Champions League Round of 16: Top 5 Players Who Impressed and 5 Who Underperformed in the First Leg 3bi

The first leg of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is in the history books. For the first time in the competition’s history, the top eight teams from the league phase directly qualified for the Round of 16, with the remaining eight ing them after conquering playoffs.

Five of the eight seeded teams came out on top in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg. Only Atletico Madrid (lost 2-1 to Real Madrid), Bayer Leverkusen (lost 3-0 to Bayern Munich), and Lille (drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund), failed to get the upper hand.

Arsenal recorded the biggest win of the set of fixtures, claiming a thumping 7-1 win against PSV Eindhoven away from home. Leverkusen and Barcelona both finished their respective games with 10 men. However, unlike the Germans, the Catalans did not let the handicap overwhelm them and came away with a 1-0 victory in Lisbon.

The best players in Europe took to the field on Tuesday and Wednesday (4th and 5th March), hoping to capture headlines. Continue reading to check out which five impressed us the most and who dropped the ball. Let’s begin!

5 Players Who Failed to Perform in Champions League Round of 16 First Leg 48k4b

#5 Pau Cubarsi (Barcelona) 1l1s4i

Barcelona’s 18-year-old centre-back Pau Cubarsi played the worst game of his young career against Benfica on Wednesday night. The La Masia graduate was caught on his heels when Vangelis Pavlidis surged toward the box down the middle. As he was the last man, Cubarsi panicked and scythed the Greek forward down just outside the box. The referee was in close proximity and unhesitantly reached for the red card.

Down to 10 men after just 22 minutes, Barcelona had to dig deep to get the narrow 1-0 win. Had Cubarsi not gotten in trouble, Barca could have secured a much more comfortable victory.

#4 Kylian Mbappe (Real Madrid) 6u1c2x

Real Madrid talisman Kylian Mbappe cut a frustrating figure in his team’s 2-1 victory over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg. The Frenchman, known for his explosive acceleration and ability to test the goalkeeper from range, had just one shot throughout the night. He dropped too deep at times to get involved, which made it easier for Atletico to neutralize him.

The 26-year-old only completed one dribble and played just two es into the final third. He also lost five of seven ground duels and ceded possession twice.

#3 Julian Brandt (Borussia Dortmund) 2i123f

Borussia Dortmund lynchpin Julian Brandt is one of the best in his position. Unfortunately for the home fans at the Signal Iduna Park, Brandt could not work his magic in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Lille.

Playing 83 minutes, the 28-year-old just completed nine es out of 20, created one solitary chance, and attempted one wayward shot, which was nowhere close to testing the goalkeeper. Brandt also misplaced his only attempted cross and lost three of four duels.

#2 Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen) 1g1a3u

Like his compatriot Julian Brandt, Florian Wirtz also suffered a horrid Champions League night. Wirtz, who excels in sliding into pockets of space and opening up the opposition with clinical es, looked out of ideas against Bayern Munich.

Throughout his 80-minute stint, Wirtz completed 13 of 19 es, failed to create even a single goalscoring opportunity, and lost a whopping 11 of 14 duels — most in the match. The 3-0 defeat at the Allianz Arena has pretty much decimated Leverkusen’s hopes of progression. But if they are to have a miraculous recovery in the second leg, Wirtz must find a way to bring the magic back.

#1 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) 5p3f59

Liverpool ace Mohamed Salah has been enjoying a blessed campaign. He is leading both the Golden Boot and the Playermaker Award races in the Premier League and has already contributed to seven goals in the UEFA Champions League this season. Unsurprisingly, he was the player to watch for Liverpool in their Champions League Round of 16 first leg against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). However, the Egyptian failed to live up to his lofty standards.

The 32-year-old neither created a chance nor tested the goalkeeper. He also failed to pull off all four of his dribbles and lost possession three times. Lastly, Salah lost all eight ground duels on Wednesday night — a first for him this season.

5 Best Players of Champions League Round of 16 First Leg 3lw20

#5 Wojciech Szczesny (Barcelona) 5d51j

Barcelona forward Raphinha produced an excellent goal to win the game against Benfica, but he was not his team’s best player. That tag must rest with veteran goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who pulled out one of the finest performances of his career to secure the victory for Barcelona.

Szczesny was excellent throughout the 90 minutes, making as many as eight saves, facing an xGOT of 1.18. He also completed 28 accurate es, delivered seven accurate long balls, and made 13 recoveries. The calmness with which he dealt with the crisis pushed his teammates to up their game as well.

#4 Alisson (Liverpool) 6se13

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson had a massive task at hand on Wednesday. He had to keep the fizzling front three of Bradley Barcola, Ousmane Dembele, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at bay in front of the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faithful at the Parc des Princes. Barcola, Dembele, and Kvaratskhelia all had multiple goal attempts, but the Brazilian always had the answer.

Alisson 32, made an eye-watering nine saves against PSG in the Champions League Round of 16 first leg, facing an xGOT of 2.26. He also delivered 10 accurate long balls and made 11 recoveries. It was an exemplary performance from the No. 1.

#3 Timon Wellenreuther (Feyenoord) u3j1m

The third goalkeeper to feature on the list, Timon Wellenreuther, unfortunately, finished on the losing side on Tuesday, but it was not for a lack of trying. The 29-year-old goalkeeper conceded two goals against Inter Milan, but it could have been a lot worse had he not been at the top of his game.

The best moment of Wellenreuther’s game came in the 65th minute as he denied Inter midfielder Piotr Zielinski from the penalty spot. The Pole hit it hard, but Wellenreuther was up for the challenge, as he superbly dove to his right to keep the ball out. In the Champions League Round of 16 first leg, Wellenreuther made five saves, facing an xGOT of 4.2 and preventing 2.2 goals. He also delivered seven accurate long balls and made four recoveries.

#2 Harry Kane (Bayern Munich) 2l3e3y

Bayern Munich took Bayer Leverkusen to the cleaners in their Champions League Round of 16 meeting. It was a commanding showing from the Bavarians, with the mercurial Harry Kane leading the assault. The former Tottenham Hotspur frontman scored two fine goals on Wednesday night, securing a comfortable 3-0 victory for the home side.

Kane hit the back of the net just nine minutes in, breezing past Nordi Mukiele and applying a thumping header to Michael Olise’s delivery into the box. He doubled his money in the 75th minute after winning a penalty for his team. The England captain spiced up his run-up with a stutter before finding the top corner with his strike.

#1 Martin Odegaard (Arsenal) 6pb1c

Arsenal recorded the biggest win of the round on Tuesday, and their captain Martin Odegaard was at the heart of it all. The sensational playmaker ran PSV Eindhoven ragged with his movement and precise es, scoring two fine goals and providing an assist.

Odegaard scored his first goal of the night in the 47th minute, putting away the rebound after Walter Benitez unconvincingly palmed away Ethan Nwaneri’s shot. Odegaard made it a brace in the 73rd minute, slipping into some space between the lines and striking at the goal from just outside the area. His shot was straight at the goalkeeper, but he shockingly spilled it to make it 6-1 for Arsenal.

After bagging his brace, Odegaard turned provider. He played a slide-rule to send Riccardo Calafiori through on goal, and the defender took care of the rest. The former Real Madrid man also created three chances, made four recoveries, and won two ground duels.