Champions League group stage statistics: Ronaldo, Barça, Saúl
Valencia - Juventus live: Champions League 2018/19
The group stage of the Champions League has thrown up some surprises. The elimination of Atlético Madrid at this stage for the first time since 2009-10, Benfica’s poor display, and Shakhtar’s superiority over Napoli.
As the competition prepares to move in to the knockout stage, here are all of the statistics you need to know from the first round.
Champions League top scorer
Cristiano Ronaldo – The Real Madrid forward became the first player to score in all six group stage matches with his goal against Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday evening. That took his tally to nine goals, which is 53% of Madrid’s 17 goals so far in the competition.
Team with most goals
PSG – The Ligue 1 leaders found the net 25 times in Group B, two more than Liverpool managed in Group E.
Team with least goals
Benfica – The Portuguese outfit only scored one goal in their six matches. That solitary strike came against CSKA Moscow in the first match.
Stingiest defence
Barcelona – ‘Keeper Marc-Andre Ter Stegen only had to pick the ball out of his net once, against Olympiacos, in the entire group stage. Along with Besiktas, Liverpool, and Tottenham, Barça are also among the teams that remain undefeated.
Leakiest defence
Celtic – Brendan Rodgers’ team conceded 18 times in a tough group alongside Bayern and PSG.
Most assists
James Milner – The sturdy Liverpool midfielder created five goals for his team-mates.
Most distance covered
Saúl Ñiguez – The engine of Atlético Madrid clocked up 72,181 km, which evens out at more than 12km per match.
Most passes completed
Éver Banega – The Sevilla string-puller completed 613 passes.
Most saves made
Ibrahim Sehic – The Qarabag ‘keeper was forced to make 35 saves as his team came under consistent siege.