The third round of the UEFA Champions League group stage has concluded with Liverpool, Mancity, Tottenham and PSG all recording big wins. Mancity and PSG currently top their groups with 3 wins out of 3 games. Impressive stats.
We take a look at the performance of Africans at the Champions League third round as they represented their respective European club sides. We’re putting the best performers into an African XI of the third round.
Goalkeeper
Andre Onana (Cameroon) – Ajax
The 23-year-old made some good saves in his side’s 1-0 loss to English club Chelsea and couldn’t do much about the goal he conceded. It was a decent all-round performance from the shot-stopper.
Defenders
Serge Aurier (Ivory Coast) – Tottenham Hotspur
The Ivorian had a good game as he helped his side to a clean sheet in a 5-0 win over Red Star Belgrade. He also assisted Erik Lamela’s fourth goal and slowly becoming a mainstay in this Spurs team.
Brian Idowu (Nigeria) – Lokomotiv Moscow
The Nigerian defender was on the losing side as Lokomotiv Moscow saw an early goal advantage slip as they lost 2-1 to Juventus. He did, however, leave his mark on the game as he stood firm against the duo of Paulo Dybala and Juan Cuadrado.
Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal) – Napoli
The big centre back who is arguably Africa’s best defender, had a good game with perfectly timed tackles and interceptions as Napoli claimed a 3-2 win at Salzburg.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – Dortmund
Hakimi was on the end of a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan but still offered his team chances with his runs from deep. The Moroccan played all 90 minutes and made some vital tackles.
Midfielders
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) – Manchester City
The 2019 AFCON winner played all 90 minutes and assisted Raheem Sterling’s fifth goal in a 5-1 win over Atalanta. He also carved a few openings for himself and was a constant threat on the right side of the City attack.
Thomas Partey (Ghana) – Atletico Madrid
The Ghanaian midfielder is fast becoming a key member of the Atletico Madrid set up and gave another solid showing in their 1-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen.
Naby Keita (Guinea) – Liverpool
The midfielder made his first start since his return from injury and played all 90 minutes in a comfortable 4-1 win for the Reds.
Strikers
Youssef El Arabi (Morocco) – Olympiacos
The Moroccan forward scored the opening goal for Olympiacos and came close to adding a second before German giants Bayern Munich rallied back to win the game 3-2.
Sadio Mane (Senegal) – Liverpool
The in-form Senegalese attacker got a goal and an assist in a dominant 4-1 for Liverpool over Genk. He continued his impressive form this season and is the club’s top scorer.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – Liverpool
The reigning African footballer of the year made a return from injury and scored the fourth goal in a comfortable 4-1 win for Liverpool.
