The moral of the Champions League playoffs was teams who qualified for the last 16 the long way round are not to be underestimated - they have the quality and heart to upset the favourites.
That is not just a cliche either - sides like Feyenoord, Benfica and PSV really had to dig deep to progress but they all played at a high level and took their chances ruthlessly.
Big names like PSG and Real Madrid also delivered top-draw performances over the two legs and despite disappointing in the group stages, have come into form at the critical stage of the season.
Star player - Kylian Mbappe
Before Wednesday night, Ousmane Dembele was a hot favourite for this award after his exceptional display against Brest in the first leg.
However, when Mbappe added to his goal in Manchester with a spectacular hat-trick in Madrid - the choice became simple.
To score just your second hat-trick for the world's biggest club in the Champions League against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City is a statement of intent. Mbappe started to look at home in Madrid a while ago but last night he did it in front of the world and by doing so stole the show.
Whilst his goal in Manchester was a bit mishit, he got the cleanest of contacts on all three goals last night. When Mbappe is in the mood, he just needs a sniff and it is trouble for the opposition. That is the kind of instinctive finishing that stands good players and great players apart.
Whilst Erling Haaland watched on from the bench, his rival Mbappe delightfully dinked Real in front inside three minutes after latching on to a ball over the top.
Mbappe was in the mood.
He then showed quick feet inside the box after a slide-through pass from Rodrygo and then calmness in front of goal - 2-0.
Now on a brace, Mbappe was on a mission to complete his hat-trick and he did just that in the 61st minute, receiving the ball outside the box before a step over, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it acceleration past the defender finished by a curled finish into the bottom corner. 3-0 and hat-trick complete.
The defending from Manchester City was appalling again but Mbappe took full advtange to knock out Real's toughest rivals in recent seasons.
It was the perfect performance from a player quickly becoming the main man in a team of superstars. Vini Jr. who?
Surprise package - Club Brugge
This was a no-brainer. Not many (myself included) gave Club Brugge much of a chance of knocking out an Atalanta side who looked like potential challengers earlier in the tournament.
Things have gone south a bit lately for the Bergamo side as their title aspirations in Serie A have taken a dent and a poor end to the league phase left them with a playoff to deal with, but Atalanta were still huge favourites; Brugge are eight points off Genk in the Belgian league and finished 24th in the league phase (only just sneaking into the playoffs).
Edging to a 2-1 victory in Belgian after a dramatic late penalty from Gustaf Nilsson was a shock result but at home in the second leg, Atalanta would have still fancied their chances.
In reality, Gasperini's side should be safely through after a second leg where Atalanta dominated the chances and had a far superior XG. The data says they should have won 3-1, but instead, the home side lost 3-1 to end their Champions League run.
A key reason for the outcome can be simply explained: Atalanta missed their many chances whilst Brugge took theirs. Atalanta's chances were often golden ones whereas Brugge's goals were far from simple, but they took their rare sightings on goal ruthlessly.
This was never more evident than when teenager Chemsdine Talbi scored his first of two goals, as his tricky feet freed up some space inside the box before he fired an effort into the bottom left-hand corner. Talbi will rightly take the headlines for his brace but it was a clinical display on the road and that was the difference between the sides.
Brugge will remain underdogs for as long as they are in the competition but you get the feeling they relish that title and let's face it: by now they are used to it.
Team of the playoffs - PSG
Whilst Real Madrid are a strong contender for this, I think PSG's battering of Brest over two legs deserves some recognition. In the first leg, PSG had Ousmane Dembele to thank as the Frenchman continued his hot form by taking matters into his own hands with a brilliant brace.
The Parisians won 3-0 on the night and went to Paris last night with an unassailable lead. However, instead of resting on their lead and taking the foot off the gas, they went for the kill, breaking Brest hearts in the city of love.
After their attacking start, with Bradley Barcola and big January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia making sure of the win in the first half, PSG went up a level in the second period as five more goalscorers made it 7-0 on the night. According to Opta, that was the first time in Champions League history there had been seven different goalscorers in the same match.
The 10-0 aggregate scoreline was a humbling defeat for a broken Brest who must never want to play PSG again after losing 5-2 to them in Ligue 1 at the start of this disastrous month for the club.
As for PSG, they are now a side that can go under the radar without Mbappe or any other star names who had been a staple in the past.
No massive egos, no scrutiny on every mistake and a young group of hungry and talented players coached by one of Europe's finest = dangerous.
After a mixed bag in the league phase, Luis Enrique's team might not be seen as a major threat yet but if they continue on their current trajectory they will be a tough team for anyone to beat.
Moment of the week - Gasperini loses it at Lookman
Ademola Lookman's saved penalty with Atalanta 5-2 down to Brugge on aggregate might well have meant nothing. The home side would have had half an hour to find two more goals just to take it to extra time.
However, if you were watching that game and saw the momentum and atmosphere building, you probably sensed that penalty was a turning point in the tie. It was the final nail in Atalanta's coffin.
Although, it was far from the worst penalty ever and nobody could have seen Gian Piero Gasperini's post-match comments about Lookman coming...
The often outspoken coach was furious with the wide forward after the match, telling reporters: "Lookman is one of the worst penalty takers I’ve ever seen."
“He wanted to take the penalty after scoring a goal, he took the ball despite Retegui and De Keteleare being available to take it… I didn’t like what Lookman did."
Whilst Lookman taking the penalty over the regular takers Retegui and De Keteleare did seem a bizarre decision, it was a team one. Therefore, the personal and damning attack on Lookman from Gasperini was astonishing.
When you say something like that (in the heat of the moment or not) you expose yourself to a strong response from the player.
Lookman did just that this afternoon by releasing the below statement:
From what Fabrizio Romano has reported this evening, it appears the plan already was for a parting of ways this summer but last night's comments surely end any chance of that changing.
Lookman is Atalanta's best player and Europa League final hero yet Gasperini appears content to lose him because of a poor penalty?
There is surely more to it because the Italian is a smart coach and has heaped praise on Lookman in the past, but it is a peculiar situation to say the least.