UEFA Champions League: Team of the week - Matchday One
Goalkeeper
Johan Wiland
The Copenhagen keeper put on a stunning display to deny Juventus all three points in their Group B encounter at Parken Stadium on Tuesday. The Old Lady would feel aggravated to return from Denmark with just one point on the board, as they put in a dominant performance, only to be denied by Wiland. Even his opposite number, legendary Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, must have been in awe of the Swede’s performance.
Defence
Atsuto Uchida
The Schalke right-back was in impressive form against Steaua Bucuresti. He scored the opening goal for the German club in the 67th minute, a goal that opened the floodgates as Schalke won the game comfortably in the end by three goals to nil. The Japanese defender ran tirelessly down the right flank, imposing himself in defensive as well as offensive areas of the field. In addition to his goal, he made 2 tackles and 7 interceptions in what turned out to be a man of the match performance.
Vincent Kompany
He is back. How relieved must Manchester City fans be, at that piece of news. As usual, the Belgian brought back a sense of calmness to City’s backline, which looked erratic in his absence, especially in their game against Cardiff City. Under the leadership of Kompany, Manchester City successfully kept a high back-line as they won five offside calls. Kompany made 51 passes in the game, with each one finding a fellow team mate.
Luisao
Having not played for Brazil since 2010 and the Selecao spoiled for choice at the back, it would seem inconceivable that we could see the Benfica centre-back feature in next year’s World Cup. But you can never say never in the game of football, especially if one continues to put in performances like Luisao did last night. The Brazilian scored a lovely volley to give the Portuguese side a 2-0 victory in Lisbon. Luisao also put on a stellar performance at the back, making a couple of key interceptions to keep Benfica’s clean sheet intact.
David Alaba
The Austrian left-back was one of the key components in Bayern Munich’s historic treble-winning team of last season. He seems to have continued his rich vein of form, as he scored and assisted a goal in his side’s 3-0 victory at home against CSKA Moscow. As is the case with most players playing in a Pep Guardiola team, Alaba’s passing was very impressive as he completed 95.4% of the 87 passes he attempted in the game.
Midfield
Thiago Motta
Thiago Motta had a ravishing game for Paris Saint-Germain as the French champions eased to a 4-1 win away at Olympiakos. The Brazilian-born Italian international scored two goals and provided an assist as he was the key man for PSG on matchday one. Not only did Motta make the difference with his goals, but his overall game was quite splendid as he made sure the club from the French capital were in complete control of the game. The former Champions League winner also made two key interceptions for Laurent Blanc’s side.
Mohamed Salah
Let’s be honest here, I didn’t known much about Mohamed Salah before last night. But on that performance, I can safely say that he is one talented 21-year-old footballer. He worked tirelessly for FC Basel as they registered a historic 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge on matchday one. The Egyptian scored the crucial equaliser after a breathtaking move from the Swiss side. You will struggle to see a better team goal all year. I’m not sure about you, but I can’t wait to see more of Salah in Europe this season.
Aaron Ramsey
A year ago, Arsene Wenger was facing severe criticism for continuing to play Aaron Ramsey despite the latter’s apparent lack of form. But let’s face it, Wenger has been vindicated, and how! Ramsey has started this season in tremendous form, notching up his 6th goal in 7 appearances for the Gunners this season. The Welshman was unlucky to concede a penalty in the dying embers of the game but his overall defensive play was very good on the night as he made 5 key tackles and 1 interception.
Forwards
Wayne Rooney
After months of speculation linking Wayne Rooney to a move from Old Trafford, the Englishman seems to be winning back the support of the Manchester United fans in some style. Rooney scored twice and assisted Antonio Valencia in what is turning out to be a remarkable return to form for the 27-year-old. In the summer, David Moyes said Rooney could make history if he stayed at Old Trafford. The striker seems willing to execute his manager’s words into action. On Tuesday night, Rooney became just the fourth player in Manchester United’s history to score 200 goals for the club. He will surely be looking to surpass Bobby Charlton’s tally of 249 goals to become the all-time leading goal scorer for the Red Devils.
Cristiano Ronaldo
An incredible footballer put on another incredible performance to guide Real Madrid to a huge win against Galatasaray in Istanbul. Putting an abysmal first half behind him, Ronaldo picked up the pieces as he scored two goals from close range to give Los Blancos a comfortable 4-0 lead. Ronaldo had a chance to complete his hat-trick in the 81st minute, but he unselfishly played the ball to Karim Benzema for the Frenchman’s second goal of the game. But there was enough time for Ronaldo as he completed his hat-trick with a swashbuckling run and a devastating finish to hand the nine-time European champions a 6-1 win to begin their campaign in Europe.
Lionel Messi
Well, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick the previous night, you just knew Messi will have something up his sleeve. The little Argentine put on a majestic display for the Catalans as he scored his fourth Champions League hat-trick, the most by any player ever. The four-time Ballon d’Or winner started off the scoring with a beautifully placed free-kick past a hapless Kenneth Vermeer.
In the second half, Messi doubled his tally after a neat counter-attacking move from the Spanish champions. After Pique added a third, Messi caressed the ball into the net for his third and Barcelona’s fourth goal of the night. The 26-year-old is just 9 goals short of Raul’s all-time goal scoring record in the Champions League. If you are a betting man, you’d have to be a ridiculously brave man to bet against Messi breaking the record.