💫 UCL Awards: Rocky impressions, tongue twisters, penalty woes | OneFootball

With two stunning nights of Champions League action over, here are our awards …

The Rocky Balboa Award

Real Madrid are never, ever, out for the count. They might not quite be the underdog that Rocky Balboa always was but they are just as adept at picking themselves off the canvas.

At 2-0, you felt they were in trouble. And they made you feel foolish.

The Italian Job Award

Whisper it quietly but after some down years on the biggest stage, is Serie A ready to come roaring out of the shadows?

The Three Lions Award for Worst Penalty Takers

Napoli are on fire and they are not for stopping. Unless you get them to the penalty spot.

Including one retaken effort, they have now attempted four penalties and not found the net with a single one.

The Get Comfortable Award

Manchester City’s substitutes were going nowhere in Leipzig.

You can always trust Pep Guardiola to spring a frustrating surprise.

The Friendly Fire Award

Not for the first time this year, Inter team-mates were involved in a heated and amusing bust-up when André Onana and Edin Džeko exchanged words.

It may have been worse had Hakan Çalhanoğlu not forced the goalkeeper to end his tirade.

The Old School Goalkeeping Award

Goalkeepers are good with their feet nowadays. Usually.

So we had a bit of a throwback at Anfield, with both Thibaut Courtois and Alisson fumbling their lines in possession with mistakes that led to goals.

The African King Award

Liverpool fans already call Mohamed Salah their Egyptian King. What about African King? Or King of Europe? That might be more fitting, now he is the joint all-time top African scorer in Champions League history.

The Tongue Twister Award

Challenge: Say that sentence 10 times fast.

The Sweet 16 Award

He loves this competition.

The Dead Rubber Award

That Randal Kolo Muani red card probably meant an away win by at least two goals is too tall an ask for Frankfurt.

And Jürgen Klopp had admitted Liverpool’s tie is already out. Those second legs are not set up for much excitement.