The start of a new era...

  Champions League is back!  

The excitement of European football has brought out the best and the worst in players, with a healthy balance of goals and fouls. The biggest story of the second leg of the round of 16 however, is that Messi and Ronaldo (and their respective teams) will be missing from the quarter-finals. With the disappearance of football's legendary duo, the start of a new era has begun. Read down below and decide who you think is worthy of taking over!

Juventus 3-2 Porto

Aggregate 4-4, Porto win on away goals

Following their 2-1 away win, FC Porto narrowly held on in the second leg. It's Porto's first win in a Champions League knockout round since the 2004 quarter final  against Lyon. Sergio Oliveira kicked off the goal-scoring frenzy with a penalty in the 19th minute to put Porto in the lead. Juventus had no response before the end of the half but they came out firing in the second with a quick 49th minute goal from Chiesa. Shortly after Mehdi Taremi was shown successive yellow cards in under 3 minutes and Porto were left with 10 men on the field. Juventus seized the opportunity and Chiesa struck a header into the back of the net in the 63rd minute. The match was tied at the end of regular time and went on to an exciting extra time draw. Oliveira punched one in at the 115th minute and Juventus responded with Rabiot powering in a header at the 117th minute. Tense until the end, the aggregate score ended in a draw and Porto secured the chance to move on with more away goals. Juventus will be disappointed with their performance, especially with strike duo Ronaldo and Morata failing to find the net.

Dortmund 2-2 Sevilla

Aggregate 5-4, Dortmund win

Another close fought battle between the kings of the Europa league, Sevilla, and German side Dortmund. This goal-fest of a match was also highlighted by the 8 yellow cards shown by the referees. A brace from wonderkid Erling Haaland before the hour mark set Dortmund ahead and poised to take the win. Sevilla however, didn't go down without a fight and some last-minute drama. Youssef En-Nesyri smashed home a penalty kick late in the game and pulled Sevilla briefly back with a 96th minute header, leveling the score. Unfortunately for Sevilla, their run of good form came too late. Dortmund power through to the next round, riding on the shoulders of the one and only Erling Haaland!

PSG 1-1 Barcelona

Aggregate 5-2, PSG win

A sad day for Barcelona as they miss out on the Champions League quarterfinals for the first time since 2006/07. They did perform much better this match and were unlucky not to find the back of the net a couple of times, but it seemed destiny for the Parisians to move on. The game was exclusively in Barca's control as they led in possession, passing, and shots; but it was superstar Kylian Mbappe who opened the scoring in the 30th minute. He sent the keeper the complete opposite way and coolly lifted the ball into the top left corner. With a solid PSG defense holding up, Messi came out of nowhere in the 37th minute to finish off an incredible solo run, showing a glimmer of his patented football magic. That glimmer is all we got however, as Messi then went on to miss a penalty before the end of the first half. The magic never returned after that, and a Messi-dependent Barcelona side failed to create any more chances.

Liverpool 2-0 RB Leipzig

Aggregate 4-0, Liverpool win

A thoroughly one-sided match as a goal each from Salah and Mane were enough to secure the win for Liverpool. RB Leipzig had a nightmare of a contest as they succumbed to the pressure of facing the in-form Liverpool team. It was Salah and Mane in the first leg that scored and the same duo struck again in the second leg with a pair of second half goals. Liverpool coast into the quarterfinals looking like the team to beat!

Real Madrid 3-1 Atalanta

Aggregate 4-1, Real Madrid win

Real Madrid made it look easy as they secured a win and a ticket to their 36th Champions League quarterfinal, more than any other club. Karim Benzema capitlaized early for Los Blancos, followed by a penalty goal from the captain Sergio Ramos. Atalanta got a late goal from a free kick but it was quickly cancelled out as Marco Asensio came off the bench, took one touch, and hammered in a goal from close range. The Spanish giants got off narrowly in the first leg but showed why they're the top team with a cool 3-1 win. Atalanta was always the underdog in this matchup and they did little to prove themselves otherwise.

Man City 2-0 Monchengladbach

Aggregate 4-0, Man City win

This matchup mirrored the Liverpool/Leipzig match as the superior English side coasted to a 4-0 win over their German opponents. City bullied in two goals in the first half and the match was pretty much finished from there. Gundogan and De Bruyne got their names on the score sheet this time round, adding to Gabriel Jesus and Bernardo Silva's from the first leg. Gladbach didn't have a prayer heading into this matchup and they didn't excite. It will be interesting to see Man City's quarterfinal match, hopefully a more worthy opponent.

Bayern 2-1 Lazio

Aggregate 6-2, Bayern win

Bayern cooled it down a bit in the second leg with only 2 goals as opposed to the 4 from last time. Still it was a dominating performance from the reigning kings of Europe as they sent Lazio packing. Robert Lewandowski added his 39th goal of the season with a super penalty in the 33th minute. Lewandowksi was later subbed off and his replacement Eric Chuopo-Moting added his name to the score sheet as well. Lazio scored a late consolation goal but the game was over by then, and Bayern won by 4 goals on aggregate. The returning champs are looking in good form with lots of depth to their squad as they head to the quarter-final round.

Chelsea 2-0 Atletico Madrid

Aggregate 3-0, Chelsea win

The third English side to make it into the quarter-finals, Chelsea easily cruise past Atletico Madrid. A goal down from the first leg, Atletico were forced to press into precarious attacking positions and the Blues took advantage with a deadly counter-attack. Ziyech and Emerson grabbed goals in the match while Atletico's humiliation continued after Savic was sent off for an stupid elbow to Rudiger late in the game.

As we head into the quarterfinal round, weaker teams have been eliminated and only the strong have survived. Some of our favorite powerhouses have returned, including current champions Bayern coming to defend their title. Some underdogs have emerged as well, Porto squeezed out Real Madrid from the competition and look to continue their success against more of Europe's biggest teams. We saw the  emotional departure of Messi and Ronaldo from the competition, and we look towards Robert Lewandowski to take on the top spot while Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland establish themselves as the start of a new era of football. 

What are your thoughts on the second leg of the Round of 16? Who do you think will be this years champions? Let me know in the comments below!

Goodbye! Adios! Arrivederci! Au Revoir! Auf Wiedersehen! Sayonara!