Champions League Team of the Week: Luis Suarez and Ricardo Quaresma Prove Lethal
It seems the goals were saved for Wednesday's games in the Champions League, as the quarter-finals of the competition got underway this week.
On Tuesday, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid played out a 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderon in a tight, bruising encounter. In Turin, Juventus edged AS Monaco 1-0 in a similarly hard-fought meeting of two obdurate sides.
On Wednesday, however, there were far more goals to be seen, as Barcelona and Porto beat Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, respectively, by the same 3-1 scoreline. One result was very much a surprise, the other perhaps slightly less so.
If defensive players had the upper hand on Tuesday, then it was undoubtedly the attacking players that dominated 24 hours later, and that is reflected in our team of the week.
Click on for our selection of the best performers from those four games.
Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak (Atletico Madrid)
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It was a slightly odd situation on Tuesday, with Atletico Madrid—the home side—seemingly content to take a 0-0 draw against Real Madrid as the final minutes played out at the Vicente Calderon.
That is perhaps not that unexpected considering the makeup of Diego Simeone's side, and they will presumably be reasonably confident of getting the job done at the Santiago Bernabeu. Regardless, the primary reason they kept an all-important clean sheet was down to their goalkeeper, Jan Oblak.
Oblak has been in and out of the side since joining for a sizeable transfer fee at the start of the season, but in the Champions League he has been the No. 1 and underlined why on Tuesday. In the first half alone he made a handful of fine saves to prevent Real from taking the lead, including a brilliant one-on-one stop to deny Gareth Bale.
Oblak continued to be impressive in the second half and was the primary reason Atleti avoided conceding a potentially decisive away goal. Oblak was the hero—now it will be interesting to see if his teammates can make the most of the platform in the return leg.
Defender: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
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Another team to keep an important clean sheet at home was Juventus, who clinched a slender 1-0 win over AS Monaco at the unimaginatively named Juventus Stadium.
Defensive excellence has long been the bedrock of any Italian club's success in European competition, and it looks to be no different for Max Allegri's side this season. On Tuesday it was Giorgio Chiellini who particularly caught the eye, the veteran Italy international marshalling his side to another clinical all-round performance.
After a slightly shaky start—when goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was called into action more than he might have liked—the Juve defence settled down and, with Chiellini as their usual anchor, held on to secure a valuable first-leg advantage.
Monaco now face the unenviable task of trying to penetrate the Juve defence at least once in the return leg.
Defender: Aymen Abdennour (Monaco)
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At the other end of the same pitch, Aymen Abdennour was elevating his own reputation even in defeat as Monaco gave Juventus a tough game.
Abdennour has had a stellar season for the French side, proving to be arguably the single most important player in one of the most resolute defences in French football. The Tunisian acquitted himself well against Juve's in-form attacking players, only denied a clean sheet as Ricardo Carvalho's foul on Alvaro Morata was dubiously decided to be inside the box.
Nevertheless, Abdennour had a solid individual display. At 25, it would be little surprise if he was on the radar of a number of big European clubs come the summer.
Defender: Raphael Varane (Real Madrid)
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Perhaps the most outstanding player on the pitch at the Vicente Calderon, Raphael Varane impressed everyone with his all-round display as Real secured a 0-0 draw in a difficult away game.
Almost flawless defensively all evening—where his aerial ability was much appreciated by his teammates—the Frenchman occasionally caught the eye further forward, including in one scintillating solo run from the back that almost ended in a Real goal.
Varane might not always be a guaranteed starter for Real, but this was an impressive display (against belligerent opponents) that will have been noted by Carlo Ancelotti.
Midfield: Casemiro (Porto)
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A well-organised, highly structured pressing game won the day for Porto against Bayern Munich, as they produced a surprise 3-1 win to give themselves a real chance in a tie that most assumed that was going to be utterly one-sided.
Casemiro was one successful part of that, the on-loan Real Madrid midfielder helping his side win the midfield battle for almost the entire 90 minutes.
Time and again the Brazilian won possession in midfield (winning seven tackles, according to Whoscored.com), helping change the momentum against a side that traditionally kills opponents by a thousand cuts.
He will need to be every bit as good, if not better, in the return leg if Porto are to progress, but this was a great individual display.
Midfield: Geoffrey Kondogbia (Monaco)
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After catching the eye in the surprise victory over Arsenal in the previous round, Geoffrey Kondogbia cemented his reputation as one of the most promising central midfielders in the European game in Turin on Tuesday.
