'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The Champions League quater-finals produced some superb matches, some which nobody will be forgetting about anytime soon.
The Manchester City versus Tottenham Hotspur game in particular was a sight to behold. VAR spoiled the celebrations for City as they thought they had clinched it in the 93rd minute, only to have the goal disallowed after it was reviewed for offside.
Pep Guardiola fell to the floor with his head in his hands, whilst Spurs blew out a sigh of relief, progressing through to the next round thanks to an away goal advantage.
Elsewhere, Manchester United were beaten by Barcelona, who put three past them in a wholly dominant display. Lionel Messi led the line for the Catalan giants, netting twice before Philippe Coutinho scored a long-ranged shot to add insult to injury.
Also See : Durand Cup, Durand Cup Schedule, Calcutta Football League
Cristiano Ronaldo's Juventus were rocked after they were beaten 2-1 by an impressive Ajax side who utilised Total Football to dismantle the Old Lady. Ronaldo left the pitch promptly once the final whistle went.
And lastly, Liverpool demolished Porto in a 4-1 victory. They were already two goals ahead going into the match, meaning that Porto had a mountain to climb. The Reds looked comfortable in possession and the Portuguese side never really troubled them.
Here are five of the best players from the Champions League this week.
#5 Kevin De Bruyne
Kevin De Bruyne was one of the best players out on the pitch for Manchester City, with the Belgian pulling the strings against Spurs.
His passes were what made City so threatening in this match, and that's reflected in his 84% pass sucess rate. Granted, De Bruyne had a great deal of choice going forward with the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero and Bernardo Silva all to choose from, but he made them count.
De Bruyne notched up a hat-trick of assists, showcasing just how crucial he was to the side's performance. City were unlucky to have been eliminated on aggregate.
#4 Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi was as always the talismanic figure in the Barcelona side, scoring two goals and posing a constant threat to Manchester United the whole game.
It was a good job he was on top of his game because his teammates didn't exactly shine in the match. Most of them were anonymous for a large part of it, and if it wasn't for Messi's individual brilliance on the ball, the scoreline might not have been so flattering.
Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were poor for United and Messi exploited the weakness in the pair. The Argentine did the same to Ashley Young, the man expected to somehow mark and shepherd Messi out of the game.
Safe to say, he failed to do that and Messi had a field day out at the Camp Nou.
#3 Sadio Mane
Sadio Mane was utilised as a centre-forward for Liverpool in this game, which isn't often the role he plays; he is a left winger who can also play on the right. So, this was a test by Jurgen Klopp to see what the Senegalese can do. And, boy, did he deliver!
A goal and an assist marked Mane out as one of te best players out on the pitch and earned him the Man of the Match award by the end of it.
Porto's defence simply couldn't handle his speed and agility on the ball and it showed. They lost him several times and gave him what was probably one of his easiest games all season.
Porto did well getting to this stage but it's clear that they were no match for, not just Liverpool, but Mane himself.
#2 Son Heung-Min
Son Heung-Min effectively saved Tottenham from elimination in this game. Everybody doubted that Spurs would not get very far without Harry Kane in the side, but Son was utilised in his position and the South Korean did very well.
He scored twice in under 10 minutes for Spurs, denting City's confidence from the get-go. City knew they had a mountain to climb and Son's clinical finishing in front of goal hindered their cause.
Son was definitely the best player for Spurs at the Etihad and City just couldn't deal with him.
Questions need to be asked about City's defence in this one as allow Son that much space and time on the ball was just begging for him to shoot on goal. The two early goals really made things much more difficult than necessary for City.
#1 Matthijs de Ligt
Matthijs de Ligt is only 19 years old and yet, he's on course to become one of the best defenders in the world. He's already highly regarded by football critics and fans for his maturity and composure on the ball, and this is why he wears the captain's armband for Ajax.
He has been linked with top European clubs for months now, and Tuesday night's performance showcased why.
De Ligt scored the second and most crucial goal for Ajax, putting the Dutch side 2-1 ahainst Juventus through a header. He towered over the Juventus defenders and nodded past Wojciech Szczesny, who was hopeless in trying to stop De Ligt's header..
He was given the Man of the Match award for his sublime performance in Turin.
Ajax now head to the semi-finals with a great deal of confidence.
