A quickfire Karim Benzema hat-trick left Paris Saint-Germain stunned as Real Madrid produced a remarkable comeback to qualify for the Champions League quarter finals.
Kylian Mbappe – who also had two goals disallowed either side of the break – gave Mauricio Pochettino’s side the lead in the first half with a superbly timed run and finish.
PSG – who had triumphed 1-0 in Paris from Mbappe’s last-gasp strike – had appeared to be in control of the game but a remarkable final half-hour saw the game turned on its head.
A moment of madness from visiting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma allowed Vinicius to pounce and roll it back for Benzema to slot home the equaliser on the night.
The experienced striker then remarkably scored twice within the space of a minute as Les Parisiens underwent a dramatic collapse that was all too familiar for the club on this stage in recent years.
Here are the five talking points from a dramatic night in the Spanish capital.
Benzema steals the show
For over an hour, it was the Kylian Mbappe show – the French striker had appeared to be decisive in both legs of the Champions League.
Then his international strike partner Karim Benzema stepped up and scored an unforgettable 17-minute hat-trick that will live long in the memory.
Having netted from Vinicius’s cut-back, he then sensationally scored twice within the space of a minute to turn the game on its head.
Benzema was the spearhead for Madrid’s attacks throughout the game – going close several times – yet he once again showed his class, instinct and ability to keep his head when all those around him were losing their's.
More Mbappe magic
Kylian Mbappe put in a performance that was right at home in the knockout stages of Europe’s premier club competition.
Not only is he PSG’s star man, but he is out of contract in four months and is said to be on the verge of joining Real Madrid as a free agent.
The Spanish giants have had a long-standing admiration of the Frenchman and just as he was in the first leg, the striker was the best player on the pitch throughout.
He netted in both matches – alongside two superbly taken goals ruled out for offside in this encounter – to take him up to 157 goals for PSG, surpassing Zlatan Ibrahimovic with only Edinson Cavani (200) now ahead of him.
Mbappe has scored eight goals in the Champions League knockout stage since the start of last season, three more than any other player and he has been directly involved in 19 goals in his last 14 appearances in the competition.
Still aged just 23, Mbappe is firmly established as an elite attacking talent – although he may be on the opposite side in any future ties between these two.
PSG’s front three outshone
While Mbappe was majestic once again, the roles for Lionel Messi and Neymar were much deeper with both peripheral figures in the second half.
Messi actually made three tackles in his own defensive third in the first half – his average for a match in Ligue 1 this campaign has been just 0.4 per game.
Neymar did provide the assist for Mbappe’s goal but he has now gone 10 matches in the Champions League without finding the net – a lengthy drought for a player of his calibre.
Neymar and Mbappe have now combined for 12 Champions League goals since the start of the 2017-18 campaign, at least five more times than any other duo.
Messi’s Madrid curse continues
Lionel Messi has endured a tough time in the French capital since joining from Barcelona this summer – netting just twice in 18 domestic matches for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
The Argentine put in an unusually clear defensive role in this game but he has now gone nine matches against Real Madrid without scoring a goal or providing an assist, including having his penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois in the first leg of this tie.
That is a run that stretches back more than four years and his arrival in Paris was designed to help propel the club to the Champions League title – now ruled out for this year.
Madrid stars fall from grace
It is now no longer any surprise that none of Gareth Bale, Eden Hazard, Luka Jovic or Isco are in the starting line-up for Real Madrid’s most important matches.
The first two are the club’s record signings while striker Jovic and playmaker Isco were also notable investments by Los Blancos.
The quartet of players are among football’s highest earners but not only were they not involved from the start here, but they were overlooked as Madrid chased goals in the second half.
Young Brazilian forward Rodrygo Goes, teenage midfielder Eduardo Camavinga and utility man Lucas Vazquez were instead the substitutions chosen – and they changed the game.
