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A day after Borussia Dortmund and Porto booked their spots in the Champions League quarterfinals, PSG and Liverpool did the same on Wednesday. The Parisians got rid of Barcelona, 5-2, on aggregate, while Liverpool advanced past RB Leipzig on aggregate, 4-0. Half of the spots in the next round are now booked.

Ahead of the rest of the field being completed next week, here are three takeaways from Wednesday's clashes:

PSG didn't need help, but they got some

This match never really felt in doubt, even with how Barcelona played in the first half, but the video assistant referee decisions were quite concerning. First, the penalty kick for the foul on Mauro Icardi in the box felt harsh. It wasn't even a challenge, and Clement Lenglet didn't even see the striker. I get why it was called, and the evidence of Icardi's shoe being off of his foot certainly didn't help, but still. 

Then there was Lionel Messi's penalty kick that was saved by Keylor Navas. Check out the player who clears the ball after -- it's Marco Verratti. The Italian enters the box early, VAR reviews something, likely concerning Navas, yet the PK was not taken again. It should have been retaken.

Now that's not to say anything would have changed if those VAR decisions played out differently. Barca would have still needed two more goals had Messi converted the penalty kick, but the VAR gods were not on Barca's side on this night, and they needed all the help they could get.

Barcelona still have hope... just not in Europe

Despite being bounced from the competition, Barca played really well. The final result in the tie doesn't reflect it, but they created a lot of really good chances on Wednesday. Ousmane Dembele did almost everything right leading up to being right in front of goal, and he probably should have scored... at least once.

This all comes as Barca have crept to within six points of Atletico Madrid in La Liga, with Atleti winning on Wednesday. It was an inspiring performance where they were on the front foot the entire time. With what we saw in this match, combined with recent form in La Liga and the big comeback against Sevilla in the Copa del Rey semifinals, all of a sudden they feel like a team that could potentially win two trophies this year, just not the one they most coveted. 

The young players are delivering encouraging performances, and if the defense can stop making the same mistakes, they'll lift hardware this season.

Can Budapest be Liverpool's new home?

Liverpool finally won a "home match," though it was in Budapest. Due to travel restrictions, they had to play Wednesday's game against RB Leipzig there instead of at Anfield (they also played their first leg in Hungary), and that's probably a good thing.

The last time Liverpool won a match at Anfield, the year was 2020. Six straight defeats and winless in eight, they went from being unbeatable at home to unable to win. 

Now, that should change before long, but we will have to keep an eye on where they play in the quarterfinals and if restrictions will change. The Reds will hope that their bad run of form will be over by then, and it will be if they carry over what they did on Wednesday. 

The backline put together a defensive performance like we hadn't seen in months, something that looked unlikely due to all of the injuries the team has faced. They want Fabinho in the middle, and they were able to do that on Wednesday with the performance Ozan Kabak and Nathaniel Phillips put in at center-back.

This performance won't solve their issues, but it is a place to start in correcting what we have seen. Confidence will grow after this one, and they'll need it to get back into the top four in the Premier League.