Europa League Team of the Play-off second legs
Goalkeeper
Viljami Sinisalo (Celtic FC) – 8.1
In the league phase, the Finland international is clearly the number two behind veteran Kasper Schmeichel, but on Thursday, he showed his quality. Six saves helped Celtic to a surprise away win in Stuttgart. Even though the 4-1 deficit from the first leg proved too much to overturn, it could still be a significant night for the 24-year-old, who came through the Aston Villa academy.
Defence
Joao Mario (FC Bologna) – 8.5
There wasn’t much action in the match between FC Bologna and Brann Bergen, but full-back Joao Mario provided the highlight. In the 56th minute, the Portuguese scored the winner after completing 81% of his passes and winning ten out of twelve duels.
A thoroughly impressive evening.
Vaclav Jemelka (Viktoria Plzen) – 8.1
For long stretches, draw specialists Plzen and Athens cancelled each other out, with neither attack able to make much impact. On the Czech side, Vaclav Jemelka impressed with his aerial dominance, winning 67% of his duels.
Sverrir Ingason (Panathinaikos Athens) – 8.1
For Panathinaikos, his Icelandic counterpart was even more solid, winning every aerial duel. As is often the case in such matches, it all came down to penalties, where the Greeks came out on top.
Marcelo Saracchi (Celtic FC) – 7.9
Returning to Germany, Marcelo Saracchi showed that his talent wasn’t fully tapped into at RB Leipzig. The Uruguayan international dominated the left side of defence and ensured that birthday boy Jamie Leweling for Stuttgart was substituted at half-time.
Midfield
Callum Hudson-Odoi (Nottingham Forest) – 7.9
After a disastrous first half, new Nottingham manager Vitor Pereira brought on midfielder Callum Hudson-Odoi at the break. Hudson-Odoi repaid the faith with a goal to make it 2-1, ending Fenerbahce’s hopes of pulling off a comeback and turning a miserable night for the “Tricky Trees” into a more positive finish.
Benjamin Andre (OSC Lille) – 9.0
Often overlooked, but crucial this time: Benjamin Andre is one of French football’s 'unsung heroes.' With nearly 500 competitive appearances, all in Ligue 1, the 35-year-old midfielder is the definition of reliability. In the hard-fought 2-0 win after extra time at the 'Marakana' against Crvena Zvezda, Andre set up the opening goal and made eleven defensive clearances.
Luke McCowan (Celtic) – 8.3
He gave the travelling Celtic fans hope after just 28 seconds: Luke McCowan’s lightning goal in Stuttgart had the Scots dreaming of a huge upset. In the end, while they didn’t progress, they did claim their first-ever European win on German soil.
Attack
Kerem Akturkoglu (Fenerbahce SK) – 8.6
After a 3-0 defeat in the first leg, it looked like Fenerbahce’s hopes were over, but Kerem Aktürkoglu brought the tie back to life – and gave Nottingham owner Marinakis some nervous moments. The returnee from Portugal celebrated once from open play and later kept his cool from the spot. But it still wasn’t enough for Istanbul to go through.
Olivier Giroud (OSC Lille) – 8.3
Olivier Giroud can only smile at teammate Andre being 35. At 39, he put his team on the right track in Belgrade with a goal in the 4th minute, and remarkably stayed on the pitch for the full 120 minutes, showing his outstanding fitness. The only sign of fatigue: a brief grimace after Nathan Ngoy scored the decisive 2-0 in extra time. Hats off!
Dele (Ferencvaros Budapest) – 8.1
He may not have scored himself, but Dele was the standout player in Budapest. The Nigerian held up countless balls in the opposition half and set up the crucial 2-0 for Kristoffer Zachariassen. No surprise, given that his coach, Robbie Keane, is a huge role model for him.