Paris Saint-Germain were knocked out of the UEFA Champions League after a stunning 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu on Wednesday, which ended in a 3-2 overall success for the Creamy.
Kylian Mbappé has scored one goal in every match and the French superstar has been a major talking point pre-match due to a left-footed kick taken in training earlier this week, as well as interest from the Spanish giants to sign him as a free agent with this in summer. and he lived before billing.
However, so did compatriot Karim Benzema, who scored a remarkable hat-trick in 17 minutes, eclipsing Paris Saint-Germain’s No. 7 just when his moment seemed to have arrived.
Mbappé saw one goal ruled out each half and yet beat Thibaut Courtois by a clinically low margin after Neymar played in his place to seemingly prove he is the difference between his current club and his future suitors in Spanish capital.
The 23-year-old was given a warm welcome by the Real Madrid fans, and while that only spurred him on to another superb individual challenge, Gianluigi Donnarumma undermined that when his inexplicable error allowed Benzema to equalize that evening.
The Italy international made some superb saves the night he stopped Keylor Navas from playing against his former club, but it was a glaring enough mistake that nearly cost PSG, like other goalkeeping mistakes in the past against Real Madrid.
Benzema smelled blood and a quick double as the usually confident Marquinhos and his teammates fell apart in the face of the timeless Luka Modric, who ensured Real Madrid celebrated their unexpected quarter-final berth.
Player Ratings
But how did each player perform in it? Here are our player ratings per match for each prime, substitute and manager. All scores are out of 10, and the higher the number, the better. Zero will be a red card in the first minute. 10 will be the dominant hat-trick.
Paris Saint Germain
(GK) Gianluigi Donnarumma | 90 | Made some very good saves, but made a serious mistake that allowed Real Madrid to turn the tide, and also received a warning. Many will feel that his choice was harsh on Keylor Navas, and that the Costa Rican’s experience could have helped the team when things went wrong. | 4 |
(DEF) Ashraf Hakimi | 88 | Often pushed forward from the right and hit Real Madrid’s backline without paying too much attention to the defensive side of things, which eventually caught up with PSG and got booked. | 6 |
(DEF) Marquinhos (C) | 90 | He was uncharacteristically wobbly in the beginning, and he never got over it and even played into Benzema’s hands when the Frenchman rebelled. | 3 |
(DEF) Presnel Kimpembe | 90 | Struggled as Marquinhos collapsed next to him and failed to hold the defense together as the old capitulation began and received a belated warning. | 4 |
(DEF) Nuno Mendez | 90 | Another attacking and mature performance on the left of the Portuguese who was one of the few who really came into his own. | 6 |
(MID) Leandro Paredes | 70 | Received a stupid early warning and although he played his part at PSG by linking up and getting the ball on the pitch, it was useless. | five |
(MID) Danilo Pereira | 81 | Did what he was asked to do and provided cover for protection, never needing to shift too hard, and suddenly outdated when things went awry. | five |
(MID) Marco Verratti | 90 | Technically superior in the middle, but ultimately lost the fight to the evergreen Modric, who showed his class at the end. | 6 |
(FWD) Lionel Messi | 90 | A few flashes of intrigue, but an almost anonymous return to Spanish soil. | 3 |
(FWD) Kylian Mbappe | 90 | ⚽ Great goal and unfortunate that two attempts were ruled out, but he must be wondering if it’s really worth signing up for another one of this agony. | 7 |
(FWD) Neymar | 90 | Assisted Mbappe but was otherwise a passenger as Mbappe did most of the work with his feet. | five |
Idrissa Guie | Paredes | His appearance coincided with the loss of control by PSG. | 4 |
Angel Di Maria | pereira | Considering the last 10 minutes it was already too late. | five |
Julian Draxler | Hakimi | A desperate last roll of the dice. | five |
Mauricio Pochettino | 3 | The tactical setup seemed to work for a while, until the mentality evaporated and the team fell apart in front of him, which he wasn’t ready for. | 4 |
real Madrid
(GK) Thibault Courtois | 90 | Made three saves as he had to deal with Mbappe all night and two of them were good. He may have been able to score better, but he did well enough to keep his team. | 7 |
(DEF) Nacho | 90 | Not great, but not bad either. Call it a so-so display. He didn’t have to worry about field width, which allowed him to help centrally. | five |
(DEF) Eder Militao | 90 | Got hit early by teammate Toni Kroos and looked a little out of his element. Couldn’t keep up with PSG’s pace but was lucky his team didn’t concede more. Won only 25% of tackles, but was strong in the air. | 6 |
(DEF) David Alaba | 90 | There were moments. At times his positioning was a little off, but most of the time he made the right decisions and played the ball skillfully from behind. | 6 |
(DEF) Dani Carvajal | 66 | No one was jealous that the Spanish defender had to deal with Mbappe. He had been set on fire too many times and he just didn’t have the strength to stop him. But in fact, no one does it. However, he returned the ball eight times. | five |
(MID) Luka Modric | 90 | Completed almost 90 percent of his passes and provided decisive assistance with a dirty pass from Benzema. And it happened in a brilliant run-through. Messi also had an amazing tackle. He commanded it. | 8 |
(MID) Toni Kroos | 57 | They took it off in the 57th minute, as Real Madrid needed to attack a little more. On the pitch, however, he created four chances and converted 96.2% of his passes. | 7 |
(MID) Fede Valverde | 90 | Filled in the suspended Casemiro well, although he went too far at times. Made an impact at both ends of the field and often slowed PSG’s pace. | 6 |
(FWD) Marco Asensio | 57 | Almost forgot that he played. I can’t remember a single thing he actually did. Oh yeah, his early shot was blocked by a defender. No moments created, xG 0.09. Quiet night. | 4 |
(FWD) Vinicius Junior | 90 | The comeback started with bouncing on the ball and helping Benzema. Lively, effective and created three moments. He played a key role in changing the situation. | 7 |
(FWD) Karim Benzema | 90 | ⚽⚽⚽ What do you say? The record-breaking striker scored an 18-minute hat-trick in the second half, starting by putting pressure on the PSG goalkeeper. He was absolutely healthy and was the best player in attack even before the goal. Legendary display. | 10 |
Rodrigo | Asensio (57′) | He came off the bench well, winning a great free kick late, but his team failed to convert. Got more centralized than Asensio. | 6 |
Eduardo Camavinga | Kroos (57′) | Came to the German to offer a little more in the future. He never started working, but sat in the front row until the shocking turnaround. | five |
Lucas Vasquez | Carvajal (66′) | Mbappe did not set fire to him, and even in the last minutes he received a worthy challenge. | 6 |
Carlo Anchelotti | 3 | I won’t praise him too much because Benzema saved his ass. He was too cautious in the first match and then not defensive enough in the first half of the second match. His team lost the competition again, but not because of him. He owes Benzema a few days off. | five |