Champions League team of the round - quarter-finals

15 April 2021 14:50

The Champions League quarter-finals are done and dusted, leaving us with memories of some of the best European games of the past few years.

From the rubble emerged Chelsea, Manchester City, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, who will butt heads in the semi-finals for a spot in the biggest match in the European calendar.

Let's take a look at 90min's top performers from the quarter-finals.


1. Goalkeeper & defenders

Navas was in excellent form | FRANCK FIFE/Getty Images

Keylor Navas (GK) - With a round-high 14 saves to his name, it's clear that Navas had his work cut out for him to guide PSG past Bayern Munich. Arch-nemesis Thibaut Courtois came close, but Navas edges this one.

Reece James (RB) - Primarily known for his attacking, James was outstanding defensively in Chelsea's triumph over Porto. The kind of performance which will have impressed England boss Gareth Southgate.

Ruben Dias (CB) - Nobody made more blocks than the five offered up by Man City's Dias, who had his work cut out keeping Erling Haaland quiet.

Nacho Fernandez (CB) - With both Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane sidelined, Nacho stepped up and led by example as Real expertly dealt with Liverpool's forward line.

Ben Chilwell (LB) - Chilwell's 85th-minute strike in Sevilla ended up being the difference for Chelsea, who were only undone by a moment of magic by Porto late on in the return leg.

2. Midfielders

Foden had two excellent games | BSR Agency/Getty Images

Casemiro (DM) - Emre Can could have sealed this spot for his game-winning assist for Man City, but instead, we'll have to go with Casemiro, who made more tackles than anyone else in this round.

Jude Bellingham (CM) - This felt like a statement from Bellingham. He was robbed of a goal in the first leg before making up for it in the second, shining bright on the biggest stage. He's here.

Phil Foden (CM) - England's future is bright. Foden netted the winning goal in both legs for City, and against a Dortmund side full of young superstars, it was Foden who made the biggest impact.

3. Forwards

Mbappe put Bayern to the sword | Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

Vinicius Junior (RW) - Not exactly known for his goalscoring, Vinicius made no mistake in front of Alisson as his two goals in the first leg gave Real Madrid an insurmountable lead over Liverpool.

Kylian Mbappe (ST) - Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting nearly had this one in the bag, but we can't ignore Mbappe's double in the first leg over Bayern. It takes a special player to pull that off.

Neymar (LW) - Perhaps the top performer of the entire round, Neymar was utterly superb against Bayern. He bagged two assists in the first leg and was unplayable in the second.


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Source: 90min