Europa League Team of the Week: Strong Ekitike stars for Frankfurt as Vicario shuts up shop
Europa League: Top XI Matchday One
Goalkeeper
Guglielmo Vicario underlined his reputation as a world-class goalkeeper on Thursday. Tottenham Hotspur had to play their home game against Qarabag largely outnumbered after defender Radu Dragusin was sent off in the eighth minute. The visitors created numerous chances to score, but Vicario kept a clean sheet with five saves in Spurs' 3-0 win.
Defence
Eintracht Frankfurt failed to hold on to a 3-1 lead against Czech side Viktoria Pilsen. After the 3-3 draw there were still fond memories of Rasmus Kristensen's performance. The Danish full-back shone with a goal and an assist.
Two Fenerbahce professionals form the centre-back line also made the top XI. Rodrigo Becao and Caglar Soyuncu led the Turkish runners-up to a 2-1 win against Union SG. The duo combined for four clearances, three interceptions and nine tackles. Soyuncu also scored the first goal for Fener.
James Tavernier captained Rangers to a 2-0 win at Malmo FF. He made a big impact on the wing and shone with several successful tackles.
Midfield
Nadiem Bajrami also played a decisive role in Rangers' victory. In Malmo, he put the Scottish club on course early on - the ball was in the net 56 seconds after kick-off. By his standards, Bajrami has taken his time: At the European Championships, the Albanian scored after just 23 seconds in the group game against Italy.
The centrepiece of the midfield, however, is Darius Olaru. The 26-year-old FSCB captain scored twice in the 4-1 win against RFS.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru celebrated a 3-0 win with Lazio at Dynamo Kiev. The Nigerian impressed both as a goalscorer and as an assist provider.
Attack
Although Frankfurt carelessly squandered a clear lead in their home game against Pilsen, Hugo Ekitike can be extremely satisfied with his performance. The 22-year-old Frenchman scored a goal and was also credited with an assist.
Jens Petter Hauge can also be pleased with the same rating as Ekitike. He was labelled a transfer flop in Frankfurt, but the 24-year-old Norwegian is making a big impression at Bodo/Glimt. The winger was unstoppable in the surprising 3-2 win against Porto. After setting up the first goal for his home club, he scored a brace.
Rayan Cherki recently extended his contract with Lyon until the summer of 2026. In the 2-0 win against Olympiakos, he put his team on the road to victory with a wonderful goal. Four successful dribbles and a pass rate of 85% rounded off a strong performance.