UEFA Champions League: Forebet’s Team of the Group Stage
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With the UEFA Champions League group stage in the books, it’s time to pay homage to the best players from the opening phase of the competition.
As always, the first six matchdays dished up countless memorable moments. But which players stood out from the crowd?
Here is Forebet’s team of the group stage.
• Thibaut Courtois (Real Madrid)
Not only did Courtois concede just three goals in six group games, but he also kept four clean sheets along the way. The Real Madrid shot-stopper prevented Inter Milan from scoring on two occasions, as well as Shakhtar Donetsk and Sheriff.
• Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
Across five group games, Cancelo bagged two goals – netting in Manchester City’s 6-3 thrashing of RB Leipzig, as well as the 5-1 crushing of Club Brugge. The Portuguese wing-back also notched a hat-trick of assists on Matchday 4.
• Milan Skriniar (Inter Milan)
Skriniar played a key role in Inter Milan’s qualification for the knockout phase. The centre-back helped his side to achieve back-to-back shutouts against Shakhtar and even managed to get on the scoresheet in the Matchday 4 victory over Sheriff
• Lisandro Martinez (Ajax)
Ajax qualified for the knockouts with a 100% record, finishing nine points clear at the top of Group C. Martinez oversaw clean sheets against Besiktas and Borussia Dortmund before registering an assist an Matchday 5.
• Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
Despite missing two of Real Madrid’s six group games, Carvajal helped his team to keep three clean sheets. To cap off an impressive group-stage campaign, the right-back provided an assist in the 2-0 win over Inter on Matchday 6.
• Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)
Sane heads into the last 16 with five goals and four assists to his name. After bagging four goals and four assists across the first four games, the German winger found the back of the net against Barcelona on Matchday 6.
• Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
RB Leipzig failed to qualify for the knockout phase, but Nkunku isn’t to blame. The 24-year-old racked up a whopping seven goals and two assists in six outings, including an eye-catching hat-trick against Man City.
• Antony (Ajax)
This season, only two players have more Champions League assists to their name than Antony. The Brazilian winger chalked up four assists in five group games, along with goals against Borussia Dortmund and Sporting CP.
• Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain)
What can we say about Mbappe that hasn’t already been said? As expected, the PSG starlet was immense during the group stage – recording four goals and six assists as the Parisians finished a point behind Man City in Group A.
• Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Lewandowski scored nine goals in six group games, including braces against Barcelona and Dynamo Kiev. He also netted a hat-trick in Bayern’s 5-2 victory over Benfica on Matchday 4, along with a couple of assists for good measure.
• Sebastien Haller (Ajax)
There is absolutely no denying that Haller was the standout player in the group stage. The Ajax striker bagged a colossal ten goals in six outings, scoring in every single game. He kicked off his campaign with four goals on Matchday 1 and didn’t let up.