Another thrilling weekend of European football has come and gone, and with it, plenty of standout performances across the continent’s elite competitions. From dramatic late goals in the Premier League to midfield masterclasses in La Liga and the Bundesliga, the top five leagues once again delivered moments of brilliance that defined their respective matchdays. Here’s our look at this week’s Team of the Week, highlighting the stars who shone brightest across England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France.
Emiliano Martinez
Aston Villa’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth yesterday sends Unai Emery’s side to their fourth straight win. Martinez generated a string of saves to keep their clean sheet intact. After Morgan Rogers handled the ball in the penalty area, Antoine Semenyo stepped up to the spot to attempt to change the scoreline to 2-1. However, Martinez made an excellent one-handed stop diving to his right to ensure that the Cherries stayed scoreless. Further, Bournemouth got a break from a Villa corner, with Semenyo driving deep into the attacking half. After his shot was blocked by McGinn, the ball fell kindly to Scott. Martinez backtracked and stretched brilliantly with a top-hand save to tip the shot over the bar, a stunning save.
Alexis Saelemaekers
AC Milan’s 2-2 draw to Parma leaves fans unhappy after blowing a two-goal lead in a thrilling match. A win for Milan would have sent them to second place, with Parma on the brink of relegation. The game started in the 12th minute with a low shot drilled into the corner by Alexis Saelemaekers, a fantastic start for Milan. Less than 10 minutes later, he drove into the box, chopping by two Parma defenders before drawing a penalty from Ndiaye lunging on top of him, where Rafael Leao polished off the chance.
Early in the second half, Ndiaye was subbed out, highlighting the Belgian left back’s quality of play. Finally, after a Maignan save, Leao puts Saelemakers on goal after a counterattack. Two Parma defenders were in his way, where he delayed the shot to have a better angle, where he sent his shot wide, a great opportunity for I Rossoneri to equalise.
Danilho Doekhi
Union Berlin’s 2-2 draw to end Bayern Munich’s 16-game win streak leaves the fans ecstatic to take a point away from that fixture. After a corner in the middle of the first half, Danilho Doekhi attempts a half volley aimed right at the keeper, where Neuer fumbled an easy save on his own goal line, sending the 11th placed side in front. In the 83rd minute, Khedira floated a free kick into the box, and Kane failed to head it away. Doekhi scored the goal at home to have his brace, along with his interception and 6 clearances made to round off his excellent performance against the German giants.
Leo Oestigaard
Genoa’s 2-2 draw to Fiorentina was a relegation battle, with Genoa happy to go unbeaten for a second game. In the 15th minute, Aaron Martin crossed the ball into the box after a free kick was awarded on the right wing, where Leo Oestigaard headed the ball from the middle of the box to the bottom right corner to put the 18th-placed side ahead. After conceding 2 goals and missing a penalty, another free kick was awarded in the 60th minute.
Aaron Martin crossed the ball into the box again, where a header from Thorsby went into the sky, and Oestigaard’s header was blocked by United legend David De Gea. After the ball was blocked, he deflected the ball to a grounded Colombo, who sent a strong ground ball to equalise the match. A strong performance from the center back, including an interception and 9 clearances.
Matheus Nunes
Manchester City’s 3-0 win over Liverpool put the Sky Blues into second place, a fantastic result for Guardiola’s 1000th match as a manager. In the 29th minute, Nunes crossed the ball in from the right-hand side with a perfect ball to Haaland for him to head the ball into the top right-hand corner. Just before half-time, Nunes played an inside ball to Bernardo Silva, who made an even simpler ball to Nico Gonzalez, whose shot was deflected to give the Portuguese defender the hockey assist. No goals were conceded by City, and Nunes’ performance included 2 interceptions and 6 clearances.
Jeremy Doku
In the same game, left winger Jeremy Doku consistently challenged Liverpool’s defenses. In minute 2, he set off on a surging run to cross the halfway line before his cross was blocked by Wirtz. Soon after, a mix-up between Bradley and Konate allowed Doku to recover possession in the box, where he attempted a shot before falling over, with the chance blocked by Mamardashvili. The chance produced a penalty, as there was limited contact from the keeper on the Belgian winger, which was unfortunately saved by the keeper.
