After a scuffle near the byline, the ball lands at the feet of Neymar who, with a momentary glance to his right shoulder, flicks it over the desperate leap of Éder Militão and into the path of Kylian Mbappe. The Brazilian defender could only watch as the Frenchman raced away, his long strides propelling him towards goal. Now facing goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, a 6 feet, 7 inches Belgian wall, Mbappe opens his body, projecting a far post shot, and within seconds buries the ball in the bottom right corner — 1–0 on the night, 2–0 on aggregate. Game over. Parisian supporters, tucked away high in the stands of the Santiago Bernabéu, roared into the night.
The tone was set — this cathedral of sport was witnessing a changing of the guard as Mbappe single-handedly dismantled a football dynasty. Both Karim Benzema and Luka Modrić, Real Madrid legends in the twilight of their careers, marveled at the electric speed and dynamism of a star-studded Paris Saint-Germain side that boasted a front line of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar. But these veterans had seen too much to believe that the game was over, and when it comes to the Champions League, you can never write off Los Blancos.
After the first leg, which finished 1–0 against Real Madrid, manager Carlo Ancelotti was criticized for letting PSG control the game. The 12-time UCL Champions sat back, inviting the French side to dominate possession. Deep in its half, Madrid lacked attacking outlets as Brazilian star Vinícius Júnior was isolated on the wing with Karim Benzema still recovering from an injury.
In the 62nd minute, Mbappe received the ball on the left wing and began charging toward the goal. Marking him was right-back Dani Carvajal, who had struggled to contain the Frenchman all night. Carvajal couldn't keep up with Mbappe’s quick feet, committing a foul inside the penalty area. Messi stepped up to the spot, but his shot was saved by Courtois, who dove to his left. Despite the miss, PSG continued to pile on the pressure with Marco Verratti dictating the play. The Italian seemed unfazed by Madrid’s midfield trio of Luka Modrić, Casemiro and Toni Kroos as he advanced the ball effortlessly through midfield.
With their backs against the wall, Madrid seemed content with a 0–0 draw until the 94th minute. A classic Neymar backheel found the feet of Mbappe, who slid through a window of Madrid defenders and slotted away the game-winner. The Parc des Princes erupted with banners of red and blue as the PSG players engulfed their French star. After the game, Ancelotti acknowledged Mbappe as the best player in the world as the Frenchman registered his 13th goal in 13 Champions League appearances this season. Madrid was simply outclassed: The La Liga leaders had no shots on target during the game to PSG’s eight.
In the second leg, the suspension of defensive midfielder Casemiro and left-back Ferland Mendy forced Ancelotti to call up Nacho Fernández and Federico Valverde. The inclusion of Valverde added more energy and attacking mobility to the team, as the 23-year-old Uruguayan often likes to carry the ball into attack. In midweek, Madrid impressed in the league with a 4–1 victory over Real Sociedad while PSG slipped up in a 1–0 loss against Nice. Momentum was with Madrid as the team looked to tame one of the greatest attacks ever assembled.
In Madrid, seas of white flanked the team bus as its players arrived before kickoff. In the warmup, all eyes were on Mbappe as the stadium hailed the presence of its greatest adversary. Some fans even cheered amid the strong rumors that he might wear the white of Madrid next season.
The game began with a strong Madrid press as Los Blancos looked to force an early error. Withstanding the pressure, PSG began holding possession, slowly frustrating the home side. Karim Benzema, now in his 13th season at the club, forced a brilliant outstretched save from Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Minutes before halftime, however, Mbappe gave PSG the lead and surely ended Madrid’s hopes of progressing to the next round. With a 2–0 aggregate advantage, it looked like the competition's most successful side was 45 minutes away from elimination.
With 30 minutes to play, Ancelotti brought on Camavinga and Rodrygo in the hopes that an injection of youth would spark some creativity in attack. Moments later, Madrid was handed a lifeline with the mistake of Donnarumma, who failed to control a backpass following a press from Benzema. Júnior immediately recovered the ball and squared it to Benzema, who comfortably finished it. Suddenly, a team of superstars looked frazzled as Madrid’s players rallied behind Benzema and Modrić.
In the 76th minute, Modrić picked up the ball at the edge of the Madrid box and ran past several PSG players as the 34-year-old turned back the clock in a dribbling master class. A perfectly weighted through ball to Júnior was eventually turned back to the Croatian who threaded a pass to Benzema, who then scored his second goal of the night. The comeback was complete. Seconds after the PSG kickoff, Rodrygo won back the ball and passed it out wide to Júnior. The Brazilian darted toward goal with PSG’s defenders scrambling to catch up. A deflected pass from PSG defender Marquinhos was decisively converted by Benzema, who calmly placed the ball in the bottom right corner, completing his hat trick.
History was made as 60,000 fans erupted in scenes of mass euphoria. Frozen, the likes of Messi and Neymar could only watch as the Madrid players embraced each other. A last-ditch Messi free-kick landed over the net as the Bernabéu whistled at the longtime Barcelona legend. The final whistle blew, and Real Madrid had completed mission impossible by advancing to the quarterfinals as PSG’s dream of UCL glory ended in heartbreak once again.
