The 2022/23 Champions League round of 16 was full of goals, events and Italian teams winning football games.
The aforementioned goals were mostly scored by Erling Haaland, the incidents included Frankfurt fans running into Naples, and the Italian teams’ wins meant three Serie A teams are in the quarter-finals for the first time since 2006.
So, after all that fun, here’s the 90-minute team for the Round of 16.
GK: Andre Ona – Two man-of-the-match outings against Porto in the round of 16, their clean sheets led Inter to their first quarter-final in over a decade.
RB: Giovanni Di Lorenzo – A goal and an assist for a player who is having the best season of his career.
CB: Dayot Upamecano – Matthijs de Ligt stole the headlines with his brilliant goal-line block in the second leg against PSG, but Upamecano was the standout defender in both legs. The French defender kept Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe fairly quiet, which is essentially a minor miracle.
CB: Owner Theo – AC Milan seem to find a new gem of a defender every season under Stefano Pioli, and this season’s gem is Malik Theo. The 21-year-old was outstanding in both legs against Tottenham Hotspur.
LB: Alphonso Davies – The Canadian’s two impressive performances against Paris Saint-Germain were instrumental in Bayern’s quarter-final run.
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CM: Kevin De Bruyne – His form in the Premier League has been up and down of late, but in Europe De Bruyne scored 10/10 from 90 minutes in his second leg showing against RB Leipzig.
Chief Minister: Jamal Musa The 2022/23 Bundesliga breakout star was fantastic in games against PSG, wreaking havoc with his clever movement in and around the penalty area.
RAM: Karim Benzema – Three more Champions League goals against Liverpool, the Ballon d’Or winner seemingly unstoppable in knockout round games.
LAM: Vinicius Junior – The Brazilian scored two 9/10s from 90 minutes for his four-goal contribution over two legs against Liverpool.
ST: Erling Haaland – Five goals in one game. Holland became one of only three players to achieve the feat on Tuesday. Others on this list? Lionel Messi and Luiz Adriano (of all people).
ST: Victor Osimahan – The best goal scored in any game in the round of 16 was Osmehan’s header against Frankfurt on Wednesday evening. It was one of three the 24-year-old scored in the last 16.
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On this edition of Transfer of conversationPart of the 90 Minute Podcast Network, Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey. And Toby Cudworth Discuss Harry Kane’s future at Tottenham Hotspur, Joao Felix potentially joining Chelsea on a permanent basis, David Raya, Marco Asensio, Alexis McAllister and more!
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