Champions League Team of the Week: Bayern Stars Dominate, Ronaldo Decides Derby
After four wildly different second legs this week, we now know the four teams who will be playing in the semi-finals of this season's Champions League.
On Tuesday, emboldened by a comfortable 3-1 first-leg advantage, Barcelona cruised to victory against a crushed Paris Saint-Germain side, ultimately winning 2-0 at the Nou Camp to complete an easy-as-you-like 5-1 aggregate win.
Elsewhere on the night, Porto started with a similar advantage over their opponents, but they ran into a Bayern Munich team in clinical form as Pep Guardiola's side won 6-1 at the Allianz Arena to progress in style, 7-4 on aggregate.
After that goalfest, perhaps it was inevitable that Wednesday's games would be two altogether more fraught affairs. Juventus drew 0-0 with Monaco in the Principality to progress 1-0 on aggregate, while at the Santiago Bernabeu it was Javier Hernandez's 88th-minute goal that ultimately ensured Real Madrid progressed at the expense of arch-rivals Atletico Madrid by the same scoreline.
Amid those four games, there were a number of impressive individual performances (although, perhaps unsurprisingly, not many of them came from Porto). For the purposes of our team of the week we have sorted those players into a 4-2-3-1 formation, in some cases ignoring the flank they usually play on in order fit them into the XI.
Click on for our selection from the week's games.
Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak
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Sometimes we don't get what we deserve in life. Jan Oblak was the standout player of the all-Madrid quarter-final—indeed, perhaps the standout player among all the quarter-final ties—yet he ended Wednesday night on the losing side, helpless as Atletico Madrid were once again knocked out of the Champions League by their arch-rivals.
Oblak did not put a foot wrong in the first leg, and he was similarly imperious in the second leg as well—amid the far more intimidating atmosphere of the Santiago Bernabeu.
He held almost every cross driven in his general direction (one flap, midway through the second half, proving not to be significant) and made a number of sparkling saves, most notably from Cristiano Ronaldo in a one-on-one situation where the Portuguese is almost never foiled.
Oblak was lucky on occasions, most notably when it was Javier Hernandez who was doing the shooting, so it was somewhat ironic that it ended up being the Mexican, not the Slovenian goalkeeper, who was celebrating at the final whistle.
There was little Oblak could do for Hernandez's winner, the goalkeeper circumvented completely by Cristiano Ronaldo's brilliance—as Atletico's defence finally succumbed following Arda Turan's earlier dismissal.
Perhaps Atletico were always going to be beaten; they hardly offered anything in an attacking sense of either leg. Oblak cannot be blamed for that, however, and he did everything in his power to keep his side in the tie for as long as possible.
He might not be Thibaut Courtois just yet, but on this evidence he is a viable long-term No. 1 for Los Colchoneros.
Full-Back: Dani Alves
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Perhaps the soon-to-be out-of-contract Dani Alves was looking to impress certain people on Tuesday—who can possibly say? Either way, the Brazilian was back to something approaching his very best as Barcelona cruised to victory against Paris Saint-Germain.
The 31-year-old has had a hit-and-miss season, but he was irresistible for the entire 90 minutes against PSG, providing the assist for one of Neymar's goals as Luis Enrique's side flexed their muscles in impressive fashion.
He cut inside on his left foot and put in the perfect ball for his compatriot, putting the tie beyond any conceivable tie.
Alves might not be at Barcelona beyond the end of the current season, but he will still be looking to add another Champions League title to his collection before he goes. This performance helped him take another step in that pursuit—in the process sending a positive message to any interested suitors who may or may not be out there.
Centre-Back: Leonardo Bonucci
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In truth all three of Juventus' central defenders could be selected in this position, and Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini can perhaps feel hard done-by not to be included. It is Leonardo Bonucci who gets the nod, however, the Italian almost note-perfect in another brilliant defensive display from the Bianconeri.
Juve knew that a clean sheet on Wednesday would guarantee their passage to the semi-finals, and that is exactly what Bonucci and his team-mates went out and delivered. Bar a first-minute slip, one that subsequently saw Chiellini booked for a particularly egregious handball, Monaco barely got a sniff at the Juventus goal, locked out by the brilliance of the visitors' back three.
