Four takeaways from Champions League: Mbappe and Haaland's struggles, Barca's surprise star & more

Well, that was quite the week of UEFA Champions League football.

After a rather dire round of 16, 18 goals in four quarter-final first leg games this past week reignited our excitement for Europe's elite competition on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Here's all our takeaways from a thrilling midweek of European football.

'Easier' side of the draw? Check.

Won their first leg? Check.

Big game experience in the Champions League? Check.

World class manager? Check.

World class star player? Check.

They're not the first team that come to mind when you think about potential 2023/24 UEFA Champions League winners, but Atletico Madrid certainly tick a lot of boxes. Wednesday night's win, inspired by the brilliance of Antoine Griezmann, was proof they should be considered the 'dark horses' for this year's competition.

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Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are widely regarded as the two best footballers in the world today.

In their clubs' respective Champions League ties this week, the pair combined for a whopping one shot on goal. Yep, one.

Kylian and Erling, if you want to get rid of the 'goes missing in big Champions League games' tag, maybe do a bit more in next week's matches, eh?

With Haaland, Mbappe, Bukayo Saka, Rodri, Harry Kane and co. all turning out for their clubs in midweek, it's perhaps a bit of a surprise that Raphinha was undeniably player of the quarter-final first legs.

The Brazilian's brace against PSG showcased to the rest of Europe what Barcelona and Leeds United fans have known for a quite a long time: Raphinha is a genuinely brilliant footballer. His second goal in particular displayed his quality in the final third, racing through the heart of the PSG defence before volleying home a chipped