With the second set of Champions League group stage games finished, we look at who stood out from this week's performances.

GK: Andre Onana (Ajax)

Among all the deserved plaudits that Ajax's players received in their run to the semifinals last season, it felt like goalkeeper Andre Onana got lost in the shuffle. But he'll get some more attention if he keeps playing like he did against Valencia this week: Onana got lucky when Dani Parejo hoofed a penalty over the bar, but his sensational save alone from a deflected Ferran Torres shot was enough to get him in this team.

RB: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)

When a team scores seven goals away from home, it would be pretty easy to just copy their whole XI into a team like this, but in the interests of variation we haven't done that. Kimmich gets the nod though, not only because he scored one of those seven goals but also because of his all-round performance, which was as strong as we've all come to expect from a defender shaping up to be an all-time Bayern great.

- Champions League group stage: All you need to know
- ESPN Champions League fantasy: Sign up now!

CB: Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea)

Even though his hand has been forced to a point by their transfer ban, Frank Lampard isn't picking these Chelsea youngsters to make some sort of idealised point about youth development. He's picking them because they're good, and in the long run Tomori might turn out to be the best of them all: he was superb once again in their win over Lille, both in his usual defensive duties and with a fantastic long pass to set up Tammy Abraham for Chelsea's opener.

CB: Marcelo (Lyon)

These are uncertain times at Lyon, with new manager Sylvinho under some pressure after a tricky start to the domestic season. Perhaps the Champions League will turn out to be a form of respite, and their impressive win over RB Leipzig on Wednesday might spark a few things they can use as the season goes on. At the heart of that win was a fine defensive display by Marcelo in the middle of their backline, repelling numerous attacks by Julian Nagelsmann's often rampant forwards.

LB: Andy Robertson (Liverpool)

An easy trap to fall into when picking defenders for these composite teams is just to select ones who have scored a goal and not pay much attention to their defensive performance. But when the goal is as good as the one Robertson scored against FC Salzburg, you can make an exception. Finishing off a sensational team move that also involved his fellow full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, is there a better left-back in the world right now than Robertson?

CM: Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)

PSG's 1-0 win over Galatasaray on Tuesday will not go down as one of the Champions League's classic encounters. It was a solid job well done by the Parisians, and at the heart of it was their Italian string-puller Verratti, who held the team together in Istanbul and also should have registered a magnificent assist, with a fantastic pass down the left that set Angel Di Maria free, only for the Argentine to fluff the finish.

CM: Thomas Partey (Atletico Madrid)

There's something very reassuring about Partey: when he's on the ball, you get the feeling that everything is probably going to be OK. And it was for Atletico Madrid in Moscow on Tuesday, a game against Lokomotiv that they won 2-0 and was broadly controlled by the Ghana midfielder, who scored the second and spent the rest of the game holding things together for Diego Simeone's side.

LW: Sadio Mane (Liverpool)

Mohamed Salah might have scored twice and got the winner, but it was another Liverpool forward who gave a better all-round showing in their 4-3 win over FC Salzburg. Mane could be the form forward in Europe at the moment; he displayed that at Anfield with a tremendous all-round performance and a glorious goal with the help of Roberto Firmino.

RW: Serge Gnabry (Bayern Munich)

If any Tottenham fans want a bright side from their calamitous, crushing 7-2 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich on Tuesday, it's that their crusher-in-chief was sold for a mere £8 million by Arsenal a few years ago. The most impressive part of Gnabry's performance was its ruthlessness: he detected that the fight had gone out of the Spurs defence in the closing stages, and took advantage of that without mercy for his four goals.

ST: Luis Suarez (Barcelona)

Every time you think Suarez is done, he comes back, like the villain at the end of a horror movie. His performances might have been on the wane for a couple of seasons and he hasn't really been able to inspire Barcelona much domestically, but he saved their bacon against Inter on Wednesday night with a brace to secure a key victory for Ernesto Valverde's side. He was helped along significantly by Lionel Messi, but Suarez was the man with the finishes to earn that 2-1 win.

ST: Emmanuel Dennis (Club Brugge)

Club Brugge striker Dennis made a promise before their game against Real Madrid this week: that if he scored, he would get a tattoo to commemorate the feat. As it turns out he might need a couple of tattoos after he scored twice in the Bernabeu -- a pair of goals might have been enough to win the tie in most circumstances, but it was cancelled out by a late Sergio Ramos and Casemiro-inspired comeback.