The trio were all brilliant, but we can only choose one—Bonucci getting the nod because, unlike Chiellini, he did not get booked, and unlike Barzagli he never even looked stretched by the whole experience.
Centre-Back: Aymen Abdennour
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Juventus may have had three impressive central defenders on show on Wednesday, but there were four of them on the pitch overall. Even in defeat Aymen Abdennour impressed with his defensive instincts, the Tunisian international keeping his end of the bargain as Monaco too kept a clean sheet.
It was just unfortunate their attacking players could not step up to the plate, lacking that extra touch of quality to break down a defence like Juve's and get the one goal they needed to at least force extra time.
Judged on that evidence, they must have similar problems against Abdennour in training. The 25-year-old was brilliant against his journeyman partner, Andrea Raggi, making a number of vital last-ditch interventions to prevent the visitors from grabbing an away goal that would have finally killed off the tie.
Abdennour enhanced his reputation greatly over the two legs against Juventus, showing that great defending is not just confined to the Italian league. He may well have a few suitors in the summer.
Full-Back: Philipp Lahm
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Philipp Lahm may have played as a right-sided midfielder against Porto on Tuesday, but he slots back to his familiar full-back position in order to fit in our side. Nevertheless it was a true captain's performance from Lahm, who proved an unlikely catalyst for his side's memorable comeback.
Two goals down after the first leg, Bayern faced a significant uphill battle at the Allianz Arena—yet they erased the deficit almost immediately, eventually running out 6-1 winners.
As B/R's Jonathan Wilson pointed out, Lahm became the fulcrum of his side's attacking plan:
"The shape was almost a 4-4-2, with Philipp Lahm operating as a right-sided midfielder. He tucked in when Bayern were out of possession, with Mario Gotze staying higher up on the left—so the shape became a lop-sided 4-3-3—but once Bayern had the ball, Lahm pulled wide and regularly isolated Bruno Martins Indi, who struggled desperately.
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That movement opened up Porto time and time again, and the visitors paid the price on multiple occasions. Lahm's evolution as a footballer continues even now that he is the "wrong" side of 30, with the myriad ways he is being utilised only underlining the huge admiration and faith Pep Guardiola has in him.
Defensive Midfield: Marco Verratti
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Well, we had to try to squeeze a Paris Saint-Germain player in there, didn't we? It was tough, but in an otherwise painful tie for the French side it was Verratti who at least emerged with a modicum of credit following the second leg.
In the first leg it was Blaise Matuidi who excelled for his side amid widespread mediocrity, the temporary captain putting others to shame with his work rate and intensity. Verratti missed that game—and his team certainly missed him—but he returned for the Nou Camp, albeit with the tie already beyond his side's reach.
Nevertheless, Verratti was his side's one shining light for much of the game, fighting a losing battle in the heart of the midfield as Barca's prodigious attacking options pushed forward with pace and power. He won the ball time and time again while also giving his side brief, occasional respite with his typically astute use of possession.
For Verratti and his team it was a tough loss to swallow—as the above photo ably demonstrates—but he can at least reflect on the defeat knowing he did everything he could in his appearance at the Nou Camp.
Central Midfield: Thiago Alcantara
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Considering how long he has been out through injury over the last two seasons, it is remarkable how quickly Thiago Alcantara has returned to a level that must be considered world-class. On Wednesday he ran the show on occasions, underlining his particular talent with his incisive breaks between the lines and smart decision-making in the final third.
Thiago grabbed the game's important first goal after just 15 minutes, although Porto's manager will justifiably wonder how one of the game's smallest players managed to steal in and head home at the near post. From that point, however, the former Barcelona player was in sumptuous form, subsequently going on to provide the assist for Thomas Muller's first goal (the fourth of the game).
As WhoScored.com notes, Thiago was influential with the ball (four completed dribbles) and without it (four successful tackles). Bayern might have been without Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Franck Ribery for the game, but Thiago's presence was a significant reason why they still managed to progress—and with something to spare.