Doku produced another chance in minute 17, where he feigned that he’d pass to Cherki inside before cutting towards the outline, unluckily deflected by the keeper for a corner. In the 63rd minute, Doku received the ball outside the box, where he cut onto his right foot and curled a beautiful strike into the top right corner, a deserved goal for his efforts yesterday. With 7 successful dribbles, 11 touches in the box, and 3 chances created, a dominant performance from the City winger when he came off with a standing ovation in minute 74.
Ibrahim Maza
Bayer Leverkusen’s 6-0 win over FC Heidenheim was a lovely bounce-back win after a loss against Bayern Munich last week. After just two minutes, Ibrahim Maza won possession in midfield before finding Poku, who assisted the first goal by Patrick Schick. Just before the end of the first half, Maza finished Aleix Garcia’s well-placed cross to send the lead to 5 goals ahead. Eight minutes into the second half, the 19-year-old received the ball from Tapsoba and promptly drove by a defender before scoring with a masterful finish for his second goal of the afternoon. He almost saw his hat-trick shortly after, as his attempt was deflected wide.
Antoine Griezmann
Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 win over relegation-battling side Levante was won by super sub Antoine Griezmann, scoring his only 2 shots on target in his 30 minutes of play. Less than 30 seconds after entering the pitch, his run through the center of the box placed him perfectly to receive the ball from Marcos Llorente. After Levante turned the ball over to Griezmann, he passed the ball off to Alvarez on the left wing. His shot was deflected before being well placed for our super sub to punch the ball home to seal the victory with 10 minutes to spare.
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal’s 2-2 draw to recently-promoted side Sunderland allows them to preserve their unbeaten run. Late in the first half, Bukayo Saka danced around a number of challenges before his tame shot sat up kindly for Roefs. He then found Saliba in the box unmarked, who unfortunately squandered a golden opportunity, sending it over the bar and going into the break behind. In the second half, Le Fee turned the ball over to Merino, feeding the starboy who fired a low shot with his weaker right foot, scoring his first goal outside London in 19 months. Reinildo also received a yellow card after pulling Saka’s shorts after skipping past the defender.
Wesley Said
RC Lens’ 4-1 win over Monaco was important for European placement next season, moving Lens into 3rd place. After a turnover in midfield, Edouard found Wesley Said on the left side of the box for a powerful strike into the top left corner, putting Lens ahead again near the end of the first half. In the middle of the second half, Thauvin whipped a ball into the box from a corner, finding the head of Said to place the ball over the keeper to make a 3-goal gap over a 10-man Monaco side, sealing the victory.
Robert Lewandowski
FC Barcelona’s 4-2 win over 13th placed Celta Vigo was spearheaded by a hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski to move within 3 points of Real Madrid. Within the first five minutes, a cross from Yamal was deflected to Lewa, whose volley was easily saved by Radu. After a penalty was awarded in minute 10, The Body punched it home to open an early lead. Nearing the end of the first half, a Rashford cross was tapped in between the legs of the keeper to reopen the one-goal lead.
In the middle of the second half, Fermin Lopez crossed the ball into the Polish striker, but his shot was unfortunately deflected over the crossbar by Starfelt. The hat-trick was completed from another Rashford cross, where his header from the corner flicked the ball into the bottom corner, completing a fantastic evening for Barca. His 5 shots on target from just 28 touches produced a man-of-the-match performance, boosting title hopes.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Honorable Mentions
There were too many players to place in the Team of the Week, so here are some notable performances that didn’t make the cut. Joao Pedro from Chelsea found the back of the net after a through ball from Estevao, finalising a fantastic performance in his 100th Premier League appearance. Viktor Tsygankov from Girona scored the lone goal against Alaves with a header from the center of the box into the bottom right corner, pushing them off the bottom of La Liga. Domenico Berardi of Sassuolo had a brace from a penalty and along with a left-footed shot to the bottom left corner, as well as assisting Pinamonti’s goal in a man-of-the-match performance against Atalanta.
