The role of the second goalkeeper at Barcelona is one of the most thankless in European football with Marc-Andre ter Stegen untouchable between the posts, but the German's back injury has seen Xavi Hernandez turn to the forced solution in the last ten days. The anonymous Iñaki Peña scored a goal, he conceded a goal each against Rayo Vallecano and Porto, and then became one of the heroes in the victory of the current champion of Spain against Atletico Madrid. One goal was enough for "Blaugrana" to register three points - it was scored by Joao Felix - but it would have been in vain if the 24-year-old boy from Alicante had not done his part, especially in the second half when he preserved the lead with several great saves, in the end and the triumph of his team.
The weekend was also marked by the Euro goals of Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Inter's Hakan Calhanoglu, as well as the mastery of Milan striker Christian Pulisic...
THE GOALKEEPER
Peña (Barcelona) - he showed that he can replace Ter Stegen and influence Barca's results. The victory over Atlético in the derby has his stamp, the way he stopped Memphis Depay's free-kick will be remembered.
DEFENSE
Gati (Juventus) - the "old lady" won three points away to Monza in an exciting stoppage time. The defender who suddenly found himself in the opponent's penalty area is responsible for that, so Juve took over the first place in the Serie A table from Inter at least for 48 hours.
Christensen (Roma) - came on at halftime while the "wolf" was losing to Sassuolo, and later became one of Jose Mourinho's key players in the turnaround. He was also very lucky with the goal for 2:1 in the 82nd minute, but Roma simply deserved to win three points in Emilia-Romagna.
Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) - he opened and closed the circle in the goal against Fulham. First, from a free kick, he masterfully checked Bernd Leno for 1:0, and in the 88th minute, with another fantastic goal, he launched the Reds to victory when it seemed that everything was lost.
THE MIDDLE
Calhanoglu (Inter) - Inter's midfield "swallowed" Napoli's midfield in a clash between the leaders and the current champion. When the Turk sent an arrow into the Mereta net at the end of the first half, the "nerazuri" gained control, which showed them the way to victory in one of the most difficult visits in Serie A...
Barela (Inter) - participated in Calhanoglu's goal, and in the middle of the second half, on a pass from Lautar Martinez, he eliminated the dilemma of the winner. It was Barela's first goal of the season and without a doubt the best edition of the Italian representative.
Gordon (Newcastle) - he has already scored six goals in the Premier League - this is a quality that no one on the Island has recognized until now. The former Everton midfielder was the man of the decision against Manchester United, so Newcastle are slowly entering the fight for the fourth place that leads to the Champions League.
ATTACK
Pulisic (Milan) - he celebrated goalkeeper Majko Menjan as an assistant in the victory over Frosinone. The American received a pass from the French from over 60 meters, received the ball so that he gained an advantage over his rivals, and then rattled the net with no problem for one of the more attractive goals of this weekend.
Felix (Barcelona) - he waited for the moment to take revenge on Atletico Madrid. Probably Diego Simeone does not feel sorry for the Portuguese, but the defense of the "colconeros" had no way to stop a player who is clearly eager to play football.
Stuani (Girona) - Girona is the most beautiful story in European football this season. The fairytale of the Catalans lasts 15 rounds, they share first place with Real Madrid, although for a long time it seemed that Valencia had a way to beat them. The "Bats" led until the finish, before the Uruguayan brought another celebration with two goals in five minutes.
Aubameyang (Marseille) - scored four times in four days and directly influenced Marseille's victories in the Europa League, i.e. League 1. It seems that the Gabonese's great streak has begun...
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