Catch up with all the highlights and reaction from an astonishing night in the Uefa Champions League where Karim Benzema netted a hat-trick as PSG self-destructed again, while Manchester City cruised through to the quarter-finals.
“Real Madrid are still alive,” said Karim Benzema, the 34-year-old striker who scored a second-half hat-trick to send PSG packing.
PSG were cruising at 2-0 up on aggregate after Kylian Mbappe’s 39th-minute strike.
For an hour the Paris club looked assured of a last-eight berth, but Benzema turned the tie on its head with three goals in 17 minutes as Real swept to a 3-1 win and 3-2 aggregate triumph.
The defeat throws Mauricio Pochettino’s future as coach into serious doubt, raises further questions about Messi’s departure from Barca and prolongs the Qatari-owned club’s wait for that elusive European crown, despite more than €1 billion splurged on transfers.
“We have not managed our emotions well and we left ourselves too exposed,” said Pochettino after the defeat.
Ancelotti and Benzema both praised their sides’ mentality.
“We have suffered a lot, but we have endured. After [our] first goal there was only one team on the pitch,” said Ancelotti.
“We won the match with our mental strength,” said Benzema.
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Manchester City 0-0 Sporting (Man City win 5-0 on aggregate)
Pep Guardiola said Manchester City’s routine stroll into the Champions League quarter-finals is cause for celebration despite a subdued 0-0 draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday.
All the hard work for the English champions was done with a 5-0 win in the Portuguese capital three weeks ago as City reached the last eight for the fifth consecutive season.
“It’s a good sign,” said Guardiola. “The last decade, step by step the club grew up. Every season playing this competition, qualifying for last 16 and now in the best eight teams in Europe.
“Every year when we qualify for the Champions League, I celebrate it that night because I know how difficult it is,” he added.
“When you qualify for last 16, I celebrate it. Now it’s time to congratulate everyone, focus on the Premier League and see who we get in the draw.”
A much tougher test will lie ahead in the last eight as Sporting set out at the Etihad just to avoid another embarrassing scoreline like the one they suffered on home soil.
“After the result of the first game the tie became practically impossible,” said Sporting goalkeeper Antonio Adan.
“The team was better defensively, and they didn’t play with the same clarity either. We leave satisfied.”
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