Real Madrid completed a sensational comeback to eliminate the French giants from the Champions League.
Real Madrid defeated Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie on Wednesday. Karim Benzema scored an unforgettable hattrick to fire the Blancos into the quarter-finals.
Karim Benzema 10/10 🔥
PSG came into the game being 1-0 ahead on aggregate. The Parisians made a few goalscoring chances in the first 20 minutes while avoiding an early opener from the hosts.
Having gained confidence from Real Madrid’s unimpressive attacking efforts, PSG started pushing to score at Santiago Bernabeu. Following a lightning-fast counterattack, Kylian Mbappe ran behind the Blancos’ backline before making it 1-0 (2-0 on aggregate) with a precise shot to the near post.
The guests re-started their attacks as soon as the second period started and even managed to score a second goal. However, upon reviewing by VAR, the referee decided to disallow Mbappe’s second goal of the night.
Then it was time for Karim Benzema to reignite Real Madrid’s hopes for a comeback almost single-handedly. His pressure on Gianluigi Donnarumma forced the Italian keeper to make a poor clearance, which found Vinicius Jonuir at the perfect spot. The Brazilian then sent a simple pass to Benzema, who nodded the ball in to make it 1-1 in the 61st minute.
Real Madrid increased the pressure on PSG’s backline while putting more bodies forward to help out with the attacks. Their plans worked out when Benzema scored his second goal of the night by converting an inch-perfect pass from Luka Modric in the 76th minute.
Two minutes later, the French star completed his hat-trick as PSG’s backline looked completely shattered after conceding the second goal. A misplaced pass from Marquinhos found Benzema on the edge of the box, who smashed it past Donnarumma with a spectacular first-time shot.
PSG were only a goal down on aggregate, but the hosts’ shocking comeback left them paralyzed for the remaining minutes.
Lionel Messi was close to salvaging his weak performance when his free-kick touched the roof of the net in the closing minutes. However, it was not enough to prevent Real Madrid from securing a spot in the quarter-finals of their favourite competition.
What’s next for Real Madrid and PSG?
Real Madrid goes through to the next round with a 3-2 win on aggregate. The Blancos will discover their quarter-final opponents in the coming days. Before that, however, they must return to La Liga to face Mallorca on Monday.
On the other hand, PSG see their much-anticipated Champions League campaign come to an early end. The Parisians will host Bordeaux in their next Ligue 1 game on Sunday.
Player Ratings
Real Madrid: Courtois (6), Carvajal (6), Militao (7), Nacho (6), Alaba (6), Modric (8), Valverde (7), Kroos (6), Asensio (5), Benzema (10), Vinicius (9).
Bench: Vazquez (6), Camavinga (6), Rodrygo (7).
PSG: Donnarumma (4), Hakimi (6), Marquinhos (5), Kimpembe (5), Mendes (6), Paredes (6), D. Pereira (5), Verratti (7), Messi (6), Mbappe (7), Neymar (7).
Bench: Gueye (6), Draxler (5), Maria (6).
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