Real Madrid were the standout team in the Champions League last-16 first legs, with the reigning champions recording a 5-2 victory over Liverpool at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Carlo Ancelotti's side came two goals behind to secure the first-leg advantage at Anfield, and they are now in a commanding position when it comes to reaching the quarter-finals of the competition.
AC Milan, meanwhile, will take a 1-0 lead into the second leg of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur, with Brahim Diaz on the scoresheet in their meeting at San Siro on February 14.
Bayern Munich were also 1-0 winners over Paris Saint-Germain in Paris, with Kingsley Coman's 53rd-minute strike proving enough to hand the Bundesliga champions an advantage.
© Reuters
Benfica were 2-0 winners over Club Brugge in their first leg on February 15, while Borussia Dortmund recorded a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in Germany, with Karim Adeyemi netting the only goal of the contest.
Serie A leaders Napoli were 2-0 winners at Eintracht Frankfurt, and Inter Milan recorded a 1-0 victory over Porto courtesy of a late effort from Romelu Lukaku.
RB Leipzig held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw in Germany, meanwhile, with Josko Gvardiol cancelling out a first-half effort from Riyad Mahrez, leaving the tie delicately poised ahead of the reverse fixture in Manchester.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Round, with the first legs of the last-16 ties in Europe's premier competition now complete.
DEFENCE
© Reuters
In truth, the goalkeeping spot in this side was easy to pick considering Gregor Kobel's performance for Dortmund against Chelsea in Germany. The 25-year-old was a key contributor to the one-goal success, making seven saves during an outstanding display, with the Blues failing to find a route past the big stopper.
The right-back spot is awarded to Giovanni Di Lorenzo, who was outstanding for Napoli against Frankfurt, finding the back of the net in the 65th minute, in addition to having a pass success rate of 86% and completing two dribbles during a brilliant performance in Germany.
Malick Thiaw is also included, with the 21-year-old helping AC Milan keep a clean sheet against Tottenham. The German had to deal with Harry Kane over the course of the match, and he made seven tackles during a standout performance at San Siro.
Eder Militao also makes it, with the Brazilian scoring a towering header in Real Madrid's win at Liverpool, while he was also solid after a shaky start from Los Blancos, finishing with a pass success rate of 90%, completing 53 of his 59 passes at Anfield.
Meanwhile, the final spot in defence is awarded to Dayot Upamecano, who managed to prevent Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe from finding the back of the net in Paris. The 24-year-old used his pace and power to deal with a number of dangerous situations, and it was a brilliant performance from the centre-back, who won two aerial duels and made five tackles in the French capital.
MIDFIELD
© Reuters
There are three midfielders in this particular side, and Emre Can is fully deserving of his spot due to his performance for Dortmund against Chelsea in Germany. The midfielder's standout moment came in the second period when he cleared one off the line, while he finished with a pass success rate of 84%, had three shots and won four tackles during an outstanding performance.
Joshua Kimmich is also included following his display against PSG; the 28-year-old was the standout midfielder in Paris, boasting a pass success rate of 91%, winning two tackles and having four shots, with Bayern claiming a huge victory ahead of the second leg at Allianz Arena.
Hakan Calhanoglu, meanwhile, makes the side for his impressive performance against Porto. The 29-year-old was a strong presence for Inter in the middle of the park, completing 52 of his 59 passes, while he won three aerial duels and made two tackles, performing a vital role for the Italian giants.
ATTACK
© Reuters
Unsurprisingly, two of the front three come from Real Madrid, with Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema both scoring braces in the 5-2 success at Anfield on Tuesday night.
Vinicius scored twice in the first half to level the scores at 2-2, and he continued to cause problems to Jurgen Klopp's side, completing four dribbles and having three shots in total. Liverpool just could not deal with the Brazilian, who has been described as "the most influential player in world football" by his manager.
Benzema, meanwhile, netted twice in the second half at Anfield, with the experienced striker moving onto 18 goals for the campaign. The two goals on Tuesday were his first strikes in this season's Champions League, and it would not be a shock to see him now go on a run in the competition.
The final spot in the side is awarded to Kingsley Coman, who netted Bayern's winner against PSG on February 14. The 26-year-old had four shots, completed five dribbles and won three tackles during an all-action performance, while he completed 34 of his 36 passes in the French capital.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE TEAM OF THE ROUND
Sports Mole's Champions League team of the round (4-3-3): Kobel; Di Lorenzo, Militao, Upamecano, Thiaw; Can, Kimmich, Calhanoglu; Coman, Benzema, Vinicius
Matt Law
