Bayern Munich beat Barcelona in the standout fixture from the latest game week of the Champions League, with the Bundesliga champions running out 2-0 winners over Xavi's side at Allianz Arena.
Elsewhere in Group C, Inter Milan recorded a 2-0 victory over Viktoria Plzen, with the Italian giants level on three points in the section with Barcelona, while Bayern are at the summit with six.
In Group A, Liverpool scored a late winner to beat Ajax 2-1 at Anfield, while Napoli thumped Rangers 3-0, with the Italian outfit at the top of the group with six points.
Club Brugge top Group B with six points courtesy of their thumping 4-0 victory at Porto, while Bayer Leverkusen are second on three points, having recorded a 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
In Group D, Sporting Lisbon sit at the summit courtesy of their 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, while Eintracht Frankfurt are third on three points, with the German outfit beating Marseille 1-0.
© Reuters
AC Milan top Group E with four points courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on Wednesday, but Chelsea could only manage a 1-1 draw with Red Bull Salzburg in Graham Potter's first game in charge.
Real Madrid lead Group F, having beat RB Leipzig 2-0 at Bernabeu on Wednesday, while Shakhtar Donetsk and Celtic played out a 1-1 draw in the other game in the section.
In Group G, Manchester City came from behind to beat Borussia Dortmund, with Erling Braut Haaland hitting a late winner against his former club, while Copenhagen and Sevilla played out a goalless draw.
Paris Saint-Germain and Benfica both made it two wins from two Group H fixtures, meanwhile, with the former beating Maccabi Haifa 3-1, while the latter recorded an impressive 2-1 victory over Juventus.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the second set of group matches in the 2022-23 competition.
DEFENCE
© Reuters
Antonio Adan gets the nod between the sticks, with the 35-year-old putting in a brilliant performance in Sporting's 2-0 win over Tottenham. The Spaniard made five saves during the contest, while he was dominant with everything that came into his box, and his calmness spread throughout the side.
The two full-back positions are taken by Denzel Dumfries of Inter and Club Brugge's Bjorn Meijer, with both players playing key roles in their teams recording victories. Dumfries got his name on the scoresheet against Plzen, while he boasted a pass success rate of 87%, completed two dribbles and won three aerial duels during a brilliant all-round performance from the 26-year-old.
Meijer, meanwhile, was excellent in Club Brugge's four-goal success in Porto, providing the assist for the visitors to make it 3-0 early in the second period, and he also made a huge contribution to the Belgian outfit managing to claim a clean sheet on Tuesday night.
The centre-back spots, meanwhile, go to Bayern's Dayot Upamecano and Benfica's Nicolas Otamendi. Upamecano was given the nod over Matthijs de Ligt against Barcelona and did not disappoint, putting in a strong performance at the heart of the defence, winning two aerial duels and two tackles.
Otamendi was a key contributor for Benfica against Juventus, with the 34-year-old putting in a towering performance at the back, winning three aerial duels, three tackles and boasting a pass success rate of 88%.
MIDFIELD
© Reuters
Joshua Kimmich sailed into this side due to his display against Barcelona on Tuesday, with the 27-year-old starring in the clash with Xavi's side. Kimmich proved the assist for Lucas Hernandez to make it 1-0 on the night, while he made four tackles and completed 51 of his 61 passes from the middle of midfield.
There also had to be a spot for Federico Valverde, who continued his strong run of form with a brilliant goal in Real Madrid's win over Leipzig. The Uruguay international again played on the right of a front three on Wednesday, but he slots into the midfield here. Valverde is fast becoming one of the most impressive players in world football, and he was the man of the match against Leipzig at Bernabeu.
Robert Andrich is also included due to his display against Atletico on Tuesday evening; the 27-year-old broke the deadlock in the 84th minute of the match, but it was his overall performance that impressed the most, having four shots in total and completing 42 of his 49 passes during a strong night for the hosts.
ATTACK
© Reuters
Edin Dzeko was a certainty in the final third of the field due to his contribution to Inter's win over Plzen; the experienced striker made the breakthrough in the 20th minute of the contest before turning provider for Denzel Dumfries to score in the 70th minute. A goal and an assist made it a productive night for the 36-year-old, who was a problem for Plzen throughout his 90 minutes on the field.
Ferran Jutgla, meanwhile, was brilliant in Club Brugge's 4-0 win over Porto on Tuesday night; the 23-year-old made the breakthrough in the 15th minute before turning provider for Kamal Sowah to score in the 47th minute. Jutgla, who completed a move to the Belgian outfit from Barcelona back in June, was a constant problem for the home side throughout the European contest.
Lionel Messi completes this particular side, with the Argentine scoring once and providing an assist in PSG's 3-1 victory at Maccabi Haifa. Messi levelled the scores in the 37th minute before turning provider for Kylian Mbappe, and his goal means that the forward has now registered in 18 successive seasons in the Champions League.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Champions League team of the week (4-3-3): Adan; Dumfries, Upamecano, Otamendi, Meijer; Kimmich, Valverde, Andrich; Jutgla, Dzeko, Messi
