Real Madrid pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 3-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday to reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
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Real Madrid produced a thrilling comeback to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the Champions League last-16 fixture at Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday. The result helped Carlo Ancelotti’s side to go through to the quarter-finals of the competition with a 3-2 aggregate victory. After going behind through Kylian Mbappe’s first-half strike, the hosts scored three goals through Karim Benzema in the last 30 minutes to seal their passage into the last-8.
? @MrAncelotti: “We suffered a lot in the first half, but we did it. We had trouble getting the ball. We tried to press… But it was a good press from Karim that brought us the first goal and after that the magic of this stadium and these fans came with it.”#UCL pic.twitter.com/ZGb5DF6JFZ
— Real Madrid C.F. ???? (@realmadriden) March 9, 2022
Up until the hour-mark, Real Madrid struggled to keep the ball possession and the Parisians created the better goal-scoring chances, with Mbappe being denied twice because of off-side. But on 61 minutes, Benzema’s high pressing forced the PSG keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma into a mistake and the Frenchman scored from Vinicius’s assist.
The equaliser shifted the momentum in Real Madrid’s favour and they made full use of the life-line handed to them. Meanwhile the PSG defence were in sixes and sevens in the final quarter.
In the post-match press conference, Ancelotti said: “We’re all very happy and excited. There’s not many more words for it. I think all Madridistas are happy and that’s the most important thing. We suffered a lot, but stayed in there. It was tough to win the ball back in the first half, but one good press from Karim gave us the first goal and then the magic of this stadium happened.
“ It’s not hard to explain. The fans gave us energy and killed the opponent. There was only one team on the pitch for the final 30 minutes. I’ve had many nights in this competition, but there’s not many nights like this one. If it becomes a truly unforgettable night, it’ll mean we’ve gone far in this year’s Champions League.”
Apart from Benzema, Luka Modric and Vinicius played a pivotal role in Real Madrid’s victory. Both of them were involved in all three goals Benzema scored.
The coach was asked about how Modric (36) and Benzema (34) manage to keep performing at the top level despite getting on in years. He replied: “They just get better and better. Karim is back from injury and that has made a difference. Luka is playing well no matter where I position him, even though he has played some different positions.”
