Haaland fires for Man City, James inspires Chelsea: Champions League team of the week

Several standout performances from the third round of the group stage

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK (4-3-3): GK Allan McGregor (Rangers). His team were largely outclassed at Liverpool but, without 40-year-old McGregor’s heroics, a 2-0 scoreline - both goals from well-struck dead balls - might have been five or six. His catalogue of saves included a brilliant denial of a Diogo Jota effort. PA

RB Reece James (Chelsea). Had some taxing moments against Rafael Leao in the emphatic win against AC Milan, but his drive and eye for opportunity soon came into its own. A James cross provided the second goal; a James rocket put the full-back on the scoresheet in the 3-0 win.

CB Antonio Silva (Benfica). The 18-year-old faced up to Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe in what was only the eighth match of his senior career. The coveted centre-back passed the test with flying colours, with a mature, confident performance in the 1-1 draw with PSG. AFP

CB Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt). The Japanese veteran used all his positional guile to tame a formidable Tottenham Hotspur front three, was strong in the air, and showed an athleticism that belied his age: Hasebe will be 39 in January and can count the goalless draw with Spurs as proof of his endurance. AFP

LB Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund). A show-stealer of an opening goal put Dortmund on the front foot at Sevilla, and in a game - a 4-1 win for the German club - of energy but not always the highest individual quality, the Portuguese full-back provided some moments of class. AFP

RM Hakan Calhanoglu (Inter Milan). Taking up a deeper than usual position against Barcelona, Calhanoglu showed that, however far from goal, he’s still a threat. Had tested Marc-Andre ter Stegen from huge distance before another long shot, precisely struck, gave Inter a crucial 1-0 win. AFP

CM Andre-Franck Zambo Anguissa (Napoli). Another commanding, textbook midfield display from the Cameroon international. His two assists in the 6-1 victory at Ajax took him to three in three games in the Champions League. One of the stars of Napoli’s dazzling 2022-23 so far. AFP

LM Angel Di Maria (Juventus). Where would Juve be in the Champions League without Di Maria? They gained their first European points of a sluggish campaign thanks mostly to the Argentinian’s passes, Di Maria providing the coherent vision for an anxious team in the 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa. Getty

RW Ferran Jutgla (Bruges). The upstart Belgian club are the revelation of the competition. Their sturdy Spanish striker, signed from Barcelona, is making quite a name for himself. His second goal in the Champions League season, and his second assist, made it three wins out of three against Atletico Madrid. AFP

CF Erling Haaland (Man City). Two ways of stopping Erling Haaland scoring hat-tricks in every outing at the Etihad? Score an own goal before the ball reaches him. Or take him off at half-time. In his 45 minutes against Copenhagen, Haaland scored twice and would likely have had a third had David Khocholava not turned the ball past his own keeper. PA

LW Kvicha Kvaratshkelia (Napoli). An elegantly taken goal decorated a dazzling night against Ajax for the in-form young Georgian winger. He had provided the cross for the second goal of the rout before scoring the fifth - his eighth for club and country in a breakout season for the 21-year-old. Reuters

The third round of the 2022/23 Champions League group stage took place this week and it was packed largely with goals.

None more so than in Group A on Tuesday, where high-flying Napoli crushed Ajax 6-1 in Amsterdam to extend their perfect start to the campaign. Liverpool could have racked up a similar score were it not for the heroics of Rangers goalkeeper Allan McGregor at Anfield, but the Premier League side still ran out comfortable 2-0 winners.

Group B featured a pair of 2-0 wins for the home teams, with Club Brugge continuing their superb form by defeating Atletico Madrid to sit top of the table, while Porto beat Bayer Leverkusen to move into second, level on points with the other two sides chasing the Belgian club.

Bayern Munich also made in three wins from three with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen, but Barcelona face a fight to advance from Group C after a 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan.

It's all to play for at the halfway stage in Group D after bottom side Marseille earned their first win in fine style, defeating leaders Sporting 4-1 in France, while Eintracht Frankfurt and Tottenham played out a goalless draw.

In Group E, Chelsea surged into second after collecting their first win of the campaign with an impressive 3-0 victory over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge. The Blues sit one point behind RB Salzburg after their 1-0 win against Dinamo Zagreb.

Group F went as expected this week, with champions Real Madrid moving on to nine points by edging past Shakhtar Donetsk 2-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu, while RB Leipzig closed the gap on Shakhtar to one point with a 3-1 win against Celtic.

There were 10 goals in total in Group G as Manchester City continued their free-scoring ways by dominating FC Copenhagen 5-0, and Borussia Dortmund claimed a 4-1 win at Sevilla to solidify second place.

Benfica and Paris Saint-Germain claimed a point each from their 1-1 draw in Group H and remain level on seven points, while Juventus are off the mark with a 3-1 win over Maccabi Haifa.

Reflecting on the individual performances from the third round, Ian Hawkey has selected his Champions League team of the week in the photo gallery above. To move on to the next photo, click on the arrows or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.