Barcelona's hat-trick hero Lionel Messi stars in our European Team of the Week

Tom Biggs 18:02 30/04/2018
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  • Lionel Messi celebrates with Jordi Alba.

    On a weekend in which Barcelona wrapped up the title and Manchester City moved closer to breaking the all-time Premier League points record, there were plenty of special individual performances.

    With Juventus moving a step closer to the Serie A title in Italy, thanks to their win and Napoli’s defeat, as well as important wins in the relegation battles around Europe, we’ve picked out our top performers from the weekend just gone.

    Check out our European Team of the Week below…

    GK – Ron-Robert Zieler (Stuttgart)

    The German was very much the hero for Stuttgart in their narrow away win against Bayer Leverkusen. The goalkeeper made a superb penalty save early on to keep the scores level, denying Lucas Alario. A poor kick almost undid all of his hard work, but Zieler redeemed himself with an excellent stop, keeping out Karim Bellarabi’s effort. In total, Zieler made seven saves, as Stuttgart won the game through Christian Gentner.

    RB – Juan Cuadrado (Juventus)

    With regular right-back Mattia De Sciglio unavailable, Cuadrado stepped up for Max Allegri’s side in a vital 3-2 win against Internazionale away from home. The Colombian – usually a winger – showed excellent defensive nous, making three tackles, two interceptions and four clearances, while he also won four aerial duels. The 29-year-old grabbed himself an assist, picking out Douglas Costa for the opening goal of the game.

    CB – Alexander Hack (Mainz)

    Perhaps the most surprising result of the weekend came in Germany, as lowly Mainz hammered RB Leipzig 3-0 at home. Captain and central defender Hack led by example in the win, making five tackles, one interception and an impressive eight clearances to keep Leipzig out. The 24-year-old also won three aerial duels and made one key pass as Mainz moved clear of the Bundesliga relegation places.

    CB – Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina)

    Despite Napoli playing for much of the game with ten men, they pushed forward relentlessly against Fiorentina. But thanks to a fine team performance defensively, and an excellent display from Milenkovic, the hosts were able to dent Napoli’s title hopes. The 20-year-old made five interceptions, three clearances and blocked one shot, as well as winning three aerial duels, as Fiorentina sealed a 3-0 win.

    LB – Patrick van Aanholt (Crystal Palace)

    A marauding performance from the left-back, capped with a goal. Only midfielder Luka Milivojevic made more passes than van Aanholt in the 5-0 win against Leicester City, as Crystal Palace all-but assured themselves of Premier League survival. The Dutchman’s finish, with his weaker right foot, was expertly taken, while he also made two interceptions and three clearances as he defended resolutely to keep the Foxes at bay.

    RM – Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)

    Raheem Sterling (r) grabbed a hat-trick of assists against West Ham

    Raheem Sterling (r) grabbed a hat-trick of assists against West Ham

    A terrific display from the City winger. Sterling was in imperious form as he provided three assists in the 4-1 win against West Ham away from home. The England international’s pass allowed Leroy Sane to open the scoring, before he rolled the ball across goal for Gabriel Jesus to make it 3-1 early in the second half. Sterling’s hat-trick of assists was completed when he teed up Fernandinho for the final goal.

    CM – Ludovic Blas (Guingamp)

    At just 20 years old, Blas produced a performance beyond his years as Guingamp almost shocked PSG away from home. The Frenchman netted a stunning goal from the edge of the box to open the scoring, while he also provided excellent support for his defence as PSG pushed on in search of a route back into the game, making five tackles, five interceptions and two clearances.

    CM – Yves Bissouma (Lille)

    In a must-win game for Lille as they bid to avoid Ligue 1 relegation, midfielder Bissouma was vital in securing a 3-1 victory over bottom-placed Metz. An all-action display from the 21-year-old saw him make seven tackles, three interceptions and three clearances to quell the pressure on his defence, before he made sure of a vital three points for his side from close range, with just over ten minutes remaining.

    LM – Dusan Tadic (Southampton)

    Dusan Tadic scored twice for Southampton against Bournemouth

    Dusan Tadic scored twice for Southampton against Bournemouth

    A performance Southampton so desperately needed. In a must-win game against south coast rivals Bournemouth, Tadic stepped up to win the game for his relegation-threatened side. The Serbian playmaker opened the scoring, rounding off a fine breakaway goal, before adding his second of the game to seal a 2-1 win with a fine finish from 18 yards, keeping the Saints’ hopes of survival alive.

    ST – Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

    Messi was at it again. His link-up play with Luis Suarez was sublime, as the Uruguayan provided the assists for all three of Messi’s goals. The Argentine’s first was a superb volley at the back post, before a neat one-two saw Messi roll the ball home from close range. The third was just as impressive, as Messi burst onto Suarez’s pass to complete his hat-trick, seal the win and wrap up the title.

    ST – Giovanni Simeone (Fiorentina)

    Simeone may well have been the man to cost Napoli the title. A foul on the striker by Kalidou Koulibaly saw the Napoli defender sent off inside the opening ten minutes, before Simeone plundered a hat-trick in the 3-0 win for Fiorentina. An excellent first goal was followed by a poacher’s finish inside the six-yard box, before he completed his treble thanks to a well-taken goal with almost the last kick of the game.

    Our European Team of the Week

    Our European Team of the Week

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