Less than 15 months ago, Danushka Gunathilaka found himself banned from all forms of cricket, further action pending following the results of a Sri Lankan police inquiry. He had been suspended for breaching curfew during the middle of a Test, but far more gravely, the offence was linked to an incident of alleged sexual assault by an individual known to the batsman. While he was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing, the incident saw him earn a harsh reprimand from his then-captain Angelo Mathews, who declared no indiscipline would be tolerated.

It was only the latest disciplinary scrape Gunathilaka got into, and he was banned for half a dozen games. It wasn't yet clear how much longer he would stay out of contention for the national team; occurrences like these can have career-altering implications. He was, to put it mildly, emphatically not in control.

Those were matters off the field, and to get a sense of why Sri Lanka Cricket has arguably treated him with kid gloves for so long, you really need to watch him on it. Back into the team for a tour that saw his entry eased by the withdrawal of several first-choice players, Gunathilaka put on a show that emphasised control above all else.

Dealing with the triple-left arm threat of Pakistan's pacemen, he wouldn't let himself be intimidated; he was never more ruthless than in dealing with the short ball. His control percentage for short deliveries bounced at him from Mohammad Amir, Usman Shinwari and Wahab Riaz was a spotless 100%. He began with a flick to fine leg off the first ball from Shinwari, a second boundary would be had courtesy a back-foot punch through the covers. Amir bowled just one short ball to him all innings, only to see the batsman swivel across and help it behind fine leg. He wouldn't try that length to Gunathilaka all innings again.

The other quicks found the short stuff just as ineffective against him. Nine balls around that length produced 13 runs with two boundaries, with the spinners finding it just as hard to work him out. Pakistan's two lead spinners, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz, conceded a combined 44 runs in 39 balls against him. He was in control for all but three of those balls - 92.3%. Across the 134 balls he faced for his 133, his control percentage registered at 88.7.

"I think it was a good century for me, and I take a lot of positives from that knock," Gunathilaka said. "I'm sure this'll help me in the future. It comes right after my injury, which has kept me from playing any international game for the past five months. This was a good opportunity for me and I think I did really well. I was happy I was able to showcase my skills, and hopefully I can do this consistently now."

However, it isn't numbers that have seen Gunathilaka work his way back into the team after breaking curfew in the middle of a Test match and risking opening himself up to a police inquiry. It isn't his control percentage that won him back a place on the team after turning up to training without his gear.

It was the manner in which he began that presumably has had SLC continue to invest in him. He asserted his authority on the game with those two boundaries in the first over, and finding four further exquisite ones before the field would spread out. Not that that mattered, though, as a reverse sweep in the 15th over indicated the boundaries would keep coming despite Pakistan's best-laid plans. There was no telling where they'd go - his wagon wheel would reveal no cranny of the ground had gone unexplored - and the elegance of the shot-making would be the only predictable point of a relentless onslaught.

When Nawaz dropped it short, Gunathilaka rocked back and slashed a beautifully timed square cut to the boundary. When he went full, he saw him charge and dispatch him back over his head. Even the slog was so brimful of easy power it looked sexy. When Wahab - who had the sort of day confirmation bias tends to set aside while he's out of the team - went full and fast, Gunathilaka would clear his front leg, and, moments later, wide long-on with devastating efficiency. Wahab would try again. This time he went wider while keeping the same full length, as if Gunathilaka hadn't spent all afternoon gloriously driving through the covers right in front of the Majid Khan enclosure. Parallels don't come much sweeter than that.

The flamboyance was shelved as he approached the hundred, a pragmatic single to the on side bringing up just his second ODI century, another indicator of unfulfilled potential. This tour, after all, has been all about getting the job done, and for a change, the tables had been turned. Repeatedly spurned by Sri Lanka for one reason or another, this was a tour the board needed its players to sign up to, and Gunathilaka, having played no international cricket since January, saw yet another opportunity to return.

There's little point claiming this must be a turning point - how can one possibly know? - and if history is any indicator, the road to redemption is rarely without its bumps. But on a day when Pakistan recalled two of their own problem children back into their T20I side, here was a reminder of why these men are able to walk back into their jobs after slip-ups that would see them sent packing in just about any other profession. Karachi cricket fans don't have a reputation for applauding elegance as much as effectiveness, but for a few hours, he had them marvelling the art as much as the craft.

It was almost midnight when he left the post-match press conference. This was a curfew Sri Lanka were quite happy letting him breach.

