Matchday three of the 2023/24 Champions League season had a bit of everything for football fans to enjoy.
We witnessed dramatic last-minute action (at Old Trafford), thrilling high-scoring draws (at Parkhead) and midfield masterclasses (at the Parc des Princes).
And after all that fun, here’s 90min’s Champions League team of the week.
GK: Andre Onana (Manchester United)
Having been rather, well, bad in the first two matchdays of the 2023/24 Champions League season, Andre Onana finally looked back to his best this week.
The new Man Utd number one made a number of crucial saves during the win over Kobenhavn on Tuesday evening, including a last-minute stop to deny Henrik Larsson’s son Jordan from the spot.
A top performance from a top goalkeeper.
RB: Przemyslaw Frankowski (Lens)
Przemyslaw Frankowski earned his spot in this team because he momentarily turned into David Beckham in Lens’ 1-1 draw with PSV Eindhoven, whipping a stunning cross in to assist Elye Wahi’s equalising goal.
With two assists in three games in the Champions League, Frankowski has taken to life in Europe’s elite competition like a duck to water.
CB: Harry Maguire (Manchester United)
Having been stripped of the Man Utd captaincy and nearly forced out the door in the summer, it’s fair to say that Harry Maguire starring for the club in a Champions League win during the 2023/24 season is rather surprising.
And yet, here we are, with Maguire in a team of the week after scoring a winning goal for the Red Devils in a crucial Champions League game.
Quite the turnaround.
CB: Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund)
Schlotterbeck earned himself a 9/10 in 90min’s player ratings on Wednesday evening thanks to a truly brilliant performance in the 1-0 win over Newcastle United.
The centre-back won 100% of his defensive duels and made four clearances in the defensive third, while at the other end of the pitch, he set up the winning goal with a clever ball into the path of Felix Nmecha.
LB: David Raum (RB Leipzig)
This is David Raum’s second inclusion in the 90min Champions League team of the week already this season, and a well-deserved inclusion at that.
The full-back was once again impressive in RB Leipzig’s clash with Crvena Zvezda, scoring the opening goal of the game in a 3-1 win.
RM: Fermin Lopez (Barcelona)
Having not really looked capable of hitting a barn door in La Liga at the weekend – missing a few huge chances in Barcelona‘s eventual win over Athletic Club – Fermin Lopez found his shooting boots in time for the game against Shakhtar Donetsk in midweek.
The 20-year-old scored a face-melter of a goal in the win, drifting past a defender with a deft drop of the shoulder before rifling the ball off the inside of the post and into the net.
CM: Warren Zaire-Emery (Paris Saint-Germain)
17 years old and by far the best player in a game between Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan in the Champions League, it’s fair to say that Warren Zaire-Emery is so good that he may be worth the ignominy of playing as PSG in FM24 this year.
Zaire-Emery’s two assists and eight ball recoveries were a sight to behold on Wednesday in PSG’s 3-0 win.
CM: Luka Modric (Real Madrid)
From a 17-year-old prodigy to a 38-year-old candidate for the greatest midfielder of all time.
Having been in and out of the Madrid line up recently, Modric put in a magnificent performance against Braga this week, completing 99% of his passes, creating seven chances and making six ball recoveries.
Honestly, we have no idea how he’s still this good.
LM: Xavi Simons (RB Leipzig)
Xavi Simons has been one of the best players in the Bundesliga so far this season, bagging seven goal contributions in eight games, and he brought that fine form over to the continental front during the week too.
The 20-year-old scored one of the goals of the Champions League season so far in the victory over Crvena Zvezda, curling wonderfully into the top corner from all of 30 yards out.
ST: Evanilson (Porto)
Things weren’t going particularly well for Porto against Royal Antwerp until Evanilson came off the bench.
Then business picked up.
The Brazilian striker bagged a second-half hat-trick to completely turn the game on its head and show why so many high-profile clubs are keeping a close eye on his progress.
ST: Santiago Gimenez (PSV Eindhoven)
It’s pretty easy to see why literally every top football club in Europe has been monitoring Santiago Gimenez in the early weeks of the 2023/24 season.
The 22-year-old has absolutely everything you’d want from a modern number nine, and he showcased that during Feyenoord’s emphatic win over Lazio.
Gimenez showed off his pace, power, finishing ability and knack for being in the right place at the right time to bag a brace in the win – his 17th and 18th goals of the season already.
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