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It was just another spell of 14 days where the Champions League continued to exhibit its most deep-seated qualities. There were spectacular goals, turnarounds, tactical masterclasses, heroic comebacks and heroes, of course.
The first leg of the arduous round of 16 fixtures bestowed a whole lot of talking points and moments to cherish. But, a lot equations changed in the second leg as many teams portrayed braver hearts in their approach and pipped their opposition to progress to the quarterfinals.
Cristiano Ronalo and Lionel Messi, along with others such as Sadio Mane, Romelu Lukaku and Raheem Sterling might have robbed the headlines, but there were quite a few players who shone for their side and didn't quite hit the back pages of the dailies. Few characters, in fact, beg your pardon.
On that note, let's take a look at five such unsung heroes from the enthralling round-of-16 fixtures that unfolded before our eyes.
#5 David Neres (Ajax Amsterdam)
Ajax put forth a performance for the ages. They have been in top form all season, but they certainly headed into the second leg against Real Madrid with a job on their hands. And of course, the Dutch giants had the firepower in their ranks to portray some free-flowing football.
But after having conceded two goals at home, they traveled to the Spanish capital knowing that a miracle and only a miracle could take them through to the next round, against the reigning champions Real Madrid.
Huge credit goes to their valiant approach, along with the hunger and desire they showed. Ajax had a lesser share of the ball, but with a bit more urgency, direct passes through the channel and zip, they looked far more threatening.
Dusan Tadic and Hakim Ziyech engineered the comeback, but take nothing away from David Neres, who set the field ablaze with his daunting dribbles and pace.
Tadic sent Casemiro packing with a sublime half-turn and spotted the run of Neres, who still had a lot to do to beat Courtois. He did so brilliantly, by keeping his calm and chipping it over the former Chelsea custodian.
#4 Chris Smalling (Manchester United)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United were at it again!
The bandwagon rolled on with the Norwegian at the wheel, but this time it was a performance mightier than these words. After having lost out to PSG in the first leg, with over 10 players sidelined due to injury setbacks, the onus was on the other first team and academy stars to serve up the goods.
One of the stars who shone brightly but will not quite be remembered is Chris Smalling. The center back barely put a foot wrong, to say the least.
He played as per the manager's demands, kept out crosses and stood his ground, most importantly. The central defender linked up extremely well with the in-form Lindelof at the heart of the defense.
A couple of timely challenges from him got the away crowd up on their feet too.
#3 Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
Mohamed Salah, in terms of his records this season, hasn't been too bad at all. He's just gone from what he was last season back to being human again. And still, he is contributing with maximum work ethic for Jurgen Klopp.
The talk of the town at Merseyside is Sadio Mane, who just cannot stop scoring at the moment. But Salah's second leg performance against Bayern Munich was simply spectacular.
He constantly ran up and down the flank, offered defensive stability for starters and was very safe in possession. The Egyptian's movement off the ball, the way he drifted in field time and time again and interchanged passes with the midfielders was a work of art.
We very often see him among the goals, but Salah was Liverpool's creator-in-chief in midweek. He created ample chances and with the outside of his boot, registered an assist for the third goal as well.
#2 Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham Hotspur displayed grit, application and the right tactical nous against Lucien Favre's Borussia Dortmund, in what was expected to be a crunch contest between the not-so-long-ago Bundesliga leaders and the North Londoners.
Somewhere down the line we reckon, Jan Vertonghen's solidity slipped under the radar. In the first leg, the Belgian was on top of his game, as he sniffed out danger, ensured no shenanigans at the back and chipped in with vital clearances and blocks himself.
Spurs scored a couple of late goals to pull the game away from Dortmund, who would have entered the second leg as hot favorites had they only conceded one. But Jan Vertonghen contributed a well-taken goal in the dying stages.
But his second leg performance was what established his credentials as a world-class defender. The veteran stuck to his task and was safe as a house. His positioning, tackling and leadership at the back resulted in a Dortmund shut-out.
#1 Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus)
“The whole team was extraordinary in every way, including character and belief. It was the belief in ourselves that we needed, to believe we could do it."
These were the exact words of the Italy international post Juventus' historic comeback against arguably the tightest defense in Europe in Atletico Madrid.
The winger started on the right in the second leg, but switched flanks as the game wore on. Indeed, he was largely influential down the left, as he whipped a delightful ball to Ronaldo, who opened the scoring.
He continued to tease defenders, charge down the channel, create chances and link up play. However, once Max Allegri introduced Paulo Dybala, Bernardeschi was made to operate from a deeper role. And he did so, near perfectly.
He beat challenges and sprayed passes with aplomb. But most importantly, Bernardeschi won the spot-kick that was buried by Cristiano Ronaldo.
It was a promising display from the wide man.
