UEFA Champions League 2018-19: Recapping the Round of 16, which was full of epic drama
There are a few players who simply love to perform when the stakes are high, and one such player is Cristiano Ronaldo. When Juventus were backed into a tight corner, he came to his side's rescue yesterday night in Turin.
Not just him, but many others made their mark in the round of 16 of this year's Champions League.
Three teams that were virtually written off by almost everyone but their fans, stormed through the second leg of the UCL Round of 16 to claim a spot into the quarter-finals. And they managed to do so through some epic performances and comebacks.
Here's a recap of the most notable performances:
#1 Ajax 4-1 Real Madrid
First was the match between the ever-enthusiastic Ajax and the kings of Europe Real Madrid. Coming into the second leg with a one-goal deficit and having afforded two goals to Real Madrid in the Dutch stadium, the tie looked done and dusted to everyone.
But the determined Ajax team came out all guns blazing and thrashed Real 4-1 in the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.
It was a result that not even the Ajax team could have anticipated. They continuously troubled the Madrid outfit all night; their incredible display combined with an extraterrestrial goal by Lasse Schone capped off the epic comeback for the Dutch outfit, who progressed onto the quarter-finals at the expense of Madrid leading the tie 5-3.
#2 Manchester United 3-1 PSG
One match that will be etched in everyone's memory is the epic comeback of Manchester United. Coming into an away game 2-0 down on aggregate, the Manchester outfit was all but written off against a strong PSG lineup.
What happened instead will go down as an important piece of history. Two quickfire goals from Lukaku in the first half followed by an ice-cold penalty by the young Marcus Rashford propelled them into the quarter-finals at the expense of a visibly distraught Paris team.
PSG did score one goal during the match but it was not enough as United moved ahead on away goals scored.
#3 Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid
If there was ever one man you could never write off, it would be Cristiano Ronaldo. Hard work, dedication and hunger to snatch the title of the best player to ever grace the game from his compatriot Leo Messi, have made him the most lethal forward in the world.
Ever so clinical in front of goal, Ronaldo remembered to bring his shooting boots when his side Juventus faced Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their UCL tie in Turin. Atletico went into the game on the back of a home victory and were leading the tie 2-0, while Ronaldo was continuously struggling throughout the UCL this season.
But then came another magnificent display from the legend. It was a display which showed how great he can be if you try to write him off.
Juventus ended up progressing into the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate, thanks to the incredible hat-trick from Ronaldo which was capped by a wonderfully taken penalty in the dying minutes of the game.