Here is our Europa League Team of the Round from the quarter-finals, selected using Flashscore's player rating system.
Goalkeeper
Stefan Ortega (Nottingham Forest) - 8.0
In the second leg, Ortega was twice saved by the crossbar, and with Porto down to 10 men, he didn't have much to do otherwise. But in the first match, the German keeper was Forest's hero.
He made two saves in the very first minute alone, and finished with seven in total. Statistically, he prevented two extra goals for Porto, which proved crucial given how tight the tie was, and that ultimately secured Forest's place in the semis.
Defenders
Neco Williams (Nottingham Forest) - 7.6
Williams's attacking instinct made a real difference for Forest in their win over Porto.
The 25-year-old's determination set up Morgan Gibbs-White's decisive goal, and Williams himself had three shots, completed 27 of his 28 passes in the final third, won nine duels, and completed all four of the tackles he attempted.
Matthias Ginter (Freiburg) - 7.7
Ginter wasn't the star of the second leg against Celta Vigo, as his attacking teammates stole the show, but Freiburg's main centre-back put in more than a solid 180 minutes, earning a 9.0 rating in his first appearance at this stage of the Europa League.
And it was no wonder. He put in a huge shift, winning eight duels, making three interceptions and three clearances. And despite being one of the most involved passers on the pitch, he maintained an accuracy of over 90 per cent.
All of this was just a prelude to his main achievement, scoring the crucial third goal in Freiburg, which left Celta with a mountain to climb.
Lucas Digne (Aston Villa) - 7.5
Digne's high rating in the second leg was largely down to a single long throw, which Emiliano Buendia finished off to seal the tie against Bologna, but that was just the icing on the cake.
The tireless left-sided warrior covered the entire length of the pitch, battling in both boxes. Sometimes he was a bit too aggressive, committing eight fouls over the two legs, but in defence, effectiveness matters more than manners.
Midfielders
Jan-Niklas Beste (Freiburg) - 8.4
In both matches, Beste was one of Freiburg's key assets, working for the team well beyond his usual areas on the right flank. Most importantly, his efforts produced tangible results.
It was Beste who finished off Igor Matanovic's pass with a goal in the first leg, and then provided the assist for Yuito Suzuki's opener in the second. Whichever stat you look at, he had no obvious weaknesses, and his quality contributed to two of Freiburg's six quarter-final goals.
Youri Tielemans (Aston Villa) - 7.6
The second leg wasn't Tielemans' brightest performance – at times, you could almost forget he was on the pitch. But that was the easier half of the tie.
In the first leg, the Belgian's final passes helped Villa build a two-goal lead at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara. He made his mark with pinpoint corners, and even the best would envy his consistency and accuracy from set pieces.
Florian Grillitsch (Braga) - 7.6
After Braga's incredible comeback in the second leg against Real Betis, we still can't get over Grillitsch's goal from the first match. When the 30-year-old Austrian joined Braga, expectations weren't sky-high, but he's become a real asset for the team.
His beautiful solo goal made him the hero of the first half of the quarter-final, and he stayed on the pitch for the rest of the tie, including the victorious return leg.
Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg) - 7.6
Just watch Grifo's goal that opened Freiburg's tie with Celta. A stunning long-range strike for his fourth goal of this Europa League campaign. He also added his third assist of the season in the second leg, even if it came in unexpected circumstances.
At 33, he's no longer playing full matches, but still managed nearly 130 minutes in a tie that brought his team a historic achievement.
Forwards
Igor Matanovic (Freiburg) - 7.8
Matanovic played a huge part in Freiburg's crushing of Celta, providing an assist in the first leg and scoring the opener in the second match away from home.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) - 8.1
Against Bologna, Watkins scored three times, which is as many goals as he had in the entire Europa League season up to that point.
Credit must go to Tielemans and Morgan Rogers for their excellent assists in both legs, but that takes nothing away from Watkins' incredible instinct in this tie.
And he’s been rewarded. He's now celebrating his 100th goal for Aston Villa, becoming the first player to reach that milestone since 1962.
Jonathan Rowe (Bologna) - 7.2
In the second leg, the hosts managed to keep Rowe quiet, but only after what he showed in Bologna. Ironically, it was the Englishman who kept the Italian side's hopes alive against Villa in the first match.
He had six shots, one of which gave Rossoblu a lifeline. Everything about it was perfect: a run from the touchline into the box, beating two defenders, a thunderous shot in off the post, and even the fierce look on his face as he urged his teammates to keep fighting.
