The fifth round of Champions League group games has been and gone, and with it we’ve got a slightly better picture of just who might be in the Last 16 and whose European dreams are all but over.
It was a mixed week for Premier League sides, with Manchester United and Newcastle both drawing on the road – the former after going 2-0 up at Galatasaray and the Magpies after a controversial 98th-minute penalty at Paris Saint-Germain.
Arsenal, meanwhile, thumped Lens 6-0, with Man City coming from behind to beat RB Leipzig 3-2 with Erling Haaland breaking yet another record.
But he was not the only one – his former Borussia Dortmund team-mate Jude Bellingham managed to etch his name into Real Madrid folklore by becoming the first Los Blancos star to score in each of his first four Champions League outings.
But which players truly excelled themselves on club football’s biggest stage? And who had an evening to forget in midweek? Here Mail Sport takes you through the Best and Worst XIs from gameweek five of the Champions League.
Arsenal put six past Ligue 1 side RC Lens in a dominant performance in north London
An Andre Onana howler gifted Galatasaray a goal in their 3-3 draw with Manchester United
Erling Haaland became the quickest to hit 40 Champions League goals in Man City’s comeback win over RB Leipzig
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WORST XI
Goalkeeper
Brice Samba – 5.1
The former Nottingham Forest keeper didn’t have the best of returns to English shores, shipping six against a dominant Arsenal side on Wednesday evening.
Defenders
Jonathan Gradit – 5.9
Gradit managed just 62 minutes before becoming the fourth change of the night after an unsuccessful night at the right of a back three.
Kevin Danso – 5.7
Perhaps unsurprising given the nature of the defeat, Danso is the third Lens name already on the worst XI, although he did see through the entirety of what was an improved second half performance.
Brice Samba, Jonathan Gradit and Kevin Danso were all on the receiving end of a 6-0 hammering from Arsenal
Sikou Niakate – 5.7
Niakate was only on the pitch for 31 minutes of Braga’s 1-1 draw with Union Berlin, and yet still was not the lowest scorer in the team – his 5.7 is however a damning indictment of his display.
Midfielders
Joao Mario (Porto) – 5.9
Just the 67 minutes and a yellow card in a 2-1 defeat on the road to Barcelona for the first of two Joao Marios – although his Benfica-playing counterpart did not allow Joao Cancelo to get past him with ease to equalise in the first half.
Adrien Thomasson – 6.1
On at the break with the somewhat sizeable task of overturning a then-5-0 deficit, it was always going to be a tall order for the midfielder, but he failed to offer much inspiration for his beleaguered team-mates.
Davy Klaassen – 6.1
Former Everton midfielder started the game on the left of an attacking four-man midfield unit but was little bother to the Benfica defence before being substituted on 68 minutes.
Porto’s Joao Mario was at fault for Barcelona’s equaliser having gone behind just two minutes prior
Davy Klaassen was uninspiring in an attacking midfield unit for Inter as they fought back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with Benfica
Angelino – 6.4
The best performer in the Worst XI but still only good enough for a 6.4, the former Man City left wing back was on the receiving end of a thrilling comeback by his former employers.
Forwards
Alvaro Morata – 5.9
It was a timid night at best in front of goal for Atletico Madrid’s former Chelsea striker, who had just 25 per cent of his shots on target against a Feyenoord team that twice shot themselves in the foot with own goals in a 3-1 defeat.
Olivier Giroud – 6.1
And his former team-mate at the Blues fared little better with a 6.1 rating after being beaten by Borussia Dortmund for AC Milan – despite missing a penalty after just six minutes.
Bradley Barcola – 5.6
Paris Saint-Germain’s performance against Newcastle left plenty to be desired, but coming off the bench for the final half hour, Barcola managed to stand out as a particularly poor part of the forward unit, according to Sofascore.
Two former Chelsea strikers in Olivier Giroud (left) and Alvaro Morata (right) struggled in front of goal this week
BEST XI
Goalkeeper
Dmytro Riznyk – 9.0
Shakhtar Donetsk stopper Riznyk was crucial to his side’s 1-0 win over Royal Antwerp, with six saves, three claims and an aerial duel win with the hosts having to protect a slender advantage for over 80 minutes of the game.
Defenders
Lewin Blum – 8.5
Goal and a clean sheet in the Champions League? You can’t really ask for much better! Blum took his goal well, coolly calming into the bottom corner, and worked well down the right-hand flank for the Swiss side in their 2-0 win over Red Star.
Mykola Matviyenko – 8.1
Matviyenko saw Blum’s goal and a clean sheet and matched him against the Belgian side, as well as six clearances, two blocks and two interceptions.
Mario Hermoso – 8.0
Hermoso ends the trend right there, but still managed to get the only goal by an Atletico player in their 3-1 dismissal of Feyenoord, although he let slip a goal at the back for Diego Simeone’s side.
Joao Cancelo – 10
The one perfect score of the week, Man City’s on-loan versatile full back Joao Cancelo was the star of the show for a victorious Barcelona. Five key passes, a 90 percent passing accuracy, two shots on target, six dribbles and a goal and an assist. Just a reminder – he’s a defender.
Dmytro Riznyk was exceptional in goal for Shakhtar Donetsk and kept his side ahead in their 1-0 win over Royal Antwerp
Joao Cancelo is on loan at Barcelona from Manchester City this season, having spent time at Bayern Munich last term
The Portuguese full back was the star of the show as Barcelona beat Porto 2-1 from a goal down
Midfielders
Bruno Fernandes – 8.5
Man United’s 3-3 draw was undeniably an awful result, considering they led 2-0 up, but Fernandes led by example throughout, with a goal and assist – just a shame his team-mates couldn’t match his efforts on the night.
Jude Bellingham – 9.0
By now there will be plenty of you out there crying “we get it, Bellingham is good at football”. But he’s not good – he’s exceptional.
There aren’t many that waltz into the Real Madrid team and have this good an impact, but the English star was once again on the scoresheet in Los Blancos’ 3-2 win at Napoli and led the way for the Spanish giants.
Joao Mario (Benfica) – 9.6
Perhaps unfortunate not to get a perfect 10, Benfica’s hat-trick hero had his side 3-0 up inside the first half before a capitulation after the break. A booking for dissent likely took the sheen of what was in all other senses a peerless performance.
Forwards
Hakim Ziyech – 9.2
Chelsea fans will perhaps rightly be asking where this Hakim Ziyech was for the last few seasons, but the Moroccan was back to his best against United, scoring two of his side’s three goals and constantly proved a thorn in Luke Shaw’s side.
Benfica’s Joao Mario was perhaps unlikely not to score a perfect 10 after netting a hat-trick
Hakim Ziyech was twice on the scoresheet for Galatasaray in their comeback draw with United
Gabriel Jesus led the line well for Arsenal and got on the scoresheet in the first half of the 6-0 win
Gabriel Jesus – 8.7
The forward that doesn’t score goals netted a brilliant second for the Gunners in their mauling of Lens, and put in a brilliant performance running up and down all night at the Emirates, both holding the line high and dropping deep to receive the ball and help the Gunners get out. A very big reason for the shortcomings of the Lens defence.
Phil Foden – 9.4
Not many would have had City 2-0 down at home to Leipzig on Tuesday, but such is his talent now, a fair few would have backed Foden to pick up the Player of the Match gong.
A goal and an assist after the break got the Citizens purring once more, and a thumping performance on the right of the four-person unit behind Erling Haaland. Gareth Southgate will be finding it harder and harder to leave the Stockport Iniesta out of his first XI next summer if he continues like this.
