LW. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - Anyone heard this storyline before? United trail, Ronaldo rescues. He did it twice against Atalanta, and has now scored in every European fixture since his summer return to United. Without his goals, United would not be top of their group but bottom. AP Photo
GK. Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona). - Successive clean sheets in Europe count as significant progress for troubled Barcelona, and ter Stegen made some excellent saves, with hands and feet, on a nervous night at Dynamo Kiev, the 1-0 victory preserving Barca’s hopes of going through. Reuters
RB. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - Thanks to one of his expertly weighted crosses, Liverpool led early against Atletico Madrid. A second cross, low, set up the second of the 2-0 win that put Liverpool in the next round. It may be that his second assist was intended as a shot, but ‘TAA’ deserves the benefit of the doubt. EPA
CB. Jose Fonte (Lille) - He will turn 38 next month, but the Portuguese is an evergreen, who stood tall for the French champions at Sevilla, strong in the air and authoritative in a 2-1 victory that keeps alive Fonte’s ambition of playing in the knockout rounds for the first time in his long, varied career. AFP
CB. Milan Skriniar (Internazionale) - Typically aggressive and proactive in his marking, which helped Inter take control at Sheriff Tiraspol. He is becoming a key attacking presence, too, at Inter’s expertly worked set-pieces, and scored the night’s second goal, stabbing in at the second attempt following a corner. AP Photo
LB. Joao Cancelo (Manchester City) - He hit the post, might have scored with a long-range effort, and in the end had to settle for just a hat-trick of assists from his dominant display against Bruges. Not bad for a full-back, although the position has always been interpreted with brilliant flexibility by Cancelo. EPA
CM. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - A masterclass from the midfielder, who pulled the strings in the latest emphatic Bayern win in this European campaign, dismantling Benfica with his pinpoint passes and his capacity to think several moves ahead. His team can now start thinking about the next stage three months ahead. Getty Images
CM. Gini Wijnaldum (Paris Saint-Germain) - The Dutchman needed a performance that showed how he can galvanise a team, having come in for some sharp criticism since he joined PSG from Liverpool. This was it. Besides his two goals, he combined well with Kylian Mbappe in PSG’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig. Getty Images
AM. Pedro Goncalves (Sporting) - The dynamo in Sporting’s impressive destruction of Besiktas, a win that revives hopes of an extended run in Europe. The 23-year-old converted the opening goal of the 4-1 triumph from the penalty spot and struck Sporting’s fabulous second goal. A breakthrough evening for the much-coveted ‘Pote’, as he is known. EPA
RW. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) - A captain’s performance against Zenit Saint-Petersburg on an evening Juventus needed one after some dismal domestic results. The Argentine took his first goal nicely, restored Juve’s lead with a twice-taken penalty, and set up the last goal in a 4-2 win that put Juventus through. Reuters
CF. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - On his 100th appearance in the Champions League, there were goals number 79, 80 and 81 in the competition for the peerless Pole. The delicate chip and measured lob for his second and third against Benfica were the highlights, his saved penalty incidental. AP Photo
LW. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - Anyone heard this storyline before? United trail, Ronaldo rescues. He did it twice against Atalanta, and has now scored in every European fixture since his summer return to United. Without his goals, United would not be top of their group but bottom. AP Photo
GK. Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona). - Successive clean sheets in Europe count as significant progress for troubled Barcelona, and ter Stegen made some excellent saves, with hands and feet, on a nervous night at Dynamo Kiev, the 1-0 victory preserving Barca’s hopes of going through. Reuters
RB. Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - Thanks to one of his expertly weighted crosses, Liverpool led early against Atletico Madrid. A second cross, low, set up the second of the 2-0 win that put Liverpool in the next round. It may be that his second assist was intended as a shot, but ‘TAA’ deserves the benefit of the doubt. EPA
CB. Jose Fonte (Lille) - He will turn 38 next month, but the Portuguese is an evergreen, who stood tall for the French champions at Sevilla, strong in the air and authoritative in a 2-1 victory that keeps alive Fonte’s ambition of playing in the knockout rounds for the first time in his long, varied career. AFP
CB. Milan Skriniar (Internazionale) - Typically aggressive and proactive in his marking, which helped Inter take control at Sheriff Tiraspol. He is becoming a key attacking presence, too, at Inter’s expertly worked set-pieces, and scored the night’s second goal, stabbing in at the second attempt following a corner. AP Photo
LB. Joao Cancelo (Manchester City) - He hit the post, might have scored with a long-range effort, and in the end had to settle for just a hat-trick of assists from his dominant display against Bruges. Not bad for a full-back, although the position has always been interpreted with brilliant flexibility by Cancelo. EPA
CM. Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich) - A masterclass from the midfielder, who pulled the strings in the latest emphatic Bayern win in this European campaign, dismantling Benfica with his pinpoint passes and his capacity to think several moves ahead. His team can now start thinking about the next stage three months ahead. Getty Images
CM. Gini Wijnaldum (Paris Saint-Germain) - The Dutchman needed a performance that showed how he can galvanise a team, having come in for some sharp criticism since he joined PSG from Liverpool. This was it. Besides his two goals, he combined well with Kylian Mbappe in PSG’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig. Getty Images
AM. Pedro Goncalves (Sporting) - The dynamo in Sporting’s impressive destruction of Besiktas, a win that revives hopes of an extended run in Europe. The 23-year-old converted the opening goal of the 4-1 triumph from the penalty spot and struck Sporting’s fabulous second goal. A breakthrough evening for the much-coveted ‘Pote’, as he is known. EPA
RW. Paulo Dybala (Juventus) - A captain’s performance against Zenit Saint-Petersburg on an evening Juventus needed one after some dismal domestic results. The Argentine took his first goal nicely, restored Juve’s lead with a twice-taken penalty, and set up the last goal in a 4-2 win that put Juventus through. Reuters
CF. Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich) - On his 100th appearance in the Champions League, there were goals number 79, 80 and 81 in the competition for the peerless Pole. The delicate chip and measured lob for his second and third against Benfica were the highlights, his saved penalty incidental. AP Photo
LW. Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - Anyone heard this storyline before? United trail, Ronaldo rescues. He did it twice against Atalanta, and has now scored in every European fixture since his summer return to United. Without his goals, United would not be top of their group but bottom. AP Photo
