Champions League

After a scoreless first leg that was defined by Luis Suarez not playing very well, the Uruguayan enjoyed a vital role in Barcelona’s 5-1 second-leg victory over Lyon at the Camp Nou on Wednesday. However, the man of the match was Lionel Messi, who scored two goals and added two assists to ease his side into the Champions League quarterfinals.

After playing to a scoreless draw at Anfield, Liverpool’s trip to Bayern Munich looked like a scary proposition for a side that had yet to win away from home in the Champions League this season.

But Jurgen Klopp’s side shrugged off its road woes with one of the most impressive performances of the Champions League this year, crushing Bayern Munich 3-1 at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Wednesday.

First things first, before we talk about controversy or points of contention with referees, we have to simply talk about the game and how it actually flowed. After Atlético Madrid’s sensational performance at the Wanda Metropolitano on Feb. 20, this was an absolute debacle at Juventus Stadium on Tuesday.

It’s difficult to remember a time when Diego Simeone got things so ineffably wrong. How could Atlético go from this (cojones): 

The mission seemed impossible for Juventus after the first leg.

A defeat at Atletico Madrid meant the Old Lady needed three goals without allowing one against one of the best defenses in all of Europe. 

But Juventus has something this year it’s never had before: Cristiano Ronaldo.

The former Real Madrid superstar paid off his immense transfer fee with one incredible performance, scoring a hat trick to lead Juventus to a 3-2 aggregate win in the Champions League Round of 16 on Tuesday in Turin. 

Only 284 days after shocking the footballing world by stepping down as manager of Real Madrid days after securing a third straight Champions League title, Zinedine Zidane has again been named Los Blancos coach on a contract running until June 2022.