European Team of the Week | 3-5 March

GK: Claudio Bravo (Real Betis)

Andalusian outfit Real Betis earned a very valuable point at home against Spanish giants Real Madrid during a 0-0 affair at the weekend and further denting Real’s title hopes as veteran Chilean keeper Claudio Bravo made a number of saves to help Betis keep their Champions League hope alive.

Claudio Bravo, 5 atajadas. Thibaut Courtois, 4 atajadas. Si hoy no hubo goles en el Betis vs Real Madrid fue gracias a ellos. PORTERAZOS. pic.twitter.com/tTDnT53QlR

— Invictos (@InvictosSomos) March 5, 2023

RB: Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma)

José Mourinho’s AS Roma put a halt to Juventus’ four-match winning run in Serie A of late after a 1-0 win in the eternal city on Sunday night in a match where Juve dominated. Roma defender Gianluca Mancini scored the match-winner eight minutes after halftime while also putting in an excellent defensive display as part of the back three.

Gianluca Mancini’s dagger gave Roma the win over Juve, and what a strike it was 🔥pic.twitter.com/LupyeFFAYi

— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) March 6, 2023

CB: Jaka Bijol (Udinese)

Fiulian side Udinese picked up a good point on the road against hill-dwellers Atalanta during a 0-0 draw in Lombardy in a very strong combined defensive performance from Udine, with Slovenian international Jaka Bijol once again proving a rock in the heart of the defense.

Grande attenzione difensivamente per l’Udinese e tanti meriti vanno a Jaka Bijol.

11 salvataggi, 3 intercetti e 1 tiro bloccato, oltre che ad un gran lavoro in marcatura a uomo su Højlund – soprattutto nel primo tempo – in stile Thiaw settimana scorsa. #AtalantaUdinese

— Filippo (@filicolomb) March 4, 2023

CB: Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain)

All the attention at the weekend surrounding PSG was correctly directed at star man Kylian Mbappé after the French star officially became the club’s all-time leading scorer while pulling ahead of Edinson Cavani, but Portuguese international midfielder Danilo Pereira deputized in defense quite well against a tricky Nantes while also adding a goal to cap off a well-rounded display.

The Parisians lead again 👏

Danilo Pereira’s header puts the Ligue 1 leaders back in front… pic.twitter.com/AoS349bIPo

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) March 4, 2023

LB: Issiaga Sylla (Montpellier)

One of two Montpellier representatives in the team of the week, Guinean international left-back Issiaga Sylla produced a noteworthy all-round display at both ends of the pitch after he helped the club keep a clean sheet while also providing a brace of assists during the club’s 5-0 win over Angers.

🇫🇷 | Issiaga Sylla double passeur décisif ✖️2️⃣ aujourd’hui lors de la victoire de Montpellier 5-0 face a Angers !

Quel performance de notre latéral gauche !💪🏾🇬🇳 pic.twitter.com/1TvIRbY6aN

— 𝗝𝗼𝘂𝗲𝘂𝗿𝘀 𝗚𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲́𝗲𝗻𝘀 🇬🇳🐘 (@Joueurs_GN) March 5, 2023

CM: Matías Vecino (Lazio)

Maurizio Sarri’s Champions League-chasing Lazio finally did what no one else seemingly was prepared to do when they fought tooth and nail to secure a 1-0 away win against runaway Serie A leaders Napoli and have Uruguayan veteran Matías Vecino to thank in part after his match-winning goal highlighted a fantastic performance in midfield throughout.

Matias Vecino, there. With a strike so pure, the subs were on the pitch in the 67th minute 😅pic.twitter.com/or72UbzYA8

— COPA90 (@Copa90) March 6, 2023

CM: Emre Can (Borussia Dortmund)

Emre Can on the game: “We had good spells in the game, but the second half was not good. But we fought; everyone was there for the team. It feels good. And we’re extremely happy that we’ve won against a very, very strong opponent.” [BVB TV] pic.twitter.com/r8KfMe8AeF

— ari (@aritrabvb1909) March 4, 2023

CAM: Téji Savanier (Montpellier)

Occitan outfit Montpellier bagged one of the top results anywhere over the weekend in a 5-0 win over bottom-dwelling Angers, with Montpellier-born Téji Savanier hitting a brace on either side of the halftime interval to help the club take its recent run of form to ten points out of a possible twelve.

Téji Savanier vs. Angers:

-2 goals
-10/12 long balls completed
-1 big chance created
-2 key passes
-91 touches
-58/65 passes completed
-4 fouls won
-6/13 ground duels won
-2/5 successful dribbles completed@EuroExpert_ on Savanier:https://t.co/bTQbIzmCi8 pic.twitter.com/RUfxev8HLJ

— Breaking The Lines (@BTLvid) March 5, 2023

RW: Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen)

Bayer Leverkusen’s continued progression under Xabi Alonso took another step at the weekend in a 4-1 win over relegation-threatened Hertha BSC, with French international starlet Moussa Diaby continuing to thrive under the former Spanish midfielder. An influence goal and assist performance was lovely to watch.

Leverkusen dominate Kicker‘s XI of the matchday with 4 representatives – Frimpong, Diaby, Azmoun & Wirtz. Jeremie Frimpong named in the best XI for a 6th time this season. Moussa Diaby named Kicker‘s overall player of the weekend. #B04 #Bayer04

— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 5, 2023

LW: Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid)

French international star Antoine Griezmann was once again at his very best during Atlético Madrid’s 6-1 thrashing of Sevilla in front of home support in the capital, with the 31-year-old bagging a goal and an assist in a man-of-the-match performance that deserved more than the fantastic contributions he had already made.

📊| Antoine Griezmann vs Sevilla:

▫️1 goal
▫️1 assist
▫️71 touches
▫️3 key passes
▫️2 big chances created
▫️39/46 passes completed
▫️9/13 duels won
▫️2 dribbles
▫️6/6 accurate long balls
▫️4 fouls drawn

He’s him. pic.twitter.com/bzNgC0vDyT

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 5, 2023

CF: Enes Ünal (Getafe)

Getafe climbed out of the bottom three in La Liga thanks to Turkish international forward and former Manchester City project Enes Ünal after a brace from the 25-year-old saw him hit his 10th league goal of the season and 30th La Liga strike for the Spanish outfit during a 3-2 win over Girona.

🎙️ Enes Unal (@GetafeCF), tras la victoria en el Coliseum:

➡️ “Necesitamos estar fuertes en casa y ganar partidos”

➡️ “Nuestro trabajo es marcar goles e intentamos hacerlo lo mejor posible”

📺 #GolSports pic.twitter.com/Rr7Fis2df6

— Directo Gol (@DirectoGol) March 4, 2023