With just one matchday remaining in Champions League group stage play, nine of the 16 knockout stage spots are now filled on the heels of Wednesday’s frenetic goal-friendly slate of matches.

Here’s a baker’s dozen of compelling numbers from a matchday that featured a total of 52 goals, with just Juventus and Barcelona playing to a scoreless stalemate:

3: Tottenham’s Harry Kane is just the third player to score eight goals in his first eight Champions League appearances, alongside Diego Costa and Didier Drogba.

4: Chelsea’s Cesc Fabregas became the fourth Spaniard to notch 20 or more Champions League goals, joining Raul (71), Fernando Morientes (33), and Fernando Torres (20).

6: Real Madrid forward Karim Benzema is now the sixth player to score 40 Champions League goals in one club, alongside Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Raul, Alessandro Del Piero, and Thomas Muller.

7: Manchester United’s ponytailed purveyor of massive goals, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, became the first player to make a Champions League appearance for seven different clubs.

8: Eden Hazard now has eight Champions League goals after the opener Wednesday versus Qarabag, which is tops all time among Belgians in the competition.

14: Chelsea has now made the knockout stage 14 times in 15 tries, only failing to advance during the 2012-13 installment when the club would go on to win the Europa League.

18: Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a record 18 Champions League goals in the calendar year.

21: Real Madrid progressed to the knockout stage for a record 21st consecutive time.

43: CSKA Moscow shot-stopper Igor Akinfeev went 43 Champions League matches proper (November 2006 vs. Arsenal) without keeping a clean sheet prior to Wednesday’s 2-0 victory over Benfica.

50: Real Madrid has now scored 50 away goals in the Champions League, a record that narrowly bests the 49 from rival Barcelona – which went scoreless in Wednesday’s visit to Juventus.

120: Lionel Messi’s substitute appearance Wednesday against Juventus was his 120th overall in the competition, level with Brazilian Roberto Carlos for most ever by a South American player.

126: Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has now made 126 Champions League appearances, surpassing Clarence Seedorf for sixth all time (Iker Casillas, 166; Xavi, 151; Cristiano Ronaldo, 145; Raul, 142; Ryan Giggs, 141).

361: Paris Saint-Germain had gone 361 minutes without conceding in the group stage before Moussa Dembele’s goal for Celtic on Wednesday found the back of the French club’s net.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

theScore looks at the best outings from the Champions League’s penultimate matchday.

Wissam Ben Yedder – Sevilla

Wissam Ben Yedder was Sevilla’s saviour in a match that Liverpool looked destined to win after jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first half. The French forward, who struggled to make an impact in the opening 45 minutes, got the comeback bid started with a goal just six minutes into the second frame.

Less than 10 minutes later, Ben Yedder cut the deficit to one with his strike from the penalty spot. Sevilla eventually completed the comeback with a dramatic injury-time equaliser.

Lorenzo Insigne – Napoli

After playing an instrumental role in Napoli’s victory over AC Milan over the weekend, Lorenzo Insigne maintained his superb form against a Shakhtar Donetsk side that struggled to contain the Italian.

The first 45 minutes didn’t produce much to get excited about, but that quickly changed in the second half when Insigne pirouetted around a trio of defenders before unleashing an unstoppable strike into the top corner from 25 yards out.

Timo Werner – RB Leipzig

RB Leipzig’s first taste of Champions League football has been a mixed bag through five matches. But, thanks to Timo Werner, the Bundesliga side will enter the final matchday with a chance to progress after Tuesday’s decisive victory over AS Monaco, which also ended the French team’s hopes of reaching the knockout stage a year after progressing to the semi-finals.

Werner became the team’s leading scorer in the tournament after his brace early on in the first half. With the result in the bag, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl removed the young forward from the match early as RB Leipzig cruised to a 4-1 win. Leipzig will play group leaders Besiktas on the final matchday, while hoping Monaco can get a result against FC Porto, who leads the German side on goal differential.

Neymar – Paris Saint-Germain

For a period in the first half, it looked as though Neymar was toying with Celtic players following a series of dazzling dribbles and passes that seemed to bewilder the Scottish side.

Celtic grabbed a first-minute lead on Paris Saint-Germain, but it was never expected to last. Neymar made sure of that when he surged into the Celtic box and uncorked a left-footed shot into the far corner of goal. Minutes later, he completed a clever give-and-go to free himself up and once again rifle a left-footed strike into the same spot to give PSG its first lead en route to a 7-1 demolition.

Antoine Griezmann – Atletico Madrid

Elimination beckoned for an Atletico Madrid outfit without a win after four matches in Group C. That all changed Wednesday at the Wanda Metropolitano, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann’s stunning strike to put Atletico up on AS Roma.

Atletico was just over 20 minutes away from bowing out the competition with a match to spare until the French star got on the end of Angel Correa’s cross and produced an incredible overhead kick that just about pierced the back of the net.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)

Thiago Alcantara’s chances of featuring in next summer’s World Cup could be in danger after the midfielder picked up a thigh injury during Bayern Munich’s 2-1 victory over Anderlecht on Wednesday.

Thiago was replaced by James Rodriguez after a seemingly innocuous challenge. However, the Spanish international was visibly upset and immediately asked to be substituted.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was the bearer of bad news when he revealed that Thiago could be out for several months when he was forced to limp off the pitch in the 44th minute.

Bayern manager Jupp Heynckes later confirmed that Thiago suffered a “heavy thigh strain” and is expected to miss an extended period of time.

Thiago will likely undergo scans to discover the severity of the injury before an announcement regarding his return is made.

If the seven-month prognosis is correct, Thiago might struggle to regain fitness in time to be selected by the Spanish national team ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which kicks off in June.

Meanwhile, Arjen Robben was also forced out of the match with an injury, but Heynckes said that the knock is “not too serious.”

Julio Cesar bid farewell to his Benfica teammates Tuesday after it was revealed the Brazilian goalkeeper and the club terminated his contract by mutual consent.

The 38-year-old could hardly control his emotions, giving each player and member from the coaching staff a hug.

Cesar is also expected to announce his retirement, but the former Inter Milan goalkeeper has yet to confirm plans to hang up his boots.

Shortly after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Cesar signed on with the Portuguese outfit and went on to make over 50 appearances.

However, his workload has been drastically reduced over the last two seasons. The emergence of Ederson, who has since been sold to Manchester City, forced him into a back-up role. Meanwhile, starting chances this term have predominantly gone to Bruno Varela while teenager Mile Svilar has been given the nod in net during a pair of Champions League encounters.