Fabinho shines in Messi-led Champions League Team of the Week
With matchday one of the 2020/21 Champions League group stage done and dusted, it's time to reveal the WhoScored Team of the Week.
Holders Bayern Munich kicked off their campaign with a hugely impressive 4-0 win at home to Atletico Madrid and are the best represented side in the XI.
Though the Player of the Week award is reserved for Barcelona's Lionel Messi, who opened up his European campaign with a perfect WhoScored 10 rating against minnows Ferencvaros.
Working from the goalkeeper up to the forwards, here is the Champions League Team of the Week in full:
Goalkeeper: Matvey Safonov (FC Krasnodar) - 7.67 rating
21-year-old Krasnodar goalkeeper Matvey Safanov had a Champions League debut to remember, as he made six saves to pick up the WhoScored Man of the Match award in their unlikely 1-1 draw away to Rennes.
Right-back: Juan Cuadrado (Juventus) - 7.76 rating
Juventus showe they can get results without Cristiano Ronaldo after managing a 2-0 win away to Dynamo Kyiv on Tuesday. Juan Cuadrado set up Alvaro Morata for Juventus' second with six minutes to go to wrap up all three points.
Centre-back: Fabinho (Liverpool) - 8.71 rating
Fabinho showed once again he can be the man to replace Virgil van Dijk with a superb performance in Liverpool's 1-0 win away to Ajax. The Brazilian was a rock at the back, making eight tackles and interceptions combined and nine clearances, including one remarkable bicycle kick off the line.
Centre-back: Cristian Romero (Atalanta) - 8.52 rating
Atalanta kicked off their group campaign with a comfortable 4-0 win away to FC Midtjylland, with 22-year-old centre-back Cristian Romero catching the eye for the Serie A outfit. Romero won five aerial duels, as many clearances and even helped himself to an assist. In fact, the Juventus loanee created three goalscoring chances in total.
Left-back: Danilo (Juventus) - 8.27 rating
Danilo vindicated Andrea Pirlo's faith in him out at left-back with a key performance in Juventus' win over Dynamo Kyiv. The Brazilian excelled at both ends, with six tackles and interceptions combined and five successful dribbles completed.
Right wing: Tete (Shakhtar Donetsk) - 8.54 rating
Only in the team as a result of so many positive COVID-19 tests to key players, Tete turned in a remarkable display in Shakhtat's shock 3-2 win away to Real Madrid. The 20-year-old played a direct hand in two of the three goals scored by Shakhtar to take the WhoScored Man of the Match award. Tete had four attempts in total and also completed three dribbles.
Central midfield: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - 8.36 rating
Joshua Kimmich again demonstrated why he is one of the best players in the world with an imperious display in Bayern Munich's dismantling of Atletico. Kimmich produced arguably the assist of the round to set up Kingsley Coman for Bayern's opener and also chipped in with five tackles and interceptions combined.
Central midfield: Leon Goretzka (Bayern Munich) - 8.16 rating
Leon Goretzka barely put a foot wrong in Bayern Munich's midfield in midweek. The 25-year-old got in on the act with his first Bayern goal in almost a month and finished the game with a pass success rate of 95.7%. Goretzka made three tackles and interceptions combined and completed as many clearances to help Bayern keep a clean sheet.
Right wing: Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich) - 9.57 rating
With Leroy Sane and Serge Gnabry out, the pressure was on Kingsley Coman to produce the goods against Atletico Madrid and he did exactly that. Coman played a direct hand in three of Bayern's four goals, scoring twice and providing one assist. The 24-year-old scored from both attempts and created four goalscoring chances in total.
Striker: Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - 10 rating
After a relatively quiet start to the season by his own high standards, Lionel Messi exploded into life in Barcelona's Champions League opener. Messi scored once and provided one assist on his way to a perfect 10 rating against Ferencvaros. The 33-year-old had seven shots, provided four key passes and completed seven dribbles.
Striker: Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) - 8.60 rating
Duvan Zapata rounds off the best rated XI after his Man of the Match display in Atalanta's routine win away to FC Midtjylland. Zapata scored once and provided one assist to help the Serie A outfit get their European campaign off to a winning start.
