Champions League round-up: Tuesday’s Man of the Match awards revealed

 

Juventus 3-0 Young Boys - Paulo Dybala - 9.98 rating

 

With a suspended Cristiano Ronaldo watching on from the stands, Paulo Dybala offered a reminder, if even required, of his undoubted star quality. The Argentina international has endured a relatively quiet start to the season but was back to his sparkling best in Europe on Tuesday night, netting a hat-trick against Group H minnows Young Boys. Dybala became the second player, after fellow Argentine Lionel Messi, to net a treble in this season’s edition of the competition. Dybala hit the target with five of his seven shots and was also fouled five times.

 

Hoffenheim 1-2 Manchester City - David Silva - 8.68 rating

 

David Silva turned in a masterclass performance for Manchester City, just when Pep Guardiola’s side needed it most. After losing 3-1 in their Champions League opener to Lyon, going behind to Hoffenheim within 60 seconds was not the start Guardiola would have hoped for. However, they quickly responded through Sergio Aguero before David Silva netted the winner with three minutes of normal time remaining. It marked Silva’s first Champions League goal since November 2016 and it couldn’t have come at a better time. The 32-year-old completed three dribbles, had three shots and completed 91% of his passes, while also registering three key passes.

 

AEK Athens 2-3 Benfica - Haris Seferovic - 7.83 rating

 

Benfica looked in cruise control at 2-0 up with 15 minutes on the clock but required a 74th-minute winner from Alfa Semedo after being pegged back in the second half by Greek side AEK Athens. Haris Seferovic opened the scoring for the away side and finished as the star man from this match. The 26-year-old won five aerial duels up front, keeping the AEK Athens defenders busy.

 

Bayern Munich 1-1 Ajax - Nussair Mazraoui - 8.02 rating

 

The fact that Manuel Neuer ended the match as Bayern Munich’s highest WhoScored rated player tells you everything about the match. Ajax will rue their inability to convert goalscoring chances but should still be proud of their efforts, taking a point away to the Bundesliga giants and one of the pre-tournament favourites. 20-year-old Nussair Mazraoui restored parity for Ajax and the right-back was also key in defence, completing seven interceptions and tackles combined.

 

 

CSKA Moscow 1-0 Real Madrid - Nikola Vlasic - 8.22 rating

 

On loan Everton forward Nikola Vlasic scored the only goal of the game as CSKA Moscow recorded a famous victory at home to reigning European champions Real Madrid. Viktor Goncharenko’s side rode their luck, requiring the woodwork to save them on three occasions, but become the first Russian side since 2001 to down Madrid. As well as putting CSKA ahead in the opening minutes, Vlasic completed two dribbles and registered two key passes. The home side only had 28% possession and the 20-year-old did his bit at the back, completing five tackles and interceptions combined.

 

Roma 5-0 Viktoria Plzen - Edin Dzeko - 10.0 rating

 

Dybala was not the only player to score a hat-trick in Tuesday's Champions League action, with Roma striker Edin Dzeko also netting three times a few hours later. Unlike Dybala, however, the 32-year-old did garner a perfect WhoScored 10 rating. He hit the target with seven of his eight attempts on goal, created one goalscoring opportunity and won two aerial duels. The Bosnian striker had only scored one goal in seven matches in all competitions prior to this evening.

 

Manchester United 0-0 Valencia - Ezequiel Garay - 7.89 rating

It was another frustrating night for Manchester United and an underfire Jose Mourinho, as their winless run extends to four matches. The Red Devils looked toothless in attack, but that was largely down to a well-organised Valencia outfit. Ezequiel Garay was particularly key at the back, negating the impact of Romelu Lukaku and making important interventions when required. The 31-year-old made five interceptions and completed six clearances to help Valencia gain a valuable point at Old Trafford.  

 

Lyon 2-2 Shakhtar Donetsk - Moraes - 8.56 rating

Shakhtar Donetsk will be desperately disappointed not to have come away from their trip to Lyon with three points after squandering a 2-0 lead in France. Moraes scored twice for Shakhtar, hitting the target with three of his four attempts on goal. The 31-year-old won two aerial duels and also created a goalscoring opportunity for a team-mate. He was fouled twice and completed two tackles before coming off with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Champions League round-up: Tuesday’s Man of the Match awards revealed