4 lesser lights who've shone in the Champions League thus far

Harry Kane, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo have earned the majority of the headlines in the early part of the 2017-18 Champions League group stage, but plenty others have made a name for themselves as well.

Here are four key performers who’ve become protagonists for their sides:

Vincent Aboubakar (Porto)

Porto’s Financial Fair Play-enforced sale of Andre Silva left a gaping hole in the attack, but Vincent Aboubakar, returning from a loan spell at Besiktas, has filled the void nicely. With a two clutch goals in Tuesday’s 3-0 win at Monaco, the Cameroonian showed he has the killer instinct to lead the side.

He’s a far less technical player than predecessor Silva, whose hold-up play is just as good as his goal-scoring ability, but Aboubakar’s directness and speed have helped Porto win matches in both the Primeira Liga and the Champions League.

The 25-year-old scored the first through sheer determination, firing twice before converting an inviting rebound. He then beat defender Kamil Glik in a foot race to bang in his second of the night. It was a virtuoso outing from Aboubakar, who registered more shots on target (3) than Monaco’s entire team (2).

Anderson Talisca (Besiktas)

With a tally in each of Besiktas’ first two matches of the continental campaign, playmaker Talisca has proven as much a poacher as a visionary. Against Porto and RB Leipzig, the 23-year-old produced a pair of sturdy headers off of Ricardo Quaresma’s pinpoint deliveries.

Despite starting from a withdrawn position behind Cenk Tosun – who’s impressed in his own right with a goal and an assist thus far – Talisca found enough room for himself to do damage in the penalty box.

His smart use of the pitch and stellar movement put him in a position to score the second of the Turkish outfit’s two goals against the German visitor. Talisca began the sequence that led to his own header, spraying the ball out wide to Quaresma before running onto the subsequent cross. It confirmed he can create and finish chances.

Manchester United reportedly sniffed around in the summer to see if Talisca was available – Jose Mourinho is apparently a big admirer of the Portuguese talent – but nothing materialised. Talisca’s currently on loan from Benfica, and, based on what we’ve seen in the Champions League, the Lisbon giant stands to collect a hefty fee for the player in 2018.

Wissam Ben Yedder (Sevilla)

None of Wissam Ben Yedder’s strikes deserved a spot on the highlight reels, but as a complete package, the Frenchman’s hat-trick performance was special. No player in Sevilla’s history had scored three goals in a single Champions League match before Ben Yedder stepped onto the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan pitch on Tuesday evening.

One of Monchi’s final signings as Sevilla’s sporting director, the 27-year-old arrived in Andalusia last year for a measly €9 million.

With five goals in this season’s Champions League, Ben Yedder is surprisingly two away from setting the club’s all-time scoring record in the competition – such is Sevilla’s lack of history in the tournament.

Taison (Shakhtar Donetsk)

Granted the license to roam about the pitch, Taison made Napoli pay in a shocking win over the Italian side two weeks ago. He popped up all over and maintained a 92 percent passing rate while facilitating play in the opponent’s half of the field.

He wasn’t as effective against Manchester City on Tuesday, but was still a central component in the Ukrainian side’s attack. He even showed good defensive awareness, attempting more tackles (5) than dribbles (4) at the Etihad.

There may not be much hoopla about Taison, who, at 29 years old, is entering the final chapter of his career. However, he’s been a valuable servant for Shakhtar, making 177 appearances in all competitions for the club since arriving in the industrial city in 2013.