🏆 UCL Awards: Player, Team, Goal and Result of the Week | OneFootball

The Champions League returned this week with four games that you simply couldn’t look away from.

Here’s what we made of it.

Player of the Week

Real Madrid will feel like they got away with one this week, coming back from Leipzig with a narrow win and a chance to secure their place in the quarter-finals at Santiago Bernabéu.

Los Blancos won 1-0 thanks to a brilliant solo strike from Brahim Díaz but the real hero of the evening was goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

Lunin has been something of an afterthought in the Spanish capital since his arrival in 2018.

Three loan spells and just 20 first team appearances have meant that the Ukrainian shot-stopper had previously been looking for a way out this summer.

But an injury to Thibaut Courtois and some poor form from second-choice Kepa have seen Lunin get the nod in recent weeks.

And boy has the 25-year-old delivered. Lunin was sensational on Tuesday as he made five key saves to keep a clean sheet and avoid a shock at the Red Bull Arena.

Team of the Week

Goal of the Week

With commiserations to Brahim Díaz — who scored a wonderful individual effort in Real Madrid’s narrow win over RB Leipzig on Tuesday — our Goal of the Week goes to Bernardo Silva for his indolent flick against Copenhagen.

It was a goal that set Manchester City on their way to a comfortable win and it was also a goal that was just pure, pure Bernardo Silva.

Kevin De Bruyne’s tackle-come-shot found the Portugal international as he ghosted into the penalty area.

And with an effort that only he could have thought up, Bernardo Silva flicked the ball, without looking, past the goalkeeper with the outside of his left boot.

It left Pep Guardiola speechless on the sideline and helped his side put one foot into the next round.

Result of the Week

Parken was bouncing and the Copenhagen fans were up for it.

Having not played a competitive game for two months, supporters of the Danish giants brought their A-game to the highly-anticipated match-up with Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola’s men though, ultimately made it look very, very easy.

Copenhagen just could not cope with City’s pressing and ability to keep the ball at will, eventually losing 3-1 to the reigning champions.

Three brilliant goals from Phil Foden, Kevin De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva ensured that the Premier League behemoths virtually secured their spot in the last eight.

Surprise of the Week

Bayern Munich may have come into Wednesday’s clash with Lazio off the back of a demoralising defeat to Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen at the weekend.

But all indications were that Thomas Tuchel’s side would brush off that loss and come away from their trip to Rome with something approaching a result.

Confidence is a funny thing in football though, and right now, Bayern have precisely none of it.

The Bavarian giants looked relatively impressive in the first half with Harry Kane and Jamal Musiala missing chances they would, in other circumstances, definitely have taken.

Bayern would however, rue those misses as Dayot Upamecano lunged into a challenge inside the penalty area, received a red card for his troubles, and saw Ciro Immobile net from the penalty spot.

Maurizio Sarri’s side held out for a 1-0 win and go to the Allianz Arena in a few weeks with genuine hope.

Stat of the Week

Kylian Mbappé was at it again on Wednesday as he spearheaded Paris Saint-Germain’s 2-0 win over Real Sociedad.

Luis Enrique admitted after the game that his Parisiens side endured a “nightmare” first half with La Real causing the hosts untold problems.

But after the break, Mbappé upped his level and broke the deadlock just before the hour mark.

His back post volley meant that the World Cup winner has now been involved in 38 goals in his 30 appearances this term – the most of any player in Europe’s top five leagues.