This Wednesday, the UEFA Champions League group stage officially came to an end and three Colombians saw action in this final matchday. The performances were not as exciting as James and Cuadrado on Tuesday but there were still some things to note, here is a rundown of how the Colombians did in the Champions League this Wednesday.
Luis Muriel
Muriel and Sevilla visited Slovenia to face Maribor on the final matchday of the Champions League group stage. The Colombian continued with his limited role in the Champions League as he only played 14 minutes in his team’s 1-1 draw away from home. Muriel had very few time to do anything as he finished the game with five passes and an interception as Sevilla qualified to the round of 16.
Los Rojiblancos finished second in Group E with nine points, behind Liverpool, who finished with 12 points. It seems like Muriel will continue to be a role player throughout this competition but hopefully, he can see some more playing time with Sevilla in the future.
Davinson Sanchez
Tottenham Hotspur and Davinson Sanchez have had a spectacular Champions League campaign. Spurs finished with a 3-0 win against Cyprian team Apoel at Wembley Stadium and Sanchez played the whole game. Sanchez was incredible as he had four interceptions, two clearances, two tackles, 77 total passes and a very high 92-percent pass accuracy. The 21-year-old played all possible minutes in the Champions League group stage, he is yet to score but has been a rock in Mauricio Pochettino’s defense.
Sanchez has already faced some of the best players in the world as Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund were also in this group and will now be tested immensely again in the knockout stage. Spurs finished first in Group H with 16 points, ahead of Real Madrid, who finished second with 13 points and Davinson should continue to be a consistent starter for the London-based side.
Radamel Falcao
Monaco had a disastrous Champions League campaign finishing last in Group G with two points and epitomized this with a 5-2 loss to FC Porto in the final matchday. The starting XI for Leonardo Jardim was an alternative one as many key players including Radamel Falcao featured on the bench. “El Tigre” was subbed on, played 24 minutes in the game and in that short period of time found the back of the net. When the score was 4-1, the Colombian striker connected a header on a cross by Senegalese forward Keita Balde Diao.
The goal was a historic one for Radamel Falcao as he tied Jackson Martinez’s mark of the most goals by a Colombian player in the Champions League with 14 goals. Falcao did not celebrate the goal and instead apologized to the Porto fans at the Estadio do Dragao, because of his history with the club.
