Our Champions League Awards honour the best – and worst – of the midweek European action, featuring Kylian Mbappe and Ademola Lookman.
Moment of the Week
Benfica have certainly been good entertainment in this season’s Champions League.
The Portuguese side’s nine-goal thriller with Barcelona will live long in the memory and they were involved in another classic Champions League tie this week.
Benfica held a slender 1-0 lead against AS Monaco, before a bonkers clash saw six goals shared in Lisbon. Monaco twice led on the night, before Orkun Kökçü’s 84th-minute equaliser made it 3-3 and sent the hosts into the draw for the next round.
The home side’s supporters were doing all they can to get their team through…
A Benfica fan tried to offer referee Glenn Nyberg cash while he checked VAR for a potential penalty.
The cash wasn’t accepted but the penalty was eventually given, which Vangelis Pavlidis converted 😅 pic.twitter.com/P6PYPZOQiu
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 19, 2025
Player of the Week
The kind of night Kylian Mbappe was signed to decide.
Real Madrid made Mbappe the marquee recruit of last summer’s window after agreeing a deal to sign the long-term target from Paris Saint-Germain. After taking time to settle in Spain, Mbappe has found his form and exploded in Europe this week.
Carlo Ancelotti’s team were ahead in the tie against Manchester City, though it was an encounter in the balance until Mbappe took control. An electric hat-trick downed the Premier League champions as Mbappe enhanced his argument as the game’s most exciting talent.
Manager of the Week
From Haverfordwest County to the Champions League’s last 16, Nicky Hayen has come a long way in a short space of time. Just two-and-a-half years ago, Hayen headed up the semi-professional Welsh outfit but now leads Club Brugge into the latter stages of the Champions League.
A 3-1 win at Serie A high-flyers Atalanta sealed home and away wins and aggregate success for the Belgian side, who cut apart their hosts. 19-year-old Chemsdine Talbi scored twice for Brugge in Bergamo, before a stunning strike from Ferran Jutgla made it three before the break.
Lille or Aston Villa await in the next stage, a tie that will hold no fear for Hayen’s side.
Goal of the Week
What a hit.
Ferran Jutgla’s sweet strike sent Club Brugge into the last 16 as the Spaniard smashed in against Atalanta from the edge of the box. Just seconds after the Italians had an effort cleared off the line, Jutgla killed off the tie.
Ferran Jutglà, what a strike 🚀
An incredible sequence of events sees Club Brugge score a third, moments after Atalanta see an effort cleared off the line!
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/t7HmWHczhE
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) February 18, 2025
Save of the Week
A valiant effort from Celtic, who suffered late heartbreak in aggregate defeat to Bayern.
Kasper Schmeichel was defiant as the Scottish champions frustrated Bayern for much of the contest, including this signature Schmeichel stop.
Kasper Schmeichel with a HUGE save! 🤯
He stops the hosts from going ahead minutes into the second half 👏#UCLonPrime pic.twitter.com/Bftqg0ZlgI
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) February 18, 2025
Like father, like son.
Stat of the Week
Just over a fortnight after leaving Feyenoord for AC Milan, Santiago Gimenez endured a European exit against his old employers.
His early goal, however, earned the Mexican a unique piece of history.
1 – Santiago Giménez became the first player to both score for and against the same team (excluding own goals) in a single Champions League campaign. Haunting. pic.twitter.com/DJIwfXNxrJ
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) February 18, 2025
Quote of the Week
Ademola Lookman’s decision to take – and miss – an Atalanta penalty ahead of first-choice takers Mateo Retegui and Charles De Ketelaere did not exactly go down well with manager Gian Piero Gasperini.
“Lookman was not supposed to take that penalty, he is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen,” Gasperini said after the 5-2 aggregate defeat.
“He has a frankly terrible record even in training, he converts very few of them.
Ouch.
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