Julio Cesar (Benfica):
Plenty of competition here with Handanovic doing superbly to keep Chelsea out on a number of occasions while Sporting Lisbon’s Rui Patricio made one superb stop in their clash against Schalke that was deserving of the most gushing platitudes.
But, the ex-QPR shot-stopper came up trumps with a magnificent individual performance against Monaco. In what was a tight affair (the Portuguese grabbed a 1-0 win), he made one save from Carrasco in particular that drew lavish praise.
Gregory van der Wiel (PSG):
All of PSG’s attacks against APOEL came down the right side and the full-back more than played his part. A terrific dynamic with Lucas, the duo made the Cypriots’ lives a misery all night. Little surprise that it was from van der Wiel’s delivery that Edinson Cavani scored the game’s only goal.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Dortmund):
In the absence of Mats Hummels, the Greek put in an assured, dominant performance in the middle of the Dortmund defence as they brushed aside the challenge of Galatasary.
He had already hit the crossbar with one effort before he grabbed Dortmund’s second goal early in the second half.
Jefferson (Sporting Lisbon):
Sporting’s equalising goal against Schalke may have been scored by Mo Naby Sarr but the assist from Jefferson was terrific – an in-swinging, pinpoint set-piece delivery.
He went one better in the second half though as he drilled a left-footed drive to the far corner to give his side a lead they never relinquished.
David Alaba (Bayern Munich):
The multi-functional Austrian was allowed more freedom against Roma and grabbed the opportunity with both hands. His movement and pace caused the Italians problems and he teed up Franck Ribery for the opening goal shortly before the interval.
After the break, he went close to scoring himself with a header while a free-kick wasn’t too far away either. The news that he picked up knee ligament damage and is set for a spell on the sidelines is a real blow for the Bavarians.
Lucas (PSG):
With his marauding runs down the wing, the Brazilian caused huge problems for APOEL and he very nearly conjured one of the best assists of the tournament when he played in Cavani with a sumptuous cross – the Uruguayan’s header coming back off the inside of the post.
Paul Pogba (Juventus):
The midfielder grabbed the all-important winning goal for Juventus as they came from behind to beat Olympiakos in Turin. Unsurprisingly, he popped up in the area at the perfect time and drilled a low shot to the net.
He went close before that when a close-range shot narrowly missed the corner and sitting alongside Pirlo, he was a constant menace for the Greeks.
Yacine Brahimi (Porto):
The 24 year-old grabbed an assist and a goal as the Portuguese giants beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and confirmed their place in the next stage. Earlier, he narrowly missed out on the opening goal when he hit the top of the bar with a free-kick.
He teed up Martinez for the first goal after a lovely run while he tucked away his own with composure.
Luiz Adriano (Shakhtar Donetsk):
The attacker has now scored 9 times in the tournament but 8 of those have come against BATE Borisov. Last night, he seemed to have an influence on everything positive that the Ukrainians did.
He scored a hat-trick but set-up Srna for the first after a cushioned pass. He was everywhere and incredibly economic in front of goal.
Seydou Doumbia (CSKA Moscow):
He’s been a lauded as a hero after his two-goal burst broke Manchester City’s hearts and he’s fully deserving of the praise.
The first goal was a fantastic header while the second showed off some great movement and awareness.
Lionel Messi (Barcelona):
Ajax played well in the first half and Barca were nowhere near their best. Then, after 36 minutes, Messi stepped up the plate once more and got his side out of jail.
Once the first goal went in, Ajax had to risk much more and when they were reduced to 10 men, it was never in doubt. But, it was Messi’s night and his second ensured he equalled Raul’s Champions League goals record.
Honourable mentions:
Jasmin Handanovic (Maribor), Luisao (Benfica), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Heung-Min Son (Bayer Leverkusen), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal), Nani (Sporting Lisbon)
