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Madrid Topple PSG in Champions League Clash

Round of 16 Preview (2nd Leg)

Real Madrid progressed to the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals with a 2-1 win over 10-man Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.


Match Summary

There was action at both ends in the first half, but no goals to show for it. Los Blancos had looked the better team and their dominance eventually paid off in the 51st minute when Cristiano Ronaldo scored.

Despite the dismissal of Marco Verratti, Edinson Cavani managed to level on the night for PSG, but Casemiro hammered the final nail in the coffin in the 80th minute.

  • Paris Saint-Germain 1 Real Madrid 2
  • Ronaldo header breaks the deadlock
  • Verratti sent off in second half
  • Cavani equalises with scrappy goal
  • Casemiro seals victory late on

Full Report

Unai Emery’s side headed into the game with a mountain to climb, having lost 3-1 in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, and Real had the better first-half opportunities in Paris.

In the 18th minute, Marco Asensio teed Sergio Ramos up for a close-range shot shortly after a corner, but Alphonse Areola reacted well to deny him before Thiago Silva threw himself at the ball to prevent Raphael Varane from hammering in the rebound.

Karim Benzema was played in behind the defence by Marcelo and left with only Areola to beat in the 38th minute, but once again, the keeper pulled off a fantastic save, sticking out a leg to keep the hosts in the game.

They enjoyed a promising spell towards the end of the first half, but Keylor Navas did not have much to do other than pushing behind a 43rd-minute Kylian Mbappe shot from an awkward angle at the near post.

The tie was all but sealed in the sixth minute of the second half. Dani Alves was caught in possession by Asensio, who did well to hold onto the ball before passing to Lucas Vazquez on the left. The diminutive winger then crossed for Ronaldo to head home at the back post.

Mission impossible then became even tougher for the French giants when Verratti picked up a second yellow card in the 66th minute. It was a case of frustration boiling over, as the Italian was given his marching orders for shouting at the referee Felix.

The defending champions smelled blood and nearly extended their advantage three minutes later. Benzema teed up Asensio, who rattled the post with a first-time shot from inside the box.

However, it was PSG who scored next. Silva met the ball at the far post and headed to Javier Pastore, whose header went into a sea of bodies. After some pinball in the box, it was eventually turned into the net by Cavani in the 71st minute.

Any optimism they may have felt was swiftly killed off as Zinedine Zidane’s men regained the lead nine minutes later. A deflected effort from Casemiro went in off Marquinhos, giving the Brazilian a well-deserved goal to cap off a solid performance.

Real nearly added insult to injury three minutes later, as Gareth Bale picked out Lucas from the left, teeing him up for a shot, but he could only hit the post from close range.

© TEAMtalk Media

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