The UEFA Champions League never disappoints. With 18 goals in the four quarterfinal matches this week, we were treated to a Messi masterclass to dump out Manchester United while Liverpool took care of Portuguese giants Porto after a tough first half. But there were a couple of surprises as the two European giants Manchester City and Juventus were knocked out by Tottenham Hotspur and Ajax respectively.
Messi's genius prevails once again
Barcelona may be used to this by now but it isn't every day a Manchester United fan gets to see a vintage Lionel Messi performance.
United faced a daunting task after going 1-0 down at Old Trafford but things became worse when Messi decided to take matters in his own hands and netted a brace in the first 20 minutes. If Barcelona are to claim their sixth Champions League title, it will largely depend on which Messi will turn up in the final stretch of the season.
Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo go hand in hand
No matter how great he is, Ronaldo cannot keep doing things on his own. He may have been the star in Real Madrid but without the supporting cast of Benzema, Modric, Kroos and Marcelo, Ronaldo wouldn't have been able to achieve what he did.
He may have single-handedly turned the tie against Atletico Madrid but he too was powerless against the youthful and evergreen Ajax. If Juventus are to challenge for the Champions League, they will have to build a squad around their star man. And with Ronaldo at 34, time is not on their side. After outplaying the defending champions Real Madrid and tournament favourites Juventus away from home, there's no reason why they can't do the same to Tottenham.
Henderson is in the form of his life
Another game for Henderson and another goal contribution. The Liverpool captain is enjoying the best form of his career as it was the fourth game in a row where Henderson had provided a crucial contribution: a goal and an assist as a substitute at Southampton, a lovely disguised pass for Trent Alexander-Arnold to cross for Firmino in the first-leg win over Porto, a lovely stabbed cross for Mane's headed opener against Chelsea and an assist for Firmino in the second leg against Porto.
Liverpool struggle to control the midfield in his absence and based on his current form he is likely to feature in the starting XI against Barcelona.
Manchester City were so close but yet so VAR
On a personal level, this was the game of the season so far. It was end to end stuff in the first 15 minutes as it looked like both teams had forgotten how to defend and were on FIFA mode.
Manchester City won 4-3 on the night but lost overall on away goals, having briefly thought they'd snatched a last-gasp winner through Raheem Sterling before VAR ruled it out for offside. But that was not it. Substitute Fernando Llorente scored a corner as he “headed” in the crucial third goal. Yet you can't give him too much praise for it as the ball had clearly struck his forearm and what made things even more controversial is that VAR ruled it fair on review. But Spurs don't care. A mouthwatering clash against Ajax awaits them.
