🏆 UCL Awards: Toon enjoy the Burn, Lens surprise, Zaha achieves his goal | OneFootball

It just always delivers, doesn’t it?

The Champions League was back for matchweek two and once again gave us two nights of brilliant drama.

Here’s what we made of it.

Player of the Week

It’s a double award winner for us this week with a pair of Geordie boys taking the crown for Player of the Week.

Newcastle hadn’t hosted a Champions League game for two decades before Wednesday night as French giants Paris Saint-Germain came to town.

With an attack that boasted Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé and Randall Kolo Muani, expectations before the game were for that the Toon would make a good fist of it but eventually get overwhelmed by PSG’s quality.

What transpired could not have been further from the truth.

Eddie Howe’s side used the passion and intensity of the home support to their advantage and completely stunned the visitors into submission.

But it was a pair of home-grown lads who eventually took the plaudits with Dan Burn and Sean Longstaff doing what every Newcastle lad has dreamed of.

Burn’s towering header doubled the Magpies lead in the first half before Longstaff added their third just after half time with a low drive that got the better of Gianluigi Donnarumma.

It was a perfect night and one that will live forever in the history of the Tynesiders.

Team of the Week

Goal of the Week

Union Berlin were heartbroken again this week as for the second matchday in a row they lost a European game in the 94th minute.

The German side hosted their first ever Champions League fixture in front of a sell-out, 75,000 Olympiastadion crowd.

Sheraldo Becker was having the game of his life as his quickfire double gave Union a deserved lead.

Sikou Niakate then tapped in to pull Braga a goal back just before half time but almost immediately after the break came an a beauty from Bruma.

Receiving the ball just outside the area, Bruma curled a shot superbly from outside the post and into the top corner, just beating the outstretched hand of Frederik Rønnow.

In that moment, the momentum of the game changed and the Portuguese side would grab the winner with just seconds left.

Result of the Week

“It’s not even just the game, it’s the build-up. When we were driving here on the coach we were playing the Champions League music – it’s a different feeling. I’ve finally made it here. There’s nothing like it.”

It’s fair to say that Wilfried Zaha enjoyed making his first ever Champions League start on Tuesday.

The Ivory Coast international has waited a long time to tread the boards on the biggest stage of them all, but this week the former Manchester United winger finally did – against his old club.

Zaha endured a brief spell at Old Trafford a decade ago, becoming Sir Alex Ferguson’s last ever signing for the club but never playing for the great man as he retired over the summer of 2013.

Instead a young Zaha became a totem for everything that was going wrong at United as he eventually went out on loan to Cardiff and then back to Crystal Palace.

But after securing a switch to Galatasaray at the start of this season, Zaha has finally got his chance to play in the Champions League, and he took it with aplomb.

Zaha and the Turkish giants went to United this week and won 3-2 with Zaha getting the first of those with a delicate finish over André Onana.

Gala are now second in Group A with four points and face a double-header with Bayern Munich next.

Surprise of the Week

Lens may not have the most prestigious European pedigree but no one should take going to the Estadio Bollaert-Delelis lightly.

Franck Haise’s side have cultivated a fearsome reputation at home, having won 17 of their 19 games in front of their own supporters last season.

Arsenal came to town this week and the home faithful lived up to their billing, producing an astonishing noise for 90 minutes.

That was dulled somewhat early in the first half as Gabriel Jesus finished well to give the Gunners a lead.

But a strike apiece from Adrien Thomasson and Elye Wahi, the first of which was a stunner, gave Lens an historic 2-1 win.

Stat of the Week

Jude Bellingham’s ascension to the top of the world game continues at pace.

The Real Madrid midfielder was at it again this week as he scored one and assisted another as Real Madrid came from behind to beat Napoli 3-2 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona.

It means that the Englishman has now scored eight goals in the Champions League before turning 21, with only Erling Haaland (20), Kylian Mbappé (19), Karim Benzema (12) and Patrick Kluivert (8) getting more at that age.

Bellingham isn’t 21 until next June.

Quote of the Week

Pep Guardiola has coached a few decent players in his time.

But the Manchester City coach couldn’t have been more effusive towards Rico Lewis after the youngster helped City beat RB Leipzig 3-1 on Wednesday.

“What a player. What a player,” Guardiola told reporters after the game.

“18 years old. I have been a manager for 14, 15 years training unbelievable players. To find a player like him playing in the pockets, how he has to move in holding midfield, full-back coming inside moving in the spaces – he is one of the best I ever trained by far.”

Now that’s praise.