Real Madrid dominated their new European Clasico rivals 3-0 at the Santiago Bernabeu in the first leg of the Champions League Round of 16, and these three stars were shining the brightest on the big stage.
CM Fede Valverde
Fede Valverde scored one of the greatest hat tricks you will see in the Champions League knockouts, especially from a midfielder. He had a beautiful first touch and blew by the keeper on the break with a great finish off balance to match.
His second goal featured a brilliant first touch and finish to the far post with his left that Erling Haaland would be proud of. And to top it off, he juggled and stayed composed with a technical finish that had Jamie Carragher comparing the man to Dennis freaking Bergkamp. Take a bow.
GK Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois channeled his inner Toni Kroos with a beautiful assist to Fede for the opening goal, and he made a couple of insane saves, too, including one on Nico O’Reilly to spare young Thiago Pitarch his blushes. When you have a keeper like this, how can you not dominate the Champions League?
CB Antonio Rudiger
Antonio Rudiger loves playing against Haaland, and he turned back the clock with an elite performance, shutting down the best striker in the Premier League and making him look like a kindergartener. When Rudiger is at his best, this is what he is capable of. Brilliant.
Joe Soriano is the editor of The Trivela Effect and a FanSided Hall of Famer who has covered world football since 2010. He’s led top digital communities like The Real Champs (Real Madrid) and has run sites covering Tottenham, Liverpool, Juventus, and Schalke. He also helped manage NFL Spin Zone and Daily DDT, covering the NFL and pro wrestling.