With the first legs of the Champions League semifinal matches done and dusted, it's time to look at the best XI ...
Goalkeeper: There was little to set the pulses racing at the Etihad on Tuesday night, but Joe Hart showed again that he has been saving his best form for the Champions League this season. The Manchester City goalkeeper had not been overly occupied going into the last 10 minutes bar a save with his foot from Casemiro, but his late stop from Pepe showed him at his best -- standing firm and making himself big to repel a close-range blast from the Real Madrid defender and ensure that, even if Cristiano Ronaldo returns next Wednesday, this tie is very much on a knife-edge.
Right-back: Bayern Munich had little to cheer about at Estadio Vicente Calderon, but the performance of Philipp Lahm helped them at least keep a foothold in the tie. As they asserted a measure of control in the second half, without creating too many clear chances, Lahm frequently pushed into the midfield and impressed with his quick, economical use of the ball. He was not overly tested at right-back and sought to make what difference he could further forwards.
Centre-back: You feared a little for Atletico when it was confirmed that they would have to live without a hamstrung Diego Godin, but his replacement Stefan Savic had an almost faultless game for Atletico as they repelled Pep Guardiola's men -- particularly during a second half that at times resembled the Alamo. Savic, now 25 and still a few years from his prime, is perhaps a classic example of a young player brought in too soon by a Premier League club and cast aside before he could really develop. He would, you imagine, quite like to show previous employers Manchester City exactly that in the final.
Centre-back: There might not have been a winning goal for Pepe but at least there wasn't one for Sergio Aguero either. That had plenty to do with the Real Madrid centre-back, who barely gave him a sniff on the ground and was dominant in the air too. Pepe plays on the edge and that can tip over into outright cynicism but this was the Portuguese at his best -- aggressive, intense and laying down a platform from which his team will feel confident they can win the second leg.
Left-back: Filipe Luis was excellent against Barcelona in the quarterfinals and picked up where he left off against Bayern. The rangy left-back went on one marauding first-half run that recalled the burst that won their late penalty against Barca, but generally sat in after Saul Niguez's early goal and gave little breathing space to the wide men Guardiola had selected in a bid to stretch the home side. On a night when Atletico's defence had to cope without Godin, it was a composed performance from a player who epitomises the desire coursing through Diego Simeone's team.
Defensive midfield: Manchester City were going to have to smother Real Madrid's midfield if they were to have any chance of preventing an away goal and, while their intensity dropped a little in the second half, Fernando produced an all-action display in the centre that helped them shade the first. The Brazilian has probably been City's most improved player this season and has forged an excellent, savvy partnership with compatriot and namealike Fernandinho -- who also played a vital role on Tuesday. Between them, these two give City a ruggedness and intelligence in the engine room that they have perhaps lacked at this level in the past.
Defensive midfield: He is not one of Atletico's better-known players, but Augusto Fernandez was outstanding in midfield against Bayern. The Argentine, who joined from Celta Vigo in January, partnered the equally relentless Gabi and seemed to cover every blade of grass, setting a blistering tempo from the off and ensuring Bayern were given little time and space to dictate the play. It was no coincidence that Thiago Alcantara, who Guardiola had hoped would prise Atletico open from midfield, looked disconsolate when he was withdrawn during the second half; he had been completely deprived of any oxygen with which to express himself.
Right-wing: What a wonderful piece of initiative it was from stylish Atletico midfielder Saul Niguez to give his team the advantage going into next week's game. It began as a harmless-looking amble into space; it finished as a twisting, jinking, feinting run past the Bayern defence and the finish, bent past Manuel Neuer, was weighted to perfection. Saul had possession for 11 seconds before scoring -- an achievement in itself after a hurly burly opening 10 minutes -- and, while Bayern will think they should have stopped the move at source, he does have previous. It was Saul, sought by a number of Premier League sides, whose sublime pass carved Barcelona open at the same venue in the last eight and allowed Antoine Griezmann to score.
Attacking midfield: Real needed someone to get them going in Manchester, and Luka Modric certainly gave it his best shot. In common with many of his teammates, the Croatian playmaker grew into the game after half-time, dictating the second 45 minutes and using his quick feet to dribble through a packed midfield when threaded passes were not on. He was unable to pick the lock but Real's transitions from defence to attack were far more effective as his influence grew -- and they will count on him to create chances in the return game.
Left-wing: It was not necessarily Kevin De Bruyne's night, and certainly not one to match his heroics against Paris Saint-Germain, but the Belgian again helped City shift quickly through the gears and looked their main danger in a game of few opportunities. His late free kick, tipped over by Keylor Navas, was their only threatening shot on goal and it came about after a characteristic driving run that was halted agriculturally by Dani Carvajal. De Bruyne received a few heavy challenges in the first half too but just picked himself up and kept going; more of the same next week might see him get into the kind of position from which he is lethal.
Centre-forward: This is turning into a lovely renaissance for Fernando Torres, who is finally recovering from the years of post-Liverpool heckling he has suffered. At 32 he is not quite the threat of old but his legs seem imbued with a new lease of life and he worked the channels well against Bayern even if his touch let him down on occasion. When it did not, a slick turn inside David Alaba and opportunistic shot with the outside of his boot resulted in the ball striking an upright. That would have put Atletico two goals up and firmly in command, but the second leg at the Allianz Arena seems perfectly cut out for his threat on the counter.