The 2023-24 UEFA Champions League quarterfinalists have been determined, with Manchester City, Real Madrid, PSG, Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Arsenal, and Barcelona making the cut. Let's delve into the numbers that defined the second legs of the UCL round-of-16 that propelled these teams to the next stage.
Kylian Mbappe made history by becoming only the second player in UCL history to score 45+ goals in the competition before turning 25, joining Lionel Messi in this elite club. Mbappe's tally of 18 career knockout stage goals now ties him for the 6th-most in UCL history with Raúl and Andriy Shevchenko, with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the pack with 67 goals.
Barcelona created a unique record by fielding multiple players under the age of 18 in a Champions League knockout stage match, a feat never achieved before in the competition's history. Lamine Yamal and Pau Cubarsi, aged 16 and 17 respectively, made history for Barca as the first side to start two players under 18 in a knockout round match.
Jadon Sancho ended a goal-scoring drought by netting in consecutive club appearances for the first time since 2021. Arsenal also broke a long-standing streak by overturning a first-leg deficit to advance in the UCL knockout stage for the first time since 2009-10, snapping a run of 7 straight Round of 16 eliminations.
Real Madrid's advancement to the quarterfinals marked their 20th appearance in the UCL era, trailing only Bayern Munich with 22 quarterfinal appearances. Atletico Madrid showcased their shootout prowess by becoming the first team to win 3 shootouts in the UCL era.
Antoine Griezmann's goal-scoring form saw him net 6 UCL goals this season, putting him level with Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé for the most goals by any player this season. Meanwhile, Marco Reus and Harry Kane added to their impressive UCL goal tallies, with Robert Lewandowski joining Karim Benzema as the only players to score in both legs of a knockout stage tie after turning 35 years old.
These remarkable performances and milestones set the stage for an exciting quarterfinal showdown in the UEFA Champions League, showcasing the talent and resilience of Europe's top clubs.
