The UEFA Champions League threw up some exciting fixtures in the quarter-finals rather than the usual fare in recent years and it lived up to everyone's expectations when the final four teams were decided. Real Madrid, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and AS Monaco now await the draw on Friday to find out who they will be taking on in the semi-finals.
Looking back at the four ties, who were the biggest stars from the quarter-finals? We've made a XI of the best players to form one frightening team.
Goalkeeper
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While we were tempted to pick Gianluigi Buffon for keeping not one but two clean sheets against mighty Barcelona, the truth is that he was helped by the defence and was hardly called into action as much as Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer was against Real Madrid.
The German goalkeeper may have conceded in both legs but it was his incredible performances in goal that kept the scoreline respectable – especially in the first leg. The Bavarian giants were reduced to 10 men in both legs (red cards were shown to Javi Martinez in the first leg and Arturo Vidal in the second leg) and were on the backfoot for the majority of the 210 minutes as the second leg went into extra time.
Cristiano Ronaldo may have celebrated his 100th goal sooner had Neuer not been in the way. The 31-year-old made 10 saves in the first leg followed by six in the second leg. The highlight was arguably the save towards the end of the first leg where he simply held his arm out to block a Ronaldo rocket.
Anyone else's forearm would have broken in half but Neuer obviously has adamantium infused into his bones.
Centre-Backs
Blanking this Barcelona side over 180 minutes should surely see two centre-backs make it to this XI but we've gone with only one. Giorgio Chiellini once again proved why he is not a man to be messed with over the two legs as he shut out the likes of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez at the Juventus Stadium and the Camp Nou.
The 32-year-old defender was easily the second-best player on the pitch in the first leg. He won a total of eight aerial duels and made eight tackles over both legs. What's more, while he was busy keeping a clean sheet at one end, he even managed to score a goal at the other end with a powerful header across goal to beat Marc-Andre ter Stegen and find the corner of the net.
Alongside him is Atletico Madrid stalwart Diego Godin. The Uruguayan defender won an astonishing 14 aerial duels against Leicester City, helping the Rojiblancos in keeping one clean sheet. In a match that saw similar styles clash, the 32-year-old also made 26 clearances over both legs.
Leonardo Bonucci would have been a good choice to make this XI for the way he kept Barcelona's forwards quiet, forcing them to take difficult shots. But sadly, we can only pick two and Godin gets the nod.
Full-Backs
In what was an emotional return to the ground where he made a name for himself, it was Dani Alves who came out on top as he faced his former club at the Camp Nou. Across both legs, the right-back had the difficult task of keeping compatriot Neymar quiet and he managed to do so as the Brazilian failed to repeat his Round of 16 heroics in that epic comebac against PSG.
In all, Alves made seven tackles and was one of the standout performers across both legs. His pre-match handshakes with his former teammates and staff seconds before kickoff when Juve had only 10 men on the pitch will be one of many fond memories fans will have from this tie.
On the left is yet another Brazilian full-back – Real Madrid's Marcelo. The 28-year-old put in a performance of a lifetime when he quite literally ran the game from a left-back position in the second leg.
At the Bernabeu, the 28-year-old was involved in all areas of the pitch. From making a goal line clearance to deny Bayern a certain goal to making the run past their midfield and defence to assist Ronaldo, Marcelo was the undisputed man of the match in spite of the Portuguese forward's hat-trick.
Midfielders
In central midfield, it was Juventus Miralem Pjanic who stole the show and left Barcelona's midfield gasping for breath and devoid of any space to work with. Among all players from the eight teams, it was Pjanic who made the most interceptions (7) in the quarter-finals.
In the second leg alone, while fans will remember Pjanic for the foul on Lionel Messi that saw the Argentine forward plant his face on the ground with enough force to rattle his teeth, the Bosnian should be remembered for the eight tackles he made in midfield.
Alongside Pjanic is another Atletico Madrid player, Saul Niguez. Diego Simeone trusted the Spanish midfielder's versatility and used him in two different positions in both legs against Leicester City – either in central midfield or even on the right of midfield.
His hard work was rewarded with an away goal at the King Power Stadium which effectively put a semi-final berth out of reach for the Foxes.
Wingers
Five goals against Bayern Munich makes Cristiano Ronaldo the unanimous choice to make the cut. Who else do you pick on the left wing but the first man to score more than 100 goals in the Champions League?
The Portuguese forward was on 95 goals prior to the quarter-finals and grabbed a brace at the Allianz Arena to improve his commendable record against German clubs. Both Bayern and Real had reached the last five semi-finals and it was Ronaldo who proved the difference to help the Liga side advance at the Bundesliga giants’expense.
While a couple of incorrect refereeing decisions did help him grab a perfect hat-trick, his two away goals alone were enough to grant him a place in this XI.
On the right, we go with Borussia Dortmund’s exciting young talent, Ousmane Dembele. The 19-year-old is the youngest player in this team and, despite the German side’s understandably poor outings following the bomb attack on the team bus, young Dembele scored in the first leg and set up Marco Reus in the second with a tantalising run down the right flank.
The fact that he was dropped to the bench for the second leg was baffling as he proved to be a viable attacking option as soon as he came on for Erik Durm midway through the first half.
Forwards
There were world-class and experienced strikers such as Karim Benzema, Robert Lewandowski and Luis Suarez in the quarter-finals but none of them made the cut. Instead, it is two youngsters who make the cut following their exploits over two legs.
Juventus’ Paulo Dybala destroyed Barcelona’s defence in the first leg with two well-taken goals with a composure that belies his 23-year-old self. Though the Catalan club’s defence is nothing to write home about, his awareness of where the goal was in tight spaces and his accuracy with his shots to beat the goalkeeper proved Dybala is the real deal and one to look out for in the future.
The Argentine forward is reportedly a primary target for most of Europe’s elite but he quashed all rumours by signing a contract extension to stay with the Old Lady until 2022.
Partnering him is one player who could soon make a move, though. Kylian Mbappe is only 18 years old and he is already one of the top scoring French players in Champions League knockout history.
Two goals in the first leg followed by a third in the second leg (scored as early as the third minute) saw his wide range of skills on display – be it his blistering pace or his lethal accuracy and composure. His performances have truly made Monaco the dark horses for the Champions League title this season.
