efforts from Liverpool, the Brazillian even scored to give Real Madrid the lead early into the second half.
DF: Min-jae Kim (Napoli)
Eleven ball recoveries and five tackles. Winning almost every duel in his way, the Korean wall has disappointed the Eintracht Frankfurt attackers. Kim wasn’t only a one-dimensioned defensive machine: he was crucial in the build-up. Every attack started with him and his insane 95% passing accuracy.
DF: Dayot Upamecano (Bayern Munich)
PSG could not score any past Yann Sommer justified Dayot Upamecano’s outstanding performance. He bravely took on the almost uncontainable Kylian Mbappe despite the difference in speed and was vocal as a leader. Not letting that big three of an attack do any damage is worthy of a place in the best XI.
MF: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich)
Arguably the best player of the Round of 16 first leg, Kingsley Coman deserves a place in the best XI. He destroyed Achraf Hakimi in every one-on-one matchup. And following a cross from Davies, he pulled a superb one-time finish to give Bayern the edge into the second leg.
MF: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
This man is insane. He played at the highest level against younger Liverpool players and still pulled off a masterclass. His pressing escape is phenomenal. Luka Modric even got himself an assist to Eder Militao off a freekick. He did it all at 37 years of age.
MF: Joao Mario (Benfica)
Joao Mario has been the most underrated player in this Champions League campaign. Only facing a much inferior Club Brugge in the Round of 16, Benfica struggled until Joao Mario opened the scoreline with a penalty. He also contributed three key passes, but his teammates failed to convert.
MF: Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez continued his outrageous form after the World Cup. He calmly scored the first goal for City in the 27th minute. Mahrez also produced five key passes, but Manchester City couldn’t manage to score. With this type of performance, the Algerian would likely stay in Pep’s star-studded starting XI for now.
MF: Vinicius Jr. (Real Madrid)
Two goals and an assist are enough to understand the caliber of Vinicius’s game against Liverpool. First, a magnificent right-footed shot brought Madrid back into play. Then he pressured Alisson, forcing the goalkeeper to make a mistake for his second. And in the second half, Vini assisted Benzema for the cherry on top of this man-of-the-match performance.
ST: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
The French striker once again proved his clutchness to be worthy of the Round of 16 first-leg best XI. Two goals in 12 minutes shut down every bit of hope from Liverpool. Not to mention, he also connected sweetly with Vinicius for Real’s opening goal. What a player he is!
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