Champions League Team of the Week from Matchday 6
The group stages of the Champions League concluded on Tuesday and Wednesday, as the competition's 32 teams were finally whittled down to the 16 names who will go into the hat for Monday's first knockout-round draw.
Some big games on Matchday 6 helped decide which teams ultimately fell into which category, with Liverpool losing out to Basel in a dramatic match at Anfield and Manchester City producing an impressive away display to see off AS Roma.
There were also important results for the likes of Monaco, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona—who all go into the knockout rounds with some added confidence after impressive displays.
Here, in a 4-3-3 formation that shows an alarming disregard for defending, is our selection for the best XI from Matchday 6—with 11 different teams represented.
Goalkeeper: Silvio Proto
1 of 11
Anderlecht were already out of the competition heading into Tuesday's game against Borussia Dortmund (and had already been confirmed a Europa league berth), but goalkeeper Silvio Proto nevertheless produced a fine display to frustrate Jurgen Klopp's side in Germany.
The Belgian made eight fines saves over the course of the match, only being beaten once as Ciro Immobile found the back of the net shortly before the hour mark.
Dortmund pushed forward more and more as the game wore on but Proto proved impossible to beat, giving Anderlecht an away result to be proud of to conclude a group stage where they were hardly the whipping boys many expected.
Defender: Aymen Abdennour
2 of 11
Needing to win against Zenit St Petersburg to ensure they reached the knockout round, Monaco's crucial opening goal came from an unlikely source: central defender Aymen Abdennour.
The Tunisian fired home from close range after half-time, but his defensive work was equally impressive as he helped the French side to a pivotal 2-0 win. Top of their group, Monaco were one of the less likely success stories of the group stages—and Abdennour helped them confirm that.
Defender: Emir Spahic
3 of 11
The 34-year-old Spahic was the foundation of Bayer Leverkusen's 0-0 draw with Benfica on Tuesday night, even if they had already secured qualification for the knockout stages prior to kick-off.
Zenit poured forward in search of the goals they needed to salvage something (a Europa League spot) from the group stage all evening, but Spahic seemed to win everything he fought for—in the air and on the ground—as Leverkusen held firm.
The late sending off of his central defensive partner Omer Toprak underlined the pressure Spahic and Leverkusen were under all night, but the veteran used all his experience to meet the task and emerge with the result his side needed.
Defender: Jose Gimenez
4 of 11
Like Spahic, Gimenez was a rock in defence as Atletico Madrid held Juventus to a 0-0 draw, exactly the result they needed in order to ensure they topped Group A.
Usually in the shadow of his more experienced compatriot Diego Godin, the young Uruguayan was equally impressive on this occasion: The 19-year-old was dominant in the air even against the powerful Fernando Llorente.
Just 19, Gimenez appears to be a hugely promising talent.
Defender: Behrang Safari
5 of 11
His part in Lazar Markovic's sending off saw him receive some criticism in the English press, but that moment should not detract from Behrang Safari's all-round performance as Basel held Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield on Tuesday—qualifying for the last 16 as a result.
The full-back was resolute defensively but also often offered a valuable outlet going forward, as the Swiss champions produced an impressive performance against the struggling Premier League side.
Midfielder: Bastian Schweinsteiger
6 of 11
Bayern Munich cruised to a 3-0 victory over CSKA Moscow to round off a comfortable group stage on Wednesday—Bastian Schweinsteiger did not score, but he was the man pulling the strings all evening.
He touched the ball more than any of his team-mates, ending the night with one assist as he picked apart the Russian side with his precise passing and awareness.
MIdfielder: Samir Nasri
7 of 11
Manchester City went into Wednesday's must-win (or, at the very least, must-score-draw) meeting with Roma without Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, David Silva or Yaya Toure in their starting lineup. Unsurprisingly, then, they seemed to lack a real attacking threat for much of the evening—until Samir Nasri stepped up and delivered a brilliant goal to turn their European campaign around.
The Frenchman then provided the deft assist for Pablo Zabaleta's late clincher, in what was a great individual game for the ex-Arsenal man. City needed someone to step up and make the difference to salvage qualification from another difficult group stage—Nasri was that man.
Midfielder: Aaron Ramsey
8 of 11
By now everyone has surely seen Aaron Ramsey's blistering 30-yard strike against Galatasaray, the highlight of a thumping 4-1 win for the Premier League side as they so nearly stole away top spot in the group from Borussia Dortmund.
Ramsey eventually scored twice on the night, but it was his all-round display that caught the eye, the Welshman dominating all over the pitch in a way that became familiar last season but has often been missing so far this season.
This game suggested the "old" Ramsey is back: For Arsenal, that can only be great news.
Forward: Ricardo Kishna
9 of 11
Already out of qualification consideration, Ajax used Wednesday's game against APOEL Nicosia as something of an exhibition, showcasing the potential of some of their young players as they accelerated to a brilliant 4-0 win.
Ricardo Kishna did not get on the scoresheet but was a decisive presence throughout, tormenting the APOEL backbone time and time again as he was fed the ball down the left. The 19-year-old showed trickery, an eye for a pass and a desire to drive at goal—it was an impressive display of attacking play from one so young.
Forward: Gareth Bale
10 of 11
At the other end of the spectrum to Kishna, Gareth Bale was clinical as he got on the scoresheet in Real Madrid's 4-0 win over Ludogorets, a result that never appeared to be in any doubt.
Bale had an eye-watering nine shots over the course of the game, scoring once, but he also beat his man on countless occasions and contributed to another scintillating attacking display from Real on a night where (gasp) Cristiano Ronaldo was perhaps not quite at his best.
Striker: Luis Suarez
11 of 11
All three Barcelona superstars got on the scoresheet in the statement win over Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, but only one of them can get in our team of the week—and on this occasion we have gone for Suarez.
Lionel Messi was his usual brilliant self, and Neymar's goal was a thing of beauty, but Suarez caught the eye with his hunger and unselfish workrate—the Uruguayan providing the assist for Messi's classy equaliser before getting a reward for his hard work as he finished off an attacking move he helped start to confirm the three points.
The win confirmed Barcelona finished top of Group F, meaning they are now likely to be drawn with slightly more favourable opposition come Monday's draw. Turning it on in the big games is exactly why clubs like Barcelona pay the big money for players—on Wednesday Suarez lived up to his side of the bargain.
