Champions League Team of the Week: Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain feature

Best XI from the Champions League last 16 second legs, featuring Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain.

Cristiano Ronaldo showed Paris Saint-Germain that for all the money they have, it takes big-game players to win the Champions League. Ronaldo is every inch one of those after helping holders Real Madrid eliminate the Ligue 1 giants on Tuesday to reach the last eight.

One of Ronaldo’s former team-mates, Gonzalo Higuain, has started to love this competition since he joined Juventus. Higuain was superb in leading the Bianconeri to a 2-1 win over Tottenham at Wembley on Wednesday.

Liverpool and Manchester City also made it through, while Basel salvaged some pride in an ultimately fruitless effort.

Find out who else makes the latest team of the week:

Goalkeeper: Iker Casillas, Porto

Not many goalkeepers keep Liverpool scoreless these days. Yet it’s just what Iker Casillas managed for Porto at Anfield on Tuesday night.

The veteran of the Champions League was in on a clutch of key saves. His most notable came when he was quick off his line to deny Roberto Firmino during the second half of what was generally a bore draw at Anfield.

Of course, Liverpool were already all-but through thanks to their 5-0 win in the first leg. Even so, it didn’t stop Casillas, who knows what it takes to win this trophy, from rescuing some pride for the Primeira Liga side.

In the process, the 36-year-old added to his worthy legacy on Europe’s biggest stage, per the competition’s official Twitter account:

https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/971155425516191749

Defender: Felipe, Porto

As stubborn as Casillas was, he also received ample help from the men in front of him. Among them, Felipe stood out thanks to a committed display, with the 28-year-old putting his body on the line to stymie more than one Liverpool attack.

The versatile centre-back threw himself into tackles, made timely interceptions and was in the right place to block shots. Several times the Reds found this all-action defender impossible to pass.

Porto didn’t earn anything other than elimination for keeping a clean sheet. But Felipe’s brave, last-ditch defending showed the pride in manager Sergio Conceicao’s squad, even if Liverpool may have been going at half speed.

Defender: Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid

The best captains don’t lead by exhortation, they lead instead by example. Sergio Ramos put on a clinic in showing his team-mates the way during Real’s 2-1 win in the French capital.

The rock-steady skipper made several crunching tackles, owned the prolific Edinson Cavani in the air and never shied away from using the ball effectively.

More than once, Ramos came striding out of defense to help build an attack. His forward-thinking bravado helped an understandably cagey Real grow into a tense game.

The spike in Los Blancos‘ confidence was visible every time Ramos made his presence felt. This was the performance of a natural leader, one who has kept hopes of a fourth European crown alive.

Defender: Giorgio Chiellini, Juventus

Ramos and Felipe were heroes at the back for their respective clubs, but nobody evoked the gladiator spirit as much as Giorgio Chiellini. The timeless linchpin of Juve’s solid defense recovered from a sketchy first 45 minutes to consistently thwart Spurs in the second half.

Chiellini somehow managed to sandwich a season’s worth of last-ditch blocks into one half. His double block to deny Christian Eriksen then Harry Kane sent goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon into a roaring frenzy of delight.

Contributions like these also lifted Juventus while simultaneously deflating Spurs. It began to look as though the hosts knew they wouldn’t circumnavigate this defensive wall again if they played for a full week.

Squawka Football detailed Chiellini’s game for the ages:

With a defense still the envy of most in Europe, don’t rule out the Bianconeri appearing in a fourth final in three years.

Defender: Michael Lang, Basel

Basel took full advantage of Manchester City not knowing how to approach the second leg by scoring one of the shocks of the season. The Swiss side won 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium against a City side complacent thanks to a four-goal lead from the first leg.

The fact right-back Michael Lang netted the winner symbolized how brazen Basel were in Manchester. Manager Raphael Wicky’s side showed no fear, never missing the chance to push players forward and overload attacking areas.

Lang’s finish, when it came in the 71st minute, was every bit as confident as his team were on the night. The 27-year-old thundered a shot from a tight angle to remind an admittedly weaker City XI about the importance of staying focused not matter what the aggregate score reads.

Midfielder: Mohamed Elyounoussi, Basel

Lang deserved plaudits for his buccaneering display, as well as for scoring the winner. Yet Basel’s best player on the night was easily winger Mohamed Elyounoussi.

The Norway international tore City’s defense apart with his pace and trickery. Intelligent enough to test himself on either flank, along with ghosting into the middle when space opened up, Elyounoussi ran free for most of Wednesday night.

He was in a central position when he netted Basel’s opener on 17 minutes. A terrific touch helped Elyounoussi control a deft cross from left-back Blas Riveros, before shooting decisively on the turn.

