Champions League rendered one of its best edition of knockout stage matches as FC Barcelona scripted history. The Catalans won the second leg 6-1 to progress to the quarterfinals as they made a mother of all comebacks to dump Paris Saint-Germain out of the competition with a 6-5 score on aggregate.
Sergio Roberto scored a 94th-minute winner to send the Parisians packing and wrote an unfathomable script.
The other game on the night also saw a comeback of sorts as Borussia Dortmund recovered from a 1-0 deficit from the first leg to beat Benfica 4-0 at the Westfalenstadion. Meanwhile, Tuesday's games saw Real Madrid overcome Napoli with the same 3-1 scoreline that was in the first leg.
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Same was the case with Arsenal as Bayern Munich tormented them at the Emirates with five quick-fire second half goals as the match ended 5-1 in favour of the Bavarians.
On that note, let's take a look at the five moments that caught the eye in this week's Champions League:
#1 Neymar rose to the occasion when it mattered the most
After being 3-0 up, an away goal by Edinson Cavani meant that Barcelona had to score three goals in a matter of few minutes. It looked all gloom and doom at Nou Camp as the atmosphere dampened and the players looked as if they had lost momentum.
After a stunning performance against Celta Vigo, it was Messi who was touted as Barcelona's saviour to rewrite history in the second leg. It was neither him nor Luis Suarez, who also got on the scoresheet like Messi but could not influence the game as much as he wanted.
As they say, "Cometh the hour, cometh the champion", Neymar Jr rose up and took matters into his own hands when there were only two minutes of regular time left.
He first made it 4-1 through a brilliant free-kick which Kevin Trapp had absolutely no answer for, as he watched the ball rattle the back of the net. Then after some theatrics from Suarez which earned Barcelona a penalty in the 90th minute, the Brazilian was calm enough to send Trapp the wrong way and slot it home in his ever cool stuttering run-up leading to the spot kick.
The clock was ticking and in the final minute, it was Neymar again who provided a cross from which Sergi Roberto applied a finishing touch to send Barcelona into the final eight of the competition. Steven Gerrard called Neymar's performance one of the best he ever saw and it truly was as the Brazilian stepped up to the task in a match where Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi failed to have the desired impact.
Neymar dragged his team out from the clutches of defeat and proved yet again that whatever might be people's opinion about him, he is the rightful heir for the best player in the world title after the era of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo gets over.
#2 Sergio Ramos saved Real Madrid once again
Napoli completely dominated Madrid from the word go and received fruits of their labour as Dries Mertens gave them a well-deserved lead. They had 11 shots on target in the first half itself as they pinned down Zidane's men well until the 50th minute. All was looking bleak for the reigning champions until their captain fantastic, Sergio Ramos rose to the occasion once again.
El Capitan rose the highest to meet a Toni Kroos corner and levelled the proceedings at the San Paolo stadium in the 51st minute. He scored again six minutes later, this time via a deflection from Mertens to take the tie away from Napoli and secure yet another pulsating victory for Los Blancos.
Ramos now has 21 goals in his last two seasons with 18 of them coming when Madrid were trailing or were on level terms. He has not been at his best defending wise but that has not deterred his importance in this team.
Though he has mastered the art of scoring set pieces on regular occasions but more than that, Ramos has now made his reputation as a saviour for Real Madrid when they need him the most. He is now just 6 goals away from becoming the highest scoring defender in the Champions League (Roberto Carlos holds that record with 16 goals).
#3 How could a red card make a team like Arsenal capitulate in such a way?
Unlike the first leg, Arsenal started the second leg with a positive intent and enthusiasm. They went ahead with a fine Theo Walcott goal and had Bayern Munich struggling for chances till the 60th minute. But then a cynical moment from captain Laurent Koscielny saw him getting the marching orders which meant the Gunners had to play the remaining game with a man down.
What followed next was yet another capitulation of the highest order. Die Roten scored goal after goal as Arsenal crumbled in the pressure. Where were the leaders? Where was the passion? The players have often hidden behind their manager at times this season but when will the players step up and at least and play for the shirt?
Arsenal suffered yet another humiliating defeat on the night which had started with so much hope, not of a comeback but of an inspiring performance but ended with the same scoreline and even more humiliation. It finished as the worst defeat of an English side in the knockout stages of European competitions.
#4 Christian Pulisic's performance catches everyone’s eyes
Though it was Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who stole the limelight with a sensational treble of goals, the 18-year-old Pulisic also had an eventful encounter against Benfica. This was Dortmund's most important game of the season considering they had lost the first leg 1-0 in Portugal.
The German club had received a bad news in the wake of Marco Reus' injury which meant the winger was ruled out of the Champions League match.
Pulisic stepped in for the injured Reus and made full use of his prized start. When the score was tied at 1-1, Pulisic scored a delightful lob to give his side a much-needed advantage. This goal turned the tide in Dortmund's favour and took the fizz out of Benfica.
It was a difficult decision for Tuchel to give Pulisic a start in the latter stages of the competition but the American teenager proved that the hype surrounding him is worth it. The youngster also provided a delightful assist for Aubameyang to open the goal-fest last night.
#5 Camp Nou went wild after the final whistle
When referee Cuneyt Cakir whistled for the end of the unbelievable second leg tie at Camp Nou, the fans went berserk along with the players. Lionel Messi jumped over the advertisement boards as soon as Roberto scored the winner and celebrated the sweet victory with the fans.
Many fans were crying at the final whistle as the burst of emotions was natural after such a miraculous escape for their team.
Chants of "Yes we can" could be heard at half time as Camp Nou provided an atmosphere to behold. Luis Enrique called this comeback a victory of faith while claiming that no kid present in the stadium would ever forget this night. Such was the intensity inside the stadium.
The man who scored the winner, Sergi Roberto summed the celebratory mood at Camp Nou by saying, "They say the fans are one more player, but today they were 10 more.In the end, this is also for them." Last night saw Barcelona's cathedral erupt like it had not in the recent past.
The sea of people present in the stadium witnessed the greatest Champions League comeback in the rich history of their beloved club.
