Sports Mole picks its Team of the Week from the first legs of the Champions League semi-finals, including Jamal Musiala, Jadon Sancho and Vinicius Junior.
Both Champions League semi-finals are delicately poised ahead of the second legs next week.
Bayern Munich and Real Madrid played out a 2-2 draw at Allianz Arena on Tuesday evening in the first leg of their last-four clash, with Vinicius Junior netting a brace for the La Liga giants.
Borussia Dortmund then recorded a 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their semi-final in Germany, so the Bundesliga outfit will head to Paris next week with a narrow advantage.
Here, Sports Mole selects its standout XI from the first legs of the 2023-24 Champions League semi-finals, with a number of players putting in excellent performances.
DEFENCE
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There were only four goalkeepers to choose from, and neither Manuel Neuer nor Andriy Lunin particuarly stood out for Bayern or Real Madrid, while Gianluigi Donnarumma was not overly busy for PSG.
Gregor Kobel is the player to get the nod between the sticks, with the 26-year-old playing an important role in Dortmund’s 1-0 success over PSG, making three saves in total, while he was also commanding from high balls into his penalty box and is the only goalkeeper to have kept a clean sheet in this season’s semi-finals.
There are also two Dortmund defenders in the XI, with Nico Schlotterbeck and Ian Maatsen both in strong form on Tuesday night. The former actually provided the assist for Dortmund’s winning goal, while he made three tackles and boasted a pass success rate of 87% during a strong performance. Maatsen was also impressive, contributing both offensively and defensively to what was a solid display from BVB.
PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Marquinhos complete the defensive lineup, with the duo two of the French club’s strongest performers in the narrow loss in Germany. Hakimi hit the post in the second half of the contest and for the most part defended impressively, while Marquinhos was excellent in the middle of the back four and produced a standout block in the second period to deny Julian Brandt what looked to be a certain goal.
MIDFIELD
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Emre Can is also included for his performance in the Dortmund midfield against PSG, with the 30-year-old getting through a huge amount of work, and his constant running and protection of his back four were key contributors for the Bundesliga giants on Tuesday night.
Toni Kroos also had to make it, with the experienced midfielder in excellent form against Bayern. The 34-year-old provided a sensational assist for Vinicius to make the breakthrough at Allianz Arena, while he boasted a pass success rate of 96% during a stunning midfield performance against Thomas Tuchel‘s side.
The final midfield spot is awarded to Jamal Musiala, who was excellent for Bayern on Tuesday night. The Germany international caused Real Madrid’s stand-in right-back Lucas Vazquez all sorts of issues, and he won the penalty for Bayern to score their second at Allianz Arena. The 21-year-old also completed 31 of his 35 passes during a mature performance for the Munich giants.
ATTACK
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Vinicius Junior sails into the side, with the Brazilian coming up with a brace against Bayern on Tuesday night. The forward’s first was a cool finish past Neuer, and he then held his nerve to score from the penalty spot. Vinicius is undoubtedly now one of the best players in world football, and he again showed his class in this match.
The final two spots in the attack are taken up by Dortmund players, with Leroy Sane incredibly unfortunate to miss out after a strong performance for Bayern.
Niclas Fullkrug could have had a hat-trick against PSG, with the forward missing a couple of excellent chances, but he did find the back of the net in the first half with an excellent finish. It was a true centre-forward’s performance from the 31-year-old, who occupied PSG’s centre-backs and also brought his teammates into the match.
Jadon Sancho simply had to be included, meanwhile, due to his standout performance against PSG. The on-loan Manchester United attacker had 12 successful dribbles, while he completed 51 of his 58 passes and should have had a couple of assists. The 24-year-old has had a tricky couple of years, but he was back to his best in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with Nuno Mendes struggling to contain him.
SPORTS MOLE’S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole’s Champions League Team of the Week (4-4-2): Kobel; Hakimi, Schlotterbeck, Marquinhos, Maatsen; Can, Kroos, Musiala; Sancho, Fullkrug, Vinicius