Elyounoussi was also at the heart of the winner. It came when he ran Danilo ragged for the umpteenth time, before guiding a cross to the other side of the box for Lang to finish.

This was an eye-catching display from Elyounoussi, one likely to alert bigger clubs to the precocious 23-year-old’s talent.

Midfielder: Casemiro, Real Madrid

It’s not a stretch to say the three Champions League wins Real have achieved in the last four years have been built on the platform provided by Casemiro. The rugged Brazilian is simply the best midfield anchorman on the continent.

Positional discipline, tough tackling and smart, no-fuss use of the ball define Casemiro’s game. All of those things were evident against PSG, as he held Real’s solid defensive shape together at the Parc des Princes.

Next: With elite status on the line, PSG fail once again

One thing Casemiro has many other holding players don’t is a useful habit for scoring a big goal. His deflected shot ended the tie as a contest and had Los Merengues thinking about the last eight.

Casemiro has redefined the role Claude Makelele manned for Real when they won this tournament in 2002.

Midfielder: Marco Asensio, Real Madrid

For all their big-spending and Galacticos, this Real squad is underpinned by enthralling young talent. There is no doubt Marco Asensio is the most gifted of manager Zinedine Zidane’s youthful charges.

The 22-year-old was a joy to watch in the French capital. He tied the midfield and forward lines together with intelligent and creative distribution of the ball.

Asensio was a model of efficiency, but he managed to marry the latter quality with the impish flair needed to unlock a top European defense.

His reverse pass to set Lucas Vazquez free to cross for Ronaldo’s opener was a thing of beauty. Asensio spent most of the match splitting gaps with perfectly weighted passes to find a free man and fashion a chance.

Such is the quality of Asensio and Real’s young core, Zidane was able to leave Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale on the bench, and still leave Paris with a win.

Striker: Cristiano Ronaldo, Real Madrid

If it’s a big game in the Champions League and Real are involved, count on Ronaldo delivering. The prolific talisman shows no signs of losing his scoring touch, even at the age of 33.

Ronaldo’s powerful header to put Los Blancos 4-1 ahead on aggregate was typical of the way he’s bossed this tournament over the years. Few players can match his core athletic gifts, while even great rival Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, a superior all-round player, can’t come close to Ronaldo’s appetite for goals on this stage.

His opener in Paris continued another remarkable scoring run, according to Sky Sports Statto:

Ronaldo’s presence means Real have to be considered a strong bet to retain their trophy, regardless of any struggles domestically.

Striker: Gonzalo Higuain, Juventus

For a rare time in his career, Higuain wasn’t the headline striker headed into a big game. Instead, the distinction belonged to Tottenham’s Harry Kane.

Yet Kane was given an object lesson by Higuain in how to lead the line in Europe’s premier club competition.

Like most of his Juventus team-mates, Higuain was quiet for the first hour. The Argentinian soon came to life though, putting the Old Lady back on level terms with a clever finish from close range on 64 minutes.

Turning his foot to reach Sami Khedira’s header, Higuain got just enough contact and the right direction to leave Tottenham ‘keeper Hugo Lloris stranded.

As cute as the finish was, the goal owed as much to movement and anticipation. Just before Stephan Lichtsteiner’s cross was floated toward Khedira, Higuain peeled off Spurs centre-back Jan Vertonghen.

Sensing Khedira would win the header, Higuain timed his next move perfectly, ghosting ahead of Vertonghen to get free in front of goal. This was the work of a wily striker applying his craft brilliantly.

Higuain was often chided for going missing in this tournament during his days with Real and Napoli. Yet as WhoScored.com showed, the 30-year-old can now be counted on to deliver:

As is the case with the best strikers in Europe, Higuain didn’t just restrict himself to scoring. Instead, he followed his goal with an ideally weighted through pass to send strike partner Paulo Dybala clear to net the winner.

Striker: Heung-min Son, Tottenham

His goal at Wembley wasn’t enough to see Spurs through, but Heung-min Son deserved more after being the star of the show for the Premier League outfit.

The South Korean was pushed into a wide berth on the left flank during the first half. He took advantage of Juve winger Douglas Costa not wanting to track back by tormenting 36-year-old Andrea Barzagli.

It was Son who carried the biggest threat for the hosts in either half. His scuffed opener six minutes before the break should have been enough to see Spurs through.

Son continued to run Juve ragged in the second half. Such was Barzagli’s frustration, the defender appeared to stamp on Son, an incident missed by the referee.

Son’s menace on the left arguably prompted the tactical shift from Juve manager Massimiliano Allegri. He introduced full-backs and reverted to a back four. The Son-inspired change was perhaps the most decisive moment in the match, with Juve’s goals following shortly after.