MIAMI, Florida – The Round of 16 of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup reached its conclusion on Thursday night, as teams now start to turn their attention to the Quarterfinals.

But prior to focusing on the next phase of the tournament, here is a look back at the best moments of the Round of 16.

Club America, Chivas produce instant classic

The series between Club America and Chivas was always going to be a hotly contested one due to their great and long-standing rivalry in Liga MX, but for just the second time it played out on the Champions Cup stage, and it delivered in a big way.

Club America looked to be in full command after earning a 3-0 win in Guadalajara in the first leg. All signs pointed toward a one-sided series, except someone forgot to tell Chivas, who came out for the second leg in Mexico City and struck for two quick goals to completely change the feel of the tie.

Club America were on the ropes, but rebounded with two goals to reassert control, only for Chivas to answer with a score, making for a thrilling final half-hour. In the end, Club America pocketed the 5-3 aggregate victory, but the 3-2 Chivas win in the second leg is one that will not soon be forgotten for the electricity felt during the 90 minutes.

Pachuca hit Philly for six

Pachuca and the Philadelphia Union played to a hard-fought 0-0 draw in the first leg in Philadelphia, setting the stage for what most expected to be another tight match in the second leg in Mexico.

Pachuca had other ideas, though, especially FW Salomon Rondon, who notched a hat-trick and led the Tuzos to a jaw-dropping 6-0 victory. Rondon scored his second of the night right before halftime, giving Pachuca a lift that carried them to a four-goal outburst in the second stanza. It was a breathtaking performance from the five-time Concacaf champions. Rondón became the second Venezuelan to score a hat-trick after his compatriot Juan Arango since 1962. Arango achieved his Hat-Trick on March 27, 2002, against the Defence Force (TRI). 21 years and 351 days had passed.

Messi, Suarez right at home in Champions Cup

In their decorated careers, Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez have enjoyed great success in many different competitions, including as winners of the UEFA Champions League. Now, this dynamic duo has their sights set on another continent al championship in the Champions Cup with Inter Miami.

The two players looked right at home in their Champions Cup debut in the Round of 16 versus Nashville SC. In the 2-2 first leg draw, Messi scored Inter Miami’s opener, while Suarez had a goal and an assist to rally Inter Miami from a 2-0 deficit. It was much of the same story in the second leg, with Messi and Suarez each registering a goal and an assist in Inter Miami’s 3-1 victory, paving the way for a quarterfinal appearance.

Gignac reaches 18-goal plateau

In the previous round against the Vancouver Whitecaps, legendary Tigres FW Andre-Pierre Gignac scored his 17th Champions Cup goal to help the Liga MX side reach the Round of 16. Once again, the French striker proved to be decisive for the Felinos, as he calmly converted a penalty to help Tigres to a 4-2 win over Orlando City SC in the second leg of their series, giving Tigres a 4-2 aggregate victory. It was the 18th Champions Cup goal for Gignac and yet another chapter written in the storied Concacaf career of the 38-year-old striker, who could well make it to 20 goals by the end of the quarterfinal round. With that goal, Gignac positioned himself in 4th place historically among the top scorers in the history of the CCC since 2008-2009, surpassing the record held by Emmanuel Villa (ARG) with 17 goals. Gignac, at the same time, reached 5 goals scored from penalties, the highest number since 2008-09.

Herediano standing tall for Central America 

Herediano of Costa Rica are in their first Champions Cup quarterfinal since the 2014-15 edition after defeating Robinhood of Suriname 3-1 on aggregate. The Ticos are the lone Central American club remaining in the competition after taking out Liga MX side and past Concacaf champions Toluca in Round One before eliminating 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup winners Robinhood in the Round of 16. In that 2014-15 edition, Herediano managed to get to the semifinal stage, and no doubt they will be feeling confident that they can be one of the final four again this time around.