Priceless Moments of the Week: Happy Reunions and Rewards for Perseverance | Champions League

Catch the highlights and interesting stories from the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 second leg matches with this week's Mastercard Priceless Moments.

Happy reunion for Malin

Donyell Malen, PSV Eindhoven player between 2017 and 2021, has not scored at the same rate since his move to Dortmund, but returning to his old stadium brought out the best in him. The 25-year-old came close to scoring two goals before scoring his team's first goal in a 1-1 draw.

With this goal he now has eleven goals in all competitions for Dortmund this season: his best record for the club to date. It was also his first goal in the knockout stage of the Champions League and his first in this competition since December 2021. By the way, the last Dutchman to score against a team from his country in the Champions League was Arjen Robben, from Bayern Munich. Against PSV Eindhoven in October 2016.

Arnautowicz Perseverance Award

Choosing the Austrian striker as man of the match for his performance against Atletico Madrid at San Siro, UEFA's technical observer said of Marko Arnautovic: “He transformed Inter in the second half. He moved well between the lines, created chances and scored the only goal.” On loan from Bologna, the 34-year-old is getting used to changing the way Inter play from the bench.

However, if the winning goal was not spectacular (Arnautovic sent a loose ball into the net despite Samuel Leno's attempt to clear it off the line), it served to reassure the striker, who had earlier missed a good chance with a header. On goal and everything is in his favour. “I came to make a difference. The third chance came after I missed two goals, and I'm happy that I scored goals for the people who came here to cheer, as well as for my teammates and my family who were here tonight.” male.

Galen continues to grow

Arnautovic wasn't the only player to be rewarded for his perseverance this week, with Galeino also reaping the rewards of years of hard work. The formidable forward has featured in the UEFA Europa League for four successive seasons with Rio Ave, Braga and Porto, before seizing his opportunity on club football's biggest stage in the past two seasons.

His stunning goal against Arsenal puts him at the top of the competition's top scorers with five goals, while his nine goal contributions so far cannot be matched by any of the 2023/24 Champions League luminaries. “He scored a fantastic goal and showed great defensive work and discipline,” said the UEFA technical observer, who also praised the 26-year-old's dedication and determination.