Historic hat-tricks by Dembélé and Martínez, Rodgers' record: the best XI of the Champions League Matchday 8

On January 29, the final round of the general stage of the Champions League took place.

Aston Villa defeated Celtic, while Barcelona squandered a win and first place in the standings against Atalanta. German clubs Bayern, Bayer, and Borussia comfortably beat Slovan, Sparta, and Shakhtar, respectively. Milan, playing with ten men, fell to Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal won away against Girona, and Benfica stunned Juventus. Inter dominated Monaco, while Lille demolished Feyenoord in a match featuring three (!) own goals.

Manchester City gave their fans a scare by conceding first against Club Brugge but responded with three goals to secure their place in the knockout stage. Liverpool dropped points for the first time this campaign, losing to PSV. Atlético Madrid and Real Madrid delivered away thrashings to Salzburg and Brest, while PSG edged Stuttgart. Sturm defeated Leipzig, and Crvena Zvezda overcame Young Boys. Sporting and Bologna played out a draw.

Here is the best XI of matchday 8 of the general stage of the Champions League.

Goalkeeper: Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica)

The Ukrainian goalkeeper redeemed himself after conceding five goals against Barcelona in the previous match. In the away game against Juventus, he made five saves and intercepted two crosses. Trubin also blocked one shot and cleared the ball once. This was his third clean sheet in eight matches.

Right-back: Benjamin Pavard (Inter)

Against Monaco, the defender recorded four clearances, three successful tackles, and one blocked shot. He completed 77 passes with a 93% accuracy rate and won six out of eight duels both on the ground and in the air. In the 52nd minute, Pavard nearly scored, but Monaco’s goalkeeper denied him.

Centre-back: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern)

Kimmich contributed two successful tackles, one clearance, and one blocked shot. He completed 88 passes with a 94% accuracy rate, including six key passes, five long balls, and four crosses. He created three goal-scoring opportunities and won five of six duels while successfully dribbling past an opponent.

Left-back: Ramy Bensebaini (Borussia Dortmund)

The Algerian defender made three clearances and three interceptions. He completed 44 passes with an 88% success rate and succeeded in two out of three dribble attempts. He also had two shots on target, scoring in the 79th minute to secure Borussia’s third goal in the 3-0 win over Shakhtar.

Defensive midfielder: Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City)

In the 53rd minute, the Croatian produced a brilliant solo run from midfield to the opposition’s box, scoring City’s first goal and sparking a comeback victory over Brugge. He completed 88 passes with a 97% accuracy rate, including one key pass and two accurate long balls. Kovačić won two of three ground duels and made one interception.

Central midfielder: Giuliano Simeone (Atlético Madrid)

By the 13th minute, the Argentine had already recorded a goal and an assist. In 59 minutes on the field, Simeone completed 23 passes (74% accuracy), created one goal-scoring chance, completed one successful dribble, and recorded one interception and one tackle.

Attacking midfielder: Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)

Rogers netted a hat-trick against Celtic and became the first player in Champions League history to score a brace within the first five minutes of a match. These were the first European goals of his career.

Right winger: Osame Sahraoui (Lille)

The Moroccan played a crucial role in Lille’s shocking demolition of Feyenoord. He opened the scoring in the 4th minute and provided an assist for the team’s sixth goal in the 80th minute.

Sahraoui completed 34 passes (89% accuracy), including one cross and three key passes. He created a goal-scoring opportunity, successfully completed four dribbles, won eight ground duels, and was fouled three times by Feyenoord players trying to stop him.

Left winger: Rodrygo (Real Madrid)

The Brazilian scored Real Madrid’s second and third goals against Brest and narrowly missed a hat-trick.

He completed 46 passes (92% accuracy), including two key passes and two long balls. All six of his dribble attempts were successful. Rodrygo won 11 of 12 ground duels, recorded five tackles, and made one interception.

Striker: Ousmane Dembélé (PSG)

The Frenchman scored three of PSG’s four goals against Stuttgart, converting all three of his shots on target. It was the first hat-trick of Dembélé’s Champions League career.

Additionally, he completed 41 passes (80% accuracy), including two crosses, and beat an opponent once with dribbling.

Striker: Lautaro Martínez (Inter)

The Argentine bagged a hat-trick in Inter’s win over Monaco, scoring twice from the penalty spot and once from open play. He also missed one goal-scoring opportunity and provided two key passes.

Coach: Fabio Cannavaro (Dinamo Zagreb)

Dinamo entered their match against Milan as underdogs, especially against a full-strength Rossoneri lineup. However, Cannavaro’s team was unfazed and pulled off a shocking victory. Only on goal difference did they fail to secure a place in the Champions League knockout stage.

"I see more of our strengths in this match than Milan’s weaknesses," Cannavaro stated after the game.