Top 5 Star Performers from Champions League Matchday 3
The UEFA Champions League served up its usual billing of stunning displays on Matchday 3.
Arsenal kept their hopes of progression alive with an astounding 2-0 over Bayern Munich, while Manchester City secured an invaluable win against Sevilla thanks to Kevin De Bruyne's last-gasp strike.
We take a look at the five players who stood out in Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s games.
5. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)
1 of 5It was always going to take a special performance to beat Bayern Munich, and Arsenal certainly got one from Santi Cazorla.
Against a Bayern team that constantly harassed the Gunners, Cazorla offered composure, tenacious defending and great distribution in the middle of the pitch.
Deployed as a deep-lying central midfielder, the Spaniard has shown he’s more than willing to play a less glamorous role for Arsenal and allow the likes of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to score the goals.
Yet his exquisite technique remains, Cazorla rounding off his night with a perfectly weighted cross to set up Olivier Giroud’s goal.
If Cazorla can produce another polished performance in the return fixture, then there’s no reason why Arsenal can’t shock the German champions once again.
Featured media by The Gadfly.
4. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco (Atletico Madrid)
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Yannick Ferreira Carrasco was in inspired form as Atletico Madrid crushed Kazakh outfit Astana 4-0 on Wednesday.
The Belgium international set up Saul Niguez’s goal with a neat dribble and cross and then proceeded to dazzle Astana’s defence furthermore.
It’s been a good few days for Carrasco. On Sunday he netted his first goal for Atletico since signing from Monaco in the summer and on Tuesday showed just why Madrid were willing to spend £14.1 million on him, creating four chances, per Squawka.
He even found time to produce a wondrous piece of skill before half-time.
Carrasco hasn’t played many minutes for Atletico this season—Tuesday was his first Champions League game for the club—but after such a promising showing, it might be time for boss Diego Simeone to let the young talent loose.
3. Yacine Brahimi (Porto)
3 of 5Porto are on the verge of qualification thanks to a supreme performance from Yacine Brahimi.
The midfielder clinched a 2-0 win against Maccabi Tel Aviv with a well-taken goal and posed a constant threat, as this stat by Squawka shows: "Most successful take-ons in the Champions League last night: Yacine Brahimi (11) Douglas Costa (9) Neymar (7)."
Brahimi possesses all the traits coaches look for in an attacking midfielder: pace, dribbling, an eye for goal and an abundance of trickery.
Chelsea are interested in Brahimi, according to the Guardian, and if he continues to perform on the big stage, then it’s likely the midfielder will follow Jose Mourinho’s path and leave Porto for Stamford Bridge.
Featured media by MrBoywunderHD.
2. Miralem Pjanic (Roma)
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Roma’s game against Bayer Leverkusen featured a battle between dead-ball specialists, and Miralem Pjanic was the clear winner in his duel with Leverkusen’s Hakan Calhanoglu.
Pjanic played a part in two of Roma’s four goals, setting up Daniele De Rossi’s second goal with a perfect free-kick before scoring directly from one to give Roma a 3-2 lead.
Cristiano Ronaldo is acclaimed for his free-kick ability, but his record pales in comparison to Pjanic’s, per Goal UK: "Pjanic would have to miss his next 162 free-kicks to slip to Ronaldo's strike rate of 2.2 per cent!"
It’s hard to argue with Italy-based journalist Richard Whittle’s assessment: "Best free-kick specialist in the world!"
Pjanic scored his fourth free-kick of the season, but there’s more to his game than simply being a set-piece master.
The Bosnian midfielder had three shots on target, two key passes and 76 touches, more than any other player, in the game against Leverkusen.
In what has been a disappointing Champions League campaign for Roma—they are bottom of Group E with just two points—their hopes of progression rest on Pjanic’s shoulders.
1. Neymar (Barcelona)
5 of 5In Lionel Messi’s absence, Neymar has achieved the impossible and quashed the notion the Argentinian maestro is irreplaceable.
He produced a star display in Barcelona’s 2-0 win over BATE Borisov, assisting both of Ivan Rakitic’s goals and proving to be a menace for a defence that couldn’t cope with his skill or speed.
The highlights video showcases just how influential the Brazilian was. He was the focal point of Barcelona’s attack, and the vision to spot Rakitic for the Croatian’s second goal was astounding.
The stats speak for themselves. Per ESPN’s Dermot Corrigan, Neymar has either scored or set up all of Barcelona's last eight goals. WhoScored.com noted Neymar's production of eight key passes against BATE is the most made in a Champions League game since the start of last season. And the seven take-ons Squawka recorded him as producing was the third most of any player on Matchday 3.
Neymar is showing life after Messi might not be so bad.
Featured media by Teh Furious D.
