- Real Madrid beat PSG 3-1 in a crazy second leg to advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a 3-2 aggregate score (first leg 0-1).
- Kylian Mbappé puts the Parisians on course, but a mistake by goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma turns the tide in favor of the “royal”.
- Karim Benzema turns a 0:1 into a 3:1 within 17 minutes with a flawless hat trick.
- A goalless draw against Sporting Lisbon is enough for Manchester City to reach the quarter-finals.
Real Madrid and the Champions League – it’s a phenomenon. After an hour in the round of 16 second leg, the record winner was already eliminated with one leg, but a major mishap by Gianluigi Donnarumma sparked new fire not only among the Real players, but also among the 60,000 fans at the Bernabeu.
What happened? The PSG goalie frittered the ball away on the edge of the six-yard box, while Karim Benzema deflected the Italian keeper’s attempt to free himself past the goal. But Vinicius Junior was there promptly, put the ball across to Benzema, who was ready to score and who didn’t let such a chance be missed – 1:1.
Real overrun PSG in the last half hour
Carried by the euphoria of the equalizer and the raging fans in the stadium, the “Royal” just kept on powering. They reaped the rewards a good quarter of an hour later. And twice:
- 76 minutes: Pacemaker Luka Modric is looking for a gap in the Paris defensive network at the edge of the penalty area and he finds it. The Croatian sticks through to Benzema, who pulls away from the turn. His shot is decisively deflected by Marquinhos and hits the goal.
- 78 minutes: Just 105 seconds after the 2-1, an unsuccessful attempt by Marquinhos to clear the ball landed right in front of Benzema’s feet, who pocketed the ball precisely in the near corner to make it 3-1.
As a result, the Madrilenians failed to use the space granted to them to make the final decision. But Real didn’t allow too much at the back. A direct free-kick from Lionel Messi hissed just over the goal, Thibaut Courtois did not have to intervene.
Outstanding Mbappé is not enough
The game had long gone to the gusto of Paris, who had dominated the first leg 3 weeks ago and won 1-0 too deep. PSG also took the lead in Madrid, as in the first leg, Kylian Mbappé scored. The exceptional French striker refined a straightforward counterattack via Leandro Paredes and Neymar in the 39th minute.
Mbappé constantly caused his possible future employer the biggest problems. The 23-year-old put the ball in the goal twice more, but these two goals were preceded by an offside position in the making.
And so Mbappé had to leave the field as a loser despite an outstanding individual performance. The mission to win the Champions League has once again failed for PSG’s star ensemble. Real Madrid, meanwhile, will be eagerly awaiting Nyon on March 18, where the quarter-final tie will be drawn.