Left Wing: Neymar
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Another game against PSG, another goal for Neymar. The Brazilian has scored in all four of his games against the French side this season—and on Tuesday he got both in an exceedingly comfortable 2-0 win for Luis Enrique's team.
The French side simply do not seem to have the answer for Neymar, who tortured Gregory van der Wiel and Yohan Cabaye all evening and always seemed capable of creating a threat every time he took possession. In the first leg it was Luis Suarez who was the star, but this time around it was the other member of the attacking trio not named Lionel Messi who moved front and centre.
With the tournament now reaching the semi-finals, that is a brilliant position for Luis Enrique to be in. He has all three of his forwards in prolific form, something to strike fear into the hearts of whichever opponent they face.
As Neymar noted, per ESPN FC:
"We are in a good moment right now, in the Champions League, in La Liga, in everything. We need to keep going like this.
We played the same as we played in Paris, we played and we scored. We have taken steps forward and it was a good game.
I am happy with my season and we must continue like this to achieve our objectives. What we need to do is to keep advancing through the rounds, and reach the final.
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Right Wing: Cristiano Ronaldo
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Big players decide big games, and in one of the biggest games of the season it was Cristiano Ronaldo who ultimately made the difference against a resolute Atletico Madrid side.
Ronaldo is often portrayed as the game's ultimate egotist, the man who does everything short of putting himself before the team, but in the moment of truth on Wednesday night the Portuguese weighed up the situation and realised the odds were not in his favour.
No one would have begrudged him from shooting as he roared past the flat-footed Jose Gimenez—indeed, it would have been most in character—but Ronaldo, after surveying the results of his surging run and realising that Javier Hernandez was actually in a far better position, chose the selfless option and passed off the glory to his team-mate.
Hernandez scored, where Ronaldo could well have been denied, and Real were through to the next round. Ronaldo celebrated away from the striker—some habits die hard perhaps—but it was undeniable that he had made the decisive intervention of the game, securing a victory in a game that otherwise looked certain to be prolonged into extra time.
The entirety of Ronaldo's performance was perhaps not quite of the level we are familiar with, but he made his point in the end. For that alone he deserves his spot in the team of the week.
No. 10: Thomas Muller
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Perhaps unsurprisingly, considering the German champions scored six goals this week, it is two Bayern Munich players who complete our team of the week. Thomas Muller is the first of them, the idiosyncratic forward thriving against a bewildered Porto defence as he scored once and laid on two assists in a scintillating individual performance.
In many ways the Germany international seemed tailor-made for this game, the unique runs he makes and awkward style he has seeming to throw a Porto side that already seemed intimidated by the occasion further off their game plan.
His goal may have been fortunate—a deflection and then a Fabiano mistake allowing the ball to creep in—but his two assists were a clearer indication of his influence, as he dovetailed seamlessly with the likes of Thiago and Robert Lewandowski to deliver another huge home win for Bayern.
Predictable in his unpredictability, Muller underlined why he is such a huge asset to his side.
Striker: Robert Lewandowski
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Robert Lewandowski completes our team, the Polish striker a model of efficiency as he scored twice (and hit the woodwork) in the emphatic win over Porto.
This was the sort of game that underlined why Bayern decided to go with Lewandowski and dispense with the services of Mario Mandzukic, the Pole proving a slightly more refined, clinical leading man when the stakes are at their highest. He scored twice from just six shots on goal, with another of them clattering away off the post.
With Bayern needing to come back from a 3-1 deficit, it was vital their main striker had a strong game in front of goal, and that is exactly what he provided. But he was also a useful linkup man, coming deep to receive the ball and allow others—such as Mario Gotze and Muller—to run beyond him and create danger themselves.
For that the manager, Pep Guardiola, deserves much of the credit—after all, he was the mastermind behind the tactical plan that produced such an emphatic comeback. But his players implemented the game plan expertly, with Lewandowski one of many examples.
As Guardiola said afterwards to ZDF Television (via the BBC):
"It's easy to love my players now. I am the coach of extraordinary players. I didn't expect such a first half.
We can still play better. We lost the ball here and there and we can improve on that. We had a few problems in the second half. They had only a few chances in the second half but you should never relax in the Champions League.
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