Gabonese star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang continues his rebirth at Barcelona this season after the former Arsenal captain scored a vital goal against Turkish giants Galatasaray that helped the Catalan outfit reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Aubameyang has been in hot scoring form since his arrival from north London in January after both he and the Gunners agreed to part ways in the winter window after irreparable damage was done to the relationship between him and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
In addition, Auba was hardly in a rich vein of form at the Emirates this season as his contributions in front of goal continued to slide after he initially set the world alight after he arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January of 2018.
His immediate impact at Arsenal was a key catalyst in the club earning FA Cup honors in Arteta's first season as Aubameyang smashed 70 goals in his first two-and-a-half years in north London which included two 20-goal season hauls.
That same early blitz has been seen at Barcelona this season with the Gabonese captain hitting 7-goals in his first ten appearances under Barça boss Xavi, which has included 5-goals in his first six La Liga appearances.
With his goal in the win against Galatasaray tonight, Auba became the first Barça player since Robert Fernández in 1986-87 to score his first two goals in a European competition away from home in another influential display from the 32-year-old.
Barcelona in with a chance at European honors as quarterfinal field revealed
With a win over Galatasaray booking Barcelona passage into the last-eight of the Europa League, the full field in the upcoming quarterfinal round has been revealed after a swath of dramatic results played out across the continent.
Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham United both had to rely on extra time to guarantee their place in the next round at the expense of La Liga pair Real Betis and Sevilla respectively, with the Hammers ousting of the six-time champions a massive boost for David Moyes' project at the London Stadium.
Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig was gifted passage after Spartak Moscow was removed from contention amid the ongoing war in Ukraine, while Rangers, Braga, and Atalanta Bergamo all secured comfortable aggregate wins.
But Barcelona is the unquestionable favorite in the remaining field - at least on paper - as the largest side left in the last eight.
With their hot run of form on the domestic front (5-1-0) putting them in direct contention for a runner-up finish if they can run down Sevilla for the remainder of the season, Xavi could be in line to earn his first major honor for his boyhood club along the touchline rather than on the pitch.
