5️⃣ things we learned from Tuesday's Champions League action | OneFootball

The Champions League round of 16 returned Tuesday night as Bayern and PSG booked their spots in the last-eight. Here is what we made of the events on the continent.

Difference maker

When Kylian Mbappé was hooked off at half-time of PSG’s clash with Monaco at the weekend, it felt as if his relationship with Luis Enrique was beginning to fracture ahead of his departure from Paris this summer.

But Mbappé reminded us all just how key he will be to the Ligue 1 side’s hopes in the Champions League Tuesday evening.

The Frenchman scored his second and third goals of the tie to put PSG miles ahead on aggregate and all but book their spot in the quarter-finals.

With his brace at the Reale Arena, Mbappé ensured that he has scored all but two of PSG’s last 15 goals in UCL knockout games.

One thing is for certain, no matter how strained the relationship may get in the coming weeks, Mbappé’s plight will be the determining factor in how far PSG can go in the competition they so desperately desire to win.

Heritage is heritage

Bayern Munich are currently a shadow of the team they have been in recent years, but the big teams tend to show up when it truly matters in the Champions League.

The six-time winners are currently 10 points off first place in the Bundesliga and have suffered four defeats in their last nine games in all competitions.

Despite the ongoing crisis, Bayern rode their home support to a two-goal lead in the first-half against Lazio to remind their visitors that they control their own fate in this competition.

No matter how bad they have been domestically, teams like Bayern are never too far from pulling a rabbit out of the hat in Europe’s most prestigious tournament.

A tie at the wrong time

Real Sociedad were once one of the hottest teams in Europe, a real surprise package.

La Real shockingly came out on top of a Champions League group that featured Benfica and Inter, conceding only two goals in the process.

But the season has just gotten away from Imanol Alguacil’s side in recent weeks, winning only two of their last 10 games coming into the second-leg with PSG.

Add that miserable form into a cauldron with a potentially ticked off Kylian Mbappé and you have the perfect recipe for a Champions League drubbing.

The focus for the La Liga side will have to switch back to domestic proceedings. After crashing out of the Copa del Rey, La Real sit two points behind the final European spot in Spain’s top-flight.

Clutch Kane

Much has been made about Harry Kane bringing the ‘Tottenham trophy curse’ with him to a Bayern team that are serial silverware winners.

But Bayern’s woes can not be chalked up to a lack of productivity from the Englishman. With a brace against Lazio Tuesday night, Kane extended his record for the Bundesliga outfit to a stunning 33 goals in 33 games this season.

Not only does he score goals by the bucket-load, but Kane is scoring timely, important goals for Thomas Tuchel’s side.

If he keeps scoring at a goal-per-game pace, the ceiling for even an ailing Bayern must be pretty high as the Champions League heads into the real business end.

Old habits die hard

Bayern Munich have seen some true starts come through the ranks in recent years, but none truly make you think of the German giants quite as much as Thomas Müller.

The 34-year-old has seen his role in the team fluctuate under a handful of different managers as of late, but you can rarely criticise the attacker for his performances whenever he is called upon.

While he can play in a variety of roles in the Bayern front-line, his best production often comes when linking up with a central-striker, and Harry Kane appears to be the peanut butter to Müller’s jelly.

Müller’s Champions League stats will go down in history whenever he does hang up the boots. Since making his UCL debut for the club back in the 2008/9 season, the German international has a stunning tally of 54 goals and 33 assists in 149 appearances.