Real Madrid has advanced to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League after defeating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu in the second leg of their Round of 16 matchup. PSG appeared to be on track for an easy qualification after dominating the first half and taking the lead with a goal from their star Kylian Mbappé, who is rumored to join the Spanish club next summer on a free transfer (39 minutes), reinforcing their advantage from the first leg. However, the record holders of the tournament (13 titles) struck back strongly in the second half.
This marks the second time Real Madrid has eliminated PSG from the Round of 16, the first being in the 2017-2018 season when they won 3-1 in the first leg and 2-1 in the second leg, continuing their campaign to secure their third consecutive title and their 13th overall. Real Madrid avenged their defeat to the French team in the 2018-2019 group stage, where they lost 3-0 in Paris and drew 2-2 at home.
The Spanish club displayed a fantastic second half, improving upon their poor performance in Paris (0-1) and the first half of today's match. They created numerous opportunities that could have resulted in more goals were it not for the outstanding performance of Belgian international goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois.
The substitutions made by Italian coach Carlo Ancelotti in the 57th minute, bringing on French player Eduardo Camavinga and Brazilian Rodrygo for German Toni Kroos and Marco Asensio, played a significant role in turning the tables on the visitors, as the team improved greatly, managing to score three goals within 17 minutes.
Italian international goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made a critical error while clearing the ball, which allowed Real Madrid to equalize. The home team maintained their attacking momentum and added two more goals to secure their spot in the quarter-finals. In contrast, PSG stars and their Argentinian coach Mauricio Pochettino failed to produce any response in the second half, except for a free kick from Argentine star Lionel Messi that went over the crossbar in stoppage time.
