'%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)
After months of waiting for the biggest club competition to resume, Champions League finally got underway this midweek. And boy, it lived up to its ever-increasing expectations or what! It all started with a humdinger in Turin, with Juventus and Spurs involved in a 2-2 draw. The other game on Tuesday saw Manchester City brush aside Basel 0-4 away in Switzerland.
Wednesday saw the headline act. Real Madrid and PSG in action, with the reigning champions asserting their authority in this competition over their latest competitors in a 3-1 win. Meanwhile, Liverpool romped their way past FC Porto in a 0-5 win and have surely booked their ticket in the final eight.
These four matches had a lot to dissect and discuss about, and in this segment, we will look at five things that caught our eye in this week's Champions League action:
#5 The atmosphere in Turin
Tuesday's marquee fixture between Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur was the perfect start to the Champions League knockout stages, courtesy of the brilliant pre-match show at the stadium. The eye-catching flashy lights along with the music set the tone to, what was, one of the games of the season.
The supporters then got into the act when both the teams were announced. The Juventus faithful jeered and booed every Tottenham player's name but created a vibrating effect when it was time for the Juventus' starting eleven to be announced.
The announcer read only the first names of the Juventus players and the crowd shouted the surnames in what was a deafening sound created inside the stadium. The pre-show was truly a brilliant experience and the actual action wasn't far behind, with both the teams sharing the honours after a hard fought 2-2 draw.
Electric.
#4 The Angel Di Maria - Marcelo bromance
It is always a pleasant sight to see two top footballers, who previously played together, puting aside their current allegiances for a while and meeting again as friends. This is exactly what happened in the Santiago Bernabeu tunnel, when Marcelo and Angel Di Maria met ahead of the all-important clash between their respective sides.
Ahead of the kickoff, Di Maria and Marcelo met and embraced each other before the action began. During his four year stay in Madrid, Di Maria was a popular figure in the Real Madrid squad and was said to be on brilliant terms with the likes of Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo.
In his first return to his former club, after four long years, Marcelo ensured that the Argentine had a return to savour.
#3 Harry Kane piling up goal-scoring records with each passing week
Juventus vs Tottenham Hotspur was billed by many as Harry Kane's toughest till date, with the Italian warhorses ready in opposition. The Englishman was up against the mean Juventus defence, who had not conceded a goal at home since November.
The Italian side proved to be a wall for Kane to breach, before the striker managed to score one, and give his side the upper hand in the tie. The goal was scored in a peculiar fashion, the striker rounding off Gianluigi Buffon and putting the ball into an open net with the entire Juventus backline behind him.
It was Kane's seventh goal in the Champions League this season and in doing so, the Tottenham's "very own" striker became the joint highest English goalscorer in a single European season. Steven Gerrard had scored seven during the 2008/09 campaign. With another leg to go, and possibly two more in the quarters, and beyond, Kane is expected to be the sole holder of this accolade.
Also, Kane's goal against Juventus was his ninth Champions League goal in as many appearances.
King Harry.
#2 Mohamed Salah creates Liverpool history
We are in February and Liverpool's new ray of hope - Mohamed Salah, has already reached 30 goals in all competitions with a goal against FC Porto last night. That's a massive achievement for someone who was judged as a risk taken by the Reds in the summer. In doing so, Salah became the fastest Liverpool to score 30 goals in a season since George Allan managed it in 1896.
With his latest goal, Salah also became the 13th Liverpool player to reach 30 goals in a season and joined the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Ian Rush, Robbie Fowler, Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres in this elusive list. The Egyptian is now just seven away from being Liverpool's highest ever scorer in the Premier League era (Fowler netted 36 in the 1995/96 season).
Meanwhile, his goal yesterday was of the highest order! Getting onto the rebound off a James Milner shot, Salah took the goalkeeper out of the equation with a dink, headed the ball to outfox the sliding defender and then finished the chance with ease. It was pure genius, and one which had the touch of the Messi magic to it.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo climbs to the pinnacle of Europe with Real Madrid
The reigning European Cup holders, Real Madrid, took a healthy 3-1 lead away from the first leg against Paris Saint Germain, with Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a brace. His performance against the Parisians took his tally to 11 in the competition, 4 ahead of his closest rivals.
Ronaldo also reached triple figures in Champions League goals for Real Madrid, and also became the first player ever to reach a century of goals for one club. The Portuguese now has 101 Champions League goals for Real Madrid and 116 in total.
This is a gigantic feat achieved by any player, ever, when you take into consideration the fact that no other player has even reached 100 goals in total. Ronaldo sits comfortably on his European throne, although Lionel Messi is soon expected to join Ronaldo in this elite club, with the Argentine currently on 97 CL goals for FC Barcelona.
