The moral of this week's Champions League story is don't ever discount what a difference home advantage can make. Atalanta and Juventus showcased exactly that on a thrilling Wednesday evening, turning around seemingly lost causes with the help of their brilliant fanbases.
The conclusion to the playoffs also saw Bodo/Glimt complete a remarkable upset against last season's finalists Inter as they backed up their 3-1 win in Norway with another brilliant victory at the San Siro.
Bodo progressed after winning 5-2 on aggregate - a statement of intent from a club that won't be slept on any longer. It is no fluke, Bodo/Glimt are a good side and here to stay.
Star player - Alexander Sorloth
Heading into the second leg of their tie against Club Brugge after drawing the first leg 3-3 in Belgium, Atletico Madrid had work to do to avoid an embarrassing exit.
The task was simple for the hosts: win the game and book their place in the last 16, but to pull it off, they needed one of their stars to step up.
Alexander Sorloth hasn't been enjoying his best season in Madrid, but the Norwegian striker remains their biggest goal threat, and he proved exactly why on Wednesday night.
It took just 23 minutes for Sorloth to put Diego Simeone's side ahead in the tie after his long-range strike slipped through the fingertips of Simon Mignolet. It was a gift from the former Liverpool keeper, but one that Atletico and Sorloth were delighted to take.
After Brugge equalised before half-time, Johnny Cardoso's venomous strike restored their lead soon following the restart, before the hosts made the scoreline look more emphatic in the closing stages.
First, a brilliant Ademola Lookman orchestrated move was finished off by Sorloth, with the striker being exactly where a number nine should be to tap in from close range.
The Norway international completed his hat-trick in the 87th minute after expertly guiding a volley inside the box into the top corner.
A ruthless display from Atletico Madrid's top scorer just when they needed it the most as their European journey continues into the last 16.
Surprise package - Juventus
After a nightmare 5-2 humbling in Istanbul last week, Juventus had it all to do in Turin as they hosted Galatasaray on Wednesday night.
Heading into the second leg of the playoff, even those who sighted Galatasaray's struggles away in Europe would have struggled to envision the Turkish champions letting such a commanding first leg lead slip against a poor Juventus side.
However, there is a reason why Turkish sides traditionally struggle in European knockouts - they aren't good at game management. Okan Buruk's men just needed to protect their advantage by sitting deep, staying organised and forcing Juventus to break them down.
However, in the second half, especially, Galatasaray failed to make life difficult for Juve and were punished for it. Juventus, though, deserve huge credit for taking the game to the Turkish giants and turning the tie on its head.
Club captain Manuel Locatelli briefly gave the Old Lady hope from the penalty spot before half-time, but Lloyd Kelly's dismal early in the second half saw that renewed hope fizzle out, as (just like the first leg) Juventus would have to cope with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
Despite being up against the wall and still needing two goals just to force extra time, the hosts did not give up. In fact, Juventus stepped up in the face of adversity, producing their best football from the two legs and taking the tie to their visitors.
After creating countless chances, Juventus finally made Gala pay in the 70th minute as Federico Gatti tapped in a delightful low-driven cross by full-back Pierre Kalulu. From one defender to another, Juventus had put themselves right back into the contest.
A well-worked free-kick in the 82nd minute was headed home by Weston McKennie to send the home supporters into a frenzy. All of a sudden, the match was heading to extra-time and a contest that looked dead and buried at the halfway stage was alive and well.
It was a great second leg response from Juventus, and despite falling short in extra-time as being a man down finally caught up with them; they can take pride in their performance on Wednesday night.
After being heavily criticised for their form on all fronts and another underwhelming season, Juventus at least exited the competition respectably.
Team of the Week - Atalanta
Another Italian side with their work cut out on Wednesday evening was Atalanta. The Bergamo side lost their first leg 2-0 in Dortmund, leaving them in need of a big win against one of Europe's biggest clubs to book a last-16 spot.
That unlikely outcome became a bit more likely just five minutes into the second leg after some horror defending inside the box from Dortmund allowed Atalanta's centre forward, Gianluca Scamacca, to score from point-blank range.
It is incredible how quickly things can change in football. In the blink of an eye, the mountain facing Atalanta looked far less steep. And with an electric home support now believing the comeback was on, momentum was very much with the home side.
Atalanta's confidence in delivering a famous night for their supporters was only heightened when veteran full-back Davide Zappacosta made it 2-0 before half-time after his long-range strike took a huge deflection on its way in. 2-0 up and level on aggregate - the comeback was complete.
Now the home side could turn their attention to avoiding extra-time by finding a third goal. Incredibly, Atalanta did exactly that in the 57th minute when Mario Pasalic guided a header into the top corner after a teasing cross by Marten de Roon.
The celebrations were short-lived, however, as a brilliant solo goal by Karim Adeyemi brought Dortmund level in the tie.
Buoyed by a deafening home support, Atalanta refused to let that setback ruin their night. From Scamacca's early goal onwards, it felt as if this was going to be Atalanta's evening, and so it would prove to be.
After a lengthy VAR check, Atalanta were awarded a penalty deep into stoppage time, whilst Nico Schlotterbeck received a second yellow to add further misery for the visitors.
Serbian midfielder Lazar Samardzic had ice in his veins as he buried the resulting penalty to send Atalanta through in extraordinarly dramatic fashion.
The first leg may have been a poor performance from the Bergamo side, but a brilliant 4-1 win at home to keep Serie A representation alive in the competition more than made up for it.
Moment of the week - Vinicius Junior silences Benfica
A week on from an alleged racist comment by Benfica forward Gianluca Prestianni directed at Vinicius Junior, emotions were still raw. Real Madrid had the difficult job of channelling that emotion in the right way to come away from a tricky European tie victorious.
With the contest still very much in the balance with the score 1-1 on the night and 2-1 to Real on aggregate, the home side needed one of their Galacticos to step up and put the tie to bed.
After withstanding a barrage of Benfica pressure, Real found space on the counter attack as Fede Valverde won the ball in the middle of the park before releasing Vinicius.
The Brazilian did the rest as he raced away from the Benfica defence before calmly side-footing a finish across goal and into the bottom corner. It was a classy finish from a world-class player as Vini Jr. backed up his brilliant goal in the first leg with a decisive one in the second leg.
In the face of all the abuse Vinicius Junior has received in his career, it is remarkable that the Brazilian continues to pick himself up to deliver vital goals for the biggest club in Europe.
But that speaks volumes to the character and mentality of someone who refuses to let those who have abused him win.
Vinicius shouldn't have to be so strong, but fortunately for Real Madrid, he is. And in the Champions League, they would be lost without him.