He was another Monaco player unfortunate to be on the losing side, as he more than held his own against the likes of Arturo Vidal and Claudio Marchisio to give Leonardo Jardim's side a foothold in the match.
Kondogbia will perhaps have to be a touch more threatening in possession in the second leg if Monaco are to somehow overturn their deficit, but as far as away displays go this was a commendable effort from the 22-year-old.
Midfield: Arturo Vidal
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Arturo Vidal made the difference for his side this week, stepping up to the plate when it mattered and converting a crucial penalty to give Juventus the half-time advantage in their tie with Monaco.
Big players deliver in the biggest moments. Despite plenty of other suitable candidates in the team, it was the Chilean who took on the responsibility of taking the first-half spot-kick, thumping it emphatically into the top corner to put Allegri's side ahead.
Only time will tell how important that finish proves to be. Considering the defensive quality of both sides, it could yet prove to be the difference, sending Juve into the semi-finals.
Midfield: Blaise Matuidi (PSG)
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In a devastatingly disappointing evening for Paris Saint-Germain, captain Blaise Matuidi was the one shining light—unquestionably raising his reputation among the wider footballing public even as his team crumbled to a almost certainly fatal defeat.
As other key players watched from the sidelines or struggled in the spotlight, Matuidi was the only PSG player—Ezequiel Lavezzi perhaps excepted—to embrace the challenge and rise to it, hassling and harrying Barcelona whenever they threatened to dominate and almost single-handedly keeping his team in the contest.
On more than one occasion he received a standing ovation from the crowd, who were eager to recognise his remarkable individual efforts.
Ultimately a 3-1 defeat gives PSG little hope of progression, even with the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Marco Verratti poised to return for the second leg. Matuidi can at least hold his head high, however, knowing he did everything in his power to turn the tide.
Attacker: Ricardo Quaresma (Porto)
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Ricardo Quaresma struck twice inside the opening 10 minutes as Porto stole a surprising 3-1 win over an admittedly weakened Bayern Munich side on Wednesday.
The former Barcelona man scored from a third-minute penalty and then capitalised on Dante's mistake to double the advantage soon after, setting the tone for the most surprising result of the first-leg ties.
It remains to be seen if that is enough for Porto, but another performance like this from Quaresma will surely give the Portuguese side a remarkable, unexpected chance of reaching the final four.
Attacker: Neymar (Barcelona)
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In three games against PSG in his fledgling career Neymar has scored on every occasion—he seems to have the number of the French champions.
On this occasion it was a typically clinical finish, the Brazilian taking advantage of some sloppy opposition play to run beyond the defence and, when Lionel Messi played him in, taking a touch before coolly slotting his shot beyond Salvatore Sirigu.
At a point when the game was still even (Thiago Silva would soon limp off, dramatically changing things), Neymar's impact was critical. He continued to be a constant threat, his movement and touches opening up the game—eventually playing a part as the scoreline expanded to 3-0.
The game eventually finished 3-1, but it still feels like a job well done. Neymar was a key part of that.
Attacker: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)
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Luis Suarez was arguably the single most impressive player across the four ties this week, producing two moments of scintillating individual skill to put Barcelona at least half-way to the semi-finals.
It was unfortunate for David Luiz that both moments came against him, and perhaps only he will know how much his recent injury issues were the cause behind his eventual embarrassment. But Suarez is not exactly a player who has ever taken prisoners, and he ruthlessly exposed his opponent's problems to score twice and power Barca to a 3-1 win.
"Forwards are always trying to look for goals, and two good moves came off for me," Suarez told reporters afterward. "I had to do the two nutmegs, because it was the only option I had. A nice move came off, and the ball went in."
The first goal was brilliant—and out of nothing—as he nutmegged David Luiz before beating Marquinhos and holding off Maxwell, settling himself in time to slot a cool finish inside Sirigu's near post.
The second goal was even better, Suarez nutmegging Luiz once again before curling a right-foot shot that flew into the top corner of Sirigu's goal.
Lionel Messi was as good as ever, and Neymar got himself on the scoresheet, but it was Suarez who stole the headlines for his side. Since the start of the season, Suarez has slowly adjusted to life at his new club. After this game and his Clasico strike, it is pretty clear he is very much an equal partner in the club's outstanding attacking trident now.