CSA has sold the broadcast rights for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League (MSL) to the SABC, South Africa's insolvent free-to-air broadcaster. This is a change from last season when the SABC were gifted the rights without having to pay anything, after CSA failed to strike a deal with their regular broadcast partner, pay television operator SuperSport, despite repeated efforts.

While SuperSport continue to hold the rights for all South African international and other domestic cricket, a spokesperson confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that they did not put in a bid for the MSL.

Neither CSA nor the SABC were willing to divulge the amount the MSL rights were sold for but CSA called the agreement "more commercially viable" than last season, when CSA budgeted a loss of R40 million (US$2.6 million) for the inaugural edition of the MSL. Sources claim the actual figure was higher.

"We can confirm that the deal with SABC was different from the first edition of MSL in that this year, it is more commercially viable for us. As the lifeblood for CSA, broadcast revenue remains key for us, and we are pleased for the SABC's investment in our valued property and for the assistance in providing access to millions of cricket-loving South Africans who may otherwise not be able to enjoy the game," Kugandrie Govender, CSA's chief commercial officer, told ESPNcricinfo.

The SABC will broadcast all 32 matches live on both television and radio, in prime-time slots from November 8 for five weeks. Fixtures will be played on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings, starting at 5.30pm local time, Saturday afternoons will kick off at 12.30pm and there are double-headers every Sunday at 10am and 12pm local time. These timings are earlier than the usual 6pm starts and 2.30pm matches, with CSA explaining the changes are a result of market research.

Securing the MSL is a major coup for the cash-strapped SABC, who have requested a R3.2 billion (US$ 289 million) government bailout and have been unable to broadcast other high-profile sports events. They only showed South Africa's first two matches of the men's World Cup 2019 live, required the sports minister's intervention to strike a deal with SuperSport to put South Africa's Premier Soccer League on air and they are also not broadcasting any of the ongoing Rugby World Cup. Having the exclusive rights to some sport, albeit it is a local event, is unusual for the broadcaster.

Whether CSA can boast of the same benefit is unlikely. The organisation forecast losses of R654 million (US$42.8 million) for the four-year cycle 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, though the South African Cricketers' Association puts that figure closer to R1 billion (US$ 65.6 million). The sale of the most recent MSL rights will reduce that amount "drastically" according to Govender, but CSA were unable to provide any concrete numbers. Doubtless, CSA's financial situation will also depend on the outcome of their renegotiation of a rights package with SuperSport, whose six-year deal with CSA ends in April 2021.

Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball and his father, LaVar, have been countersued by their former business partner, Alan Foster, for fraudulent concealment and breach of contract.

According to legal documents obtained by The Blast, Foster alleges that LaVar Ball embezzled more than $2.6 million from Big Baller Brand and other companies associated with the Ball family, including Ball Sports Group, to fund his own extravagant lifestyle.

Foster states that his lawsuit "seeks to set the record straight, clear his name, expose LaVar's scheme to cover up his theft of over $2.6 million of BBB and BSG's money, and hold LaVar and Lonzo to their contractual obligations."

In April, Lonzo Ball filed suit against Foster for damages of more than $2 million, plus interest, alleging that Foster "conspired to embezzle millions of dollars and then divert those funds for his personal use, including to acquire assets in Ethiopia."

In court documents obtained by ESPN, Ball alleged that Foster, shortly after his release from prison, "embarked on his plan to target Ball and his family" and then "fleeced them of millions of dollars" by "creating a variety of corporate entities in which he gave himself ownership interests and managerial control."

ESPN reported on March 22 that Ball severed ties with Foster over concerns that the longtime family friend had a criminal past and also had not adequately accounted for the whereabouts of roughly $1.5 million from Ball's personal and business accounts.

Before the March 22 article, Foster initially offered to arrange an in-person meeting with ESPN alongside Ball's father at the Ball estate in Chino Hills, California. But repeated subsequent attempts via email, phone calls and text messages to reach Foster for his perspective were met with no response. On March 21, Foster suggested meeting in person at the Ball estate the following day, but then later that day, he instead suggested the middle of the following week because he was "super busy." Foster otherwise offered no comment.

The Los Angeles Times, citing two law enforcement sources, reported on April 24 that the FBI had opened an investigation into whether Foster defrauded the Ball family out of millions of dollars.

In the lawsuit Foster filed late Wednesday night, according to The Blast, Foster claims that he "loaned to LaVar, [his wife] Tina and Lonzo hundreds of thousands of dollars from his personal savings for various things, including over $130,000 on Lonzo's living expenses."

"During Lonzo's first semester at UCLA, he complained to LaVar and Alan that his dorm room had poor air conditioning and he hated UCLA's meal plan," the suit alleges.

