Over in Europe, Paris St. Germain spent lavishly before the season, making Neymar the most expensive transfer in football history. The idea was that he would put them on the same level as the Real Madrid's and Barcelona's of the world.

Well, the French side would get a chance to see how they fared, as they faced Real in the opening leg of their last 16 tie in the Champions League. The Parisians scored first and seemed to be in control. But then Cristiano Ronaldo led a fight back. First scoring a penalty at the stroke of half-time, his 100th goal in the tournament for Madrid. CR-7 then fired in another in the 83rd minute, before Marcelo rounded out the scoring, giving the defending European champs a 3-1 win in the first leg of their encounter.

The other match on the continent saw Liverpool manhandle Portuguese champs Porto. Sadio Mane was the star for the Reds, recording a hat-trick in their 5-nil away victory. Mo Salah also found the net, scoring his 30th goal in all competitions, and Roberto Firminho got on the scoresheet as well. The EPL side are all but through to the next round, barring a major collapse in the second leg of the tie, which is set for early March.