The group stage of the 2021-22 Champions League drew to a close on Wednesday evening, with Barcelona incredibly being eliminated at this stage for the first time in 21 years.
Barcelona's 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich, coupled with Benfica's 2-0 success over Dynamo Kiev, meant that the Catalan giants finished third in Group E, with the club dropping into the Europa League.
In Group A, Manchester City finished with a 2-1 defeat at RB Leipzig but still topped the section, while second-placed Paris Saint-Germain turned on the style to record a 4-1 victory over Club Brugge.
Liverpool made it six wins in Group B with a 2-1 success over AC Milan, while Atletico Madrid qualified for the last-16 stage of the competition in second position courtesy of a 3-1 success at Porto.
Ajax also excelled in Group C, beating Sporting Lisbon 4-2 to make it six straight wins, but the latter still qualified in second position, with Borussia Dortmund dropping into the Europa League and Besiktas finishing at the bottom.
Real Madrid secured top spot in Group D, meanwhile, with a 2-0 home success over Inter Milan, while third-placed Sheriff Tiraspol finished with a 1-1 draw away to Shakhtar Donetsk, who collected just two points in the section.
As mentioned, Group E drew to a close on Wednesday, with Barcelona finishing third due to their defeat in Bayern, with Benfica's home success over Dynamo Kiev seeing the Portuguese outfit finish in second position.
A much-changed and youthful Manchester United finished their Group F campaign with a 1-1 draw at home to Young Boys on Wednesday, but the other match in the section between Atalanta BC and Villarreal had to be postponed due to bad weather, with the contest now set to take place on Thursday night.
In Group G, Lille secured first position with a 3-1 success at Wolfsburg, while Red Bull Salzburg finished second by recording a 1-0 victory over Sevilla, who have dropped into the Europa League.
Juventus, meanwhile, secured first position in Group H on Wednesday with a 1-0 victory over Malmo, with second-placed Chelsea playing out a six-goal draw with Zenit St Petersburg, who finished third ahead of Malmo.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the final set of fixtures in the groups stages of this season's competition.
DEFENCE
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Atletico booked their spot in the round of 16 courtesy of a 3-1 victory at Porto, and Jan Oblak was in fine form between the sticks for the Spanish champions, making five saves and commanding his box, with the 28-year-old playing a leading role in his side securing the win that they needed to advance.
There are two Real Madrid defenders at the back, meanwhile, with Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal both excelling in Tuesday's 2-0 success over Inter. Carvajal provided the assist for Marco Asensio to score Real Madrid's second of the evening, while Militao was excellent at the heart of their back four, winning six aerial duels and boasting a pass success rate of 91% during a dominant performance.
The final spot in the back three is awarded to Dortmund's Nico Schulz, who helped his side record a 5-0 victory over Besiktas on Tuesday. The 28-year-old provided the assist for Erling Braut Haaland's first of the match, while he completed three dribbles and won three tackles during a fine display for his German club.
MIDFIELD
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There are also two Dortmund players in midfield, with Marco Reus included courtesy of his two goals against Besiktas, while Mahmoud Dahoud also starred in the contest, providing two assists, in addition to having five shots during an all-action performance for the Bundesliga outfit.
Lille's Jonathan Ikone also had to be included, with the 23-year-old playing a leading role in his side recording a 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg on Wednesday. Ikone came up with two assists in the European contest, while he was a constant threat down the right, with Wolfsburg struggling to deal with the Frenchman.
The final spot in midfield is handed to Jamal Musiala, with the 18-year-old starring in Bayern's 3-0 victory over Barcelona. The Germany international was on the scoresheet just past the hour at Allianz Arena, but it was his overall performance that impressed the most, as he dominated the midfield battle.
ATTACK
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Two PSG players are included in the final third of the field, which is not a surprise considering that the French giants scored four times at home to Club Brugge on Tuesday. Kylian Mbappe netted twice inside the opening seven minutes before turning provider for Lionel Messi to make it 3-0 in the 38th minute.
Messi netted his second of the match from the penalty spot in the 76th minute, with the Argentine enjoying himself in the Champions League contest. Club Brugge found it incredibly difficult to deal with the duo, who are capable of firing PSG deep into the competition this season despite the team's issues.
The final spot in the XI is awarded to Chelsea's Timo Werner, who scored twice and provided an assist in the 3-3 draw with Zenit on Wednesday. The Germany international has again faced criticism for some of his performances this season, but he enjoyed a brilliant evening in a fine game in Russia.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (3-4-3): Oblak; Carvajal, Militao, Schulz; Ikone, Dahoud, Musiala, Reus; Messi, Mbappe, Werner
Matt Law
