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With the UEFA Champions League and Europa League now underway, a number of Mexico's most prominent players have had the opportunity to gain highly valuable minutes during the recent mid-week matches. In case you missed any of the games, here's a quick rundown on how each of the players fared in the European competitions. Hirving Lozano -- PSV Eindhoven (UEFA Champions League) On Tuesday, Lozano and his teammates took a 4-0 hammering by Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Away at the Camp Nou, PSV struggled to steal possession from the Spanish giants who dominated the clash. All that said, the Mexican winger found a way to create a handful of dangerous opportunities in his first-ever start in the Champions League group stage. Lozano scored a goal which was rightfully called offside and forced a red for Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti in the 79th minute. Erick Gutierrez -- PSV Eindhoven (UEFA Champions League) How quickly things have changed for Gutierrez. Late last month, the 23-year-old was still in Liga MX and playing for Pachuca in a match against Puebla. Just a few weeks later, the young Mexican then stepped onto the field for PSV in a Champions League debut against Barcelona. Although he only played for a total of eight minutes, Gutierrez was eager to impress through a handful of dangerous passes late into the game. Hector Herrera -- Porto (UEFA Champions League) Despite the fact that Porto earned a crucial 1-1 away draw against Schalke on Tuesday, Herrera proved to be fairly disappointing. The team captain wasn't his usual active self in the midfield and was caught making costly mistakes. Herrera will need to quickly improve if he hopes to help his side qualify for the knockout round of the Champions League. Jesus Corona -- Porto (UEFA Champions League) The winger had a mid-week cameo appearance after stepping onto the field during the 60th minute of the draw. Corona had a couple of lively moments with his dribbling but ultimately made little impact in the game. The inconsistent player still has plenty to prove before he re-earns a starting role with the Portuguese club. Guillermo Ochoa -- Standard Liege (UEFA Europa League) Ochoa had a tough day at the office on Thursday. In his first-ever Europa League match, the goalkeeper was constantly left pulling the ball out of the back of net during Standard Liege's 5-1 away loss to Sevilla. Were it not for Ochoa's seven saves, the scoreline could have been much worse for the Belgian side that was defensively feeble. Although plenty of negativity will land on the shoulders of the goalkeeper, Standard Liege's worrisome backline should earn much of the blame. Diego Reyes -- Fenerbahce (UEFA Europa League) Reyes will likely want to forget the 4-1 Europa League loss to Dinamo Zagreb. Despite the defender's handful of vital tackles for his Turkish side, Reyes could do little to halt the four-goal tally in the Europa League defeat. Whether it be as a central defender or a defensive midfielder, the 25-year-old still has to win over his new club and solidify a starting spot. Andres Guardado -- Real Betis (UEFA Europa League) Guardado and Real Betis did an excellent job of maintaining possession against Olympiakos, but just couldn't find a way to score a crucial away goal. During Thursday's 0-0 Europa League draw, the Mexican took charge with 100+ accurate passes for his side that couldn't break down the opposition. Nonetheless, it was a decent performance from the veteran who had a key role in the heart of the starting XI. Miguel Layun -- Villarreal (UEFA Europa League) With Layun watching from the sidelines, Villarreal emerged with a 2-2 draw at home against Scottish side Rangers. The 30-year-old Mexican was left without any minutes in the Europa League group stage game. Note: Eintracht Frankfurt left Marco Fabian and the injured Carlos Salcedo out of their Europa League team registration. If the German clubs reaches the round of 32 for the tournament, they could potentially include them through a subsequent registration which would allow three new players.
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