"Lonzo and LaVar asked Alan if he would rent an apartment or condominium for Lonzo, pay for Lonzo's personal trainer ... including furnishings and laptops. Plus, pay for Lonzo's food bills."

Foster's suit also claims that he brokered an $80,000 sale of Lonzo's college uniforms and shoes, the proceeds of which went to the down payment on a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon for Ball.

In 2002, Foster was sentenced to more than seven years in prison after pleading guilty to one count of mail fraud and two counts of money laundering as part of a scheme that defrauded 70 investors of $4 million, according to federal court records obtained by ESPN. Foster also was ordered to pay $3.7 million in restitution to victims.

Lonzo Ball's lawsuit alleged that Foster never informed him or the Ball family of his criminal past. It also alleged that months before meeting the family, Foster had his parole revoked -- and was sentenced to an additional five months in prison -- because he could not show he was compliant with the conditions of his parole to "not engage in any business involving investment, asset management or protection, or any other business involving the protection of funds."

Ball also alleged that Foster arranged for at least eight loans with financing fees of nearly $950,000 to be taken out by Ball or another entity owned by Ball, Family Always Matters LLC, from "non-traditional lenders" that "included exorbitant financing charges that were paid in whole or in part to Foster without Ball's knowledge."

When Ball confronted Foster about these concerns over his conduct, the suit alleged that Foster responded by "threatening to publicly disseminate false and misleading information concerning Ball and his family."

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Yandy Diaz is known for two things: his outsize muscles and exceptional ability to hit. His combination of both in the American League wild-card game helped propel the Rays into the division series.

Playing in only his second game since July, Diaz led off the game with a home run and followed with another two innings later, pacing the Rays' homer-happy attack in a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday. Tampa Bay will face the Houston Astros, the best team in baseball this season, starting Friday in the best-of-five division series.

In front of a wild-card record crowd of 54,005 at Oakland Coliseum, Diaz muted the cheers by hammering a fastball from starter Sean Manaea out to right-center field. Outfielder Avisail Garcia followed with a two-run home run in the second inning, and Diaz took Manaea out to right-center again in the third to stake the Rays a 4-0 lead.

"Yandy is just one of those guys -- he just wakes up out of bed and rakes," Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier said. "Everyone knows him for his muscles and what he can do in the weight room and stuff like that, but the guy finds the barrel so much throughout this whole season, and anytime we're able to have him available, we're happy."

Diaz's availability was uncertain until the past week. On July 22, Diaz fouled a pitch off his left foot with two outs and two strikes in the ninth inning of a blowout loss for the Rays. A hairline fracture kept him out until Sept. 29, when he returned and went hitless.

"We're excited to have him back," Rays outfielder Austin Meadows said. "He's been a force for us, especially early on in the season."

Diaz was a surprise starter for Tampa Bay, though the Rays have surprised all year on their way to a 96-66 record and their first postseason appearance since 2013. The last time they played in October, Joe Maddon was their manager, Evan Longoria their third baseman and David Price their ace. This is an entirely new team, though the principles that have buoyed the Rays -- seeking value and building from within -- have not changed.

Their one significant offseason expenditure paid dividends Wednesday, too. Starter Charlie Morton, whom they signed to a two-year, $30 million deal, worked out of early jams to hold the A's to one run through five innings -- an unearned run that scored due to a throwing error kicking around the large foul territory in Oakland.

The A's, winners of 97 games, couldn't muster any offense beyond that. Reliever Diego Castillo shut them down over two scoreless innings. Nick Anderson, a midseason pickup from Miami, gave up a first-batter single and struck out the next four hitters he faced. And Emilio Pagan, a former Oakland reliever and the Rays' unlikely closer, got the last two outs and sent the A's to their third wild-card loss in six years, following a brutal 9-8 extra-innings loss in Kansas City in 2014 and last year's 7-2 blowout defeat in New York.

Tampa Bay moves on to face an Astros buzzsaw that won 107 games and will start Cy Young co-favorites Justin Verlander in Game 1 and Gerrit Cole in Game 2. The Astros' offense outscored the Rays' by more than 150 runs -- and their pitching and defense allowed the fewest in the AL.

Still, the Rays, unlike the Washington Nationals in the National League wild-card game on Tuesday, did not need to burn their second starter. Reigning AL Cy Young winner Blake Snell and breakout right-hander Tyler Glasnow will be available to start Games 1 and 2, with Morton back for Game 3 on full rest.