Real Madrid booked their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League courtesy of a 3-1 success over Manchester City in the second leg of their knockout round playoff on Wednesday night.
Los Blancos triumphed 6-3 on aggregate against the English champions, while the biggest shocks involved clubs from the Netherlands, Italy and Belgium, with PSV Eindhoven dumping Juventus out courtesy of a 3-1 victory in the second leg, while AC Milan lost 2-1 on aggregate to Feyenoord, with a 1-1 draw being played out at San Siro on Tuesday night.
Atalanta BC, meanwhile, lost 5-2 on aggregate to Club Brugge in what was another surprise in the playoff round.
Paris Saint-Germain ran riot against Brest, securing a 10-0 aggregate success, including a 7-0 victory in the second leg on Wednesday night, while a goalless draw between Borussia Dortmund and Sporting Lisbon in Germany saw the former advance to the next stage with a 3-0 aggregate win.
Benfica beat Monaco 4-3 over the two legs, with their second match being a 3-3 draw on Tuesday night, while Bayern Munich needed a last-gasp leveller against Celtic at Allianz Arena to secure a 3-2 victory over the Scottish giants.
Here, Sports Mole selects its Champions League Team of the Week from the second legs of the knockout round playoffs in the competition, and there were a number of outstanding performers.
DEFENCE
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Simon Mignolet was outstanding between the sticks for Brugge against Atalanta, with the 36-year-old goalkeeper making nine saves in total, and there is no question that he was a key contributor to the Belgian outfit booking their spot in the next round.
There simply had to be a spot at right-back for Federico Valverde, who was stunning for Real Madrid against Man City in an unfamiliar role; the English champions found it incredibly difficult to make their mark in the final third of the field, and after Kylian Mbappe, Valverde was Real Madrid's exceptional performer at Bernabeu on Wednesday night.
There is also a position in the side for PSV's Ryan Flamingo; the 22-year-old made four tackles, won four aerial duels and boasted a pass success rate of 88% during a standout performance in the middle of the defence.
Flamingo is joined in the middle of the defence by Eduardo Quaresma, who was one of the best performers across the entire round of matches; the 22-year-old made an incredible nine tackles, while he completed 58 of his 63 passes for Sporting in Germany.
The defensive set-up is completed by Nuno Mendes, with the left-back one of PSG's best performers against Brest; Mendes was on the scoresheet, while he completed three successful dribbles, won two aerial duels and finished with a pass success rate of 90%.
MIDFIELD
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Vitinha is one of three PSG players in the XI, with the midfielder also outstanding against Brest; the Portugal international completed 76 of his 79 passes, while he had two shots during a fine performance on Wednesday night.
There is also a position in the middle for Lamine Camara, with the 21-year-old in exceptional form for Monaco against Benfica on Tuesday night; the midfielder made four tackles and won two aerial duels, while he was also excellent in possession, completing 75 of his 82 passes.
The midfield is completed by Hugo Bueno, with the 22-year-old in strong form for Feyenoord against Milan at San Siro; the on-loan Wolverhampton Wanderers star set up Julian Carranza to score, while he was excellent in possession, boasting a pass success rate of 89%, including two key passes.
ATTACK
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There simply had to be a spot in the XI for the stunning Kylian Mbappe, who scored a hat trick in Real Madrid's 3-1 success over Man City; Pep Guardiola's side just could not live with the Frenchman, who showed his quality with three excellent goals against the Citizens.
Chemsdine Talbi, meanwhile, scored twice in Brugge's 3-1 success over Atalanta on Tuesday night; the 19-year-old's movement proved to be too much for the Italian side, and he is fully deserving of a spot in this particular team.
The team is completed by PSG's Khvicha Kvaratskhelia; the Georgia international scored once and provided an assist in his side's seven-goal success over Brest, while he completed six dribbles and won two tackles in a standout performance from the January arrival.
SPORTS MOLE'S CHAMPIONS LEAGUE LEAGUE TEAM OF THE WEEK
Sports Mole's Champions League Team of the Week (4-3-3): Mignolet (Brugge); Valverde (Real Madrid), Flamingo (PSV), Quaresma (Sporting), Mendes (PSG); Camara (Monaco), Vitinha (PSG), Bueno (Feyenoord); Talbi (Brugge), Mbappe (Real Madrid), Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
Matt Law
