The Uefa Champions League quarter-final openers produced 18 goals and almost as many topics for discussion with all four ties still very much hanging in the balance.
Here are some key talking points ahead of the looming second legs in European football's premier club competition.
Bench boost key to Dortmund's chances?
Antoine Griezmann was the star turn as Atlético de Madrid edged past Dortmund 2-1 in their first leg with the 33-year-old capping a Player of the Match performance with a gorgeous scooped pass for Samuel Lino's goal. Surprisingly, it was a first assist in the competition for Griezmann this season, though he does already have six goals to his name. Diego Simeone's men looked to be striding out of sight at that point but the manner of the German outfit's response may hold the key to the second leg.
Edin Terzić made three substitutions in an attempt to reduce the deficit and the impact of those replacements will give the coach food for thought ahead of the sequel. Sébastien Haller scored a crucial goal while Jamie Bynoe-Gittens and Julian Brandt both struck the bar in a barnstorming finale. Will Terzić be tempted to throw any of those game changers in from the start for the second leg? Haller's record of 12 goals in 13 Champions League matches is certainly hard to ignore.
Can Barcelona's youngsters take the strain?
At 16 years and 272 days old, Lamine Yamal became the youngest ever player to start a Champions League quarter-final match in Barcelona's first meeting with Paris. Though he played a key role in the opening goal, Yamal was not the only youthful talent to catch the eye of Xavi Hernández on the night. "It's a credit to the academy that Cubarsí at 17 and Lamine at 16, plus Fermín, who's new to the first team this season, were ready to play here," noted the coach.
Those prospects displayed composure beyond their tender years in Paris but the decisive game in Spain will test them even more, with Barça certain to be missing two experienced heads. Andreas Christensen came off the bench to head the first-leg winner but he and captain Sergi Roberto will be absent through suspension at Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys. Paris, meanwhile, will have Achraf Hakimi back from his ban – how the former Real Madrid man would love to put one over his old rivals – and Kylian Mbappé returns to the city where he struck a stunning hat-trick in 2021. Will the pressure ruffle the young feathers in the home ranks?
Will Bayern thrive in adversity against Arsenal?
With Alphonso Davies suspended and Serge Gnabry seemingly out through injury, Bayern's left-side understudies may have their work cut out to contain Ben White and Bukayo Saka, who were quite the combination in the 2-2 first-leg draw in London. Will Raphaël Guerreiro and Kingsley Coman be the men called on to cover?
Bayern have had a challenging campaign domestically yet have saved some of their best performances for the Champions League. Harry Kane has hogged the headlines but teammate Thomas Müller might be the centre of attention in Munich as he aspires to make his 150th appearance in the world's top club competition. Manuel Neuer is also aiming for a unique distinction: his next clean sheet in the competition would be a record-breaking 58th.
Man City and Madrid poised for another classic?
After a pulsating 3-3 first-leg draw, the return fixture has plenty to live up to. In last season's semi-finals, City drew 1-1 at Madrid then won 4-0 at home and they have plenty of other positive omens: they have scored three goals in each of their nine Champions League games so far this season; have lost just one of their last 13 Uefa competition matches against Spanish opponents (W8 D4); and have a concealed weapon in Bernardo Silva, who has netted four times in City's last five games against Madrid.
However, Pep Guardiola is unlikely to take much comfort from statistics; in his post-match press conference, he said he expected Madrid to score at least once, and admitted that Carlo Ancelotti's decision to move Rodrygo to the left wing in the first leg had him scratching his head for a while. "I think we might have caught City out with that idea," said Ancelotti; does he have another tactical trump card to play in Manchester?
Fixtures (9pm kick-offs)
Tuesday
Dortmund v Atlético de Madrid (first leg: 1-2)
Barcelona v Paris (first leg: 3-2)
Wednesday
Bayern v Arsenal (first leg: 2-2)
Manchester City v Real Madrid (first leg: 3-3)
Semi-final ties: Atlético de Madrid/Dortmund v Paris/Barcelona, Arsenal/Bayern v Real Madrid/Manchester City
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