Here’s what happened in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, in case you missed it…
READ ALL ABOUT IT
• Real Madrid 3, Paris Saint-Germain 1: Match report || Scoresheet
• FC Porto 0, Liverpool 5: Match report || Scoresheet
WHAT STOOD OUT
Real will not go gentle into that good night
Reports of Real Madrid’s demise have proven to be premature. It’s not often that they enter a European game on their hallowed turf at the Santiago Bernabeu as the underdogs. That’s the situation Cristiano Ronaldo and his cohorts found themselves in on Wednesday night, though, as they welcomed Paris Saint-Germain to the Spanish capital for the opening leg of this Round of 16 series.
Real finished second in their opening-round group, and sit fourth in the La Liga table, 17 points adrift of leaders Barcelona. They’ve already been eliminated from the Copa del Rey, and there is a legitimate chance that the only way they will clinch a return to the Champions League next season is if they win at all. PSG, on the other hand, has been flying in Ligue 1, thanks in large part to the dynamic duo of Edinson Cavani and Neymar. They won their first-round group (ahead of Bayern Munich, no less) and were being touted in some quarters as the heir apparent to Real Madrid on the European stage ahead of this contest.
However, Real routinely finds a way to win on nights like this. The Champions League is their tournament, their birthright. They have been the spiritual caretakers of the competition ever since its inception, and nobody is going to push them off their throne without a fight – not even the aspiring upstarts from France.
This was not, it has to be said, a classic Real Madrid performance in the sense that they poured on the style and overwhelmed their foes. Truth be told, they were second best for most of the match, with PSG carrying the majority of the play. But Real managed to stay in the game after Adrien Rabiot scored in the 33rd minute following a defensive breakdown from the hosts. Zinedine Zidane’s side was given a lifeline just before half when Toni Kroos was needlessly hauled down inside the box by Giovani Lo Celso. Ronaldo converted, allowing Real to escape the half with the scored knotted at 1-1.
Real withstood PSG’s pressure after the restart, and at times were let off the hook by Neymar, who could have been more selfish when he had the goal in his sights. The Spanish outfit managed to hang around, and made the visitors pay for it when Ronaldo bundled home from in close in the 83rd minute. Marcelo’s goal three minutes later sealed an important win for Real, giving them the decided advantage ahead of the return match in Paris.
A 3-1 final score was cruel on the Ligue 1 team, but this game is sometimes very cruel. The French side outplayed their Spanish hosts, but Real held its nerve and successfully weathered the storm. PSG might one day replace Real Madrid as the kings of Europe. As for now, los blancos do not appear ready to go gentle into that good night.
BEST GOAL OF THE DAY
With Liverpool leading 1-0 in the first half, James Milner unleashed a shot from inside the box that hit the far post. Mohamed Salah was first to the rebound, and juggled the ball around the Porto goalkeeper before slotting it home. A sublime piece of skill from the Egyptian.
BEST MOMENT OF THE DAY
There were several sequences of breathtaking skill and technical ability on display. Marcelo’s pass for Cristiano Ronaldo was something else, though. The Brazilian played a blind, cross-field pass as he rampaged down the left flank, curling behind PSG’s defenders for Ronaldo to run onto. The Portuguese took it in full stride and couldn’t convert it – his shot hit PSG goalkeeper Alphonse Areloa in the face. But it didn’t diminish the quality of the world-class service from Marcelo.
BEST TWEET OF THE DAY
Some Valentine’s Day poetry from ESPN’s Katie Nolan:
HE SAID IT
“It’s all well and good putting eight goals past Dijon, but it’s in matches like this that you have to stand up and be counted.” – PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot on French TV after the game
THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME
Notwithstanding the two goals he scored, Cristiano Ronaldo had a quiet night for Real Madrid. Instead, it was more of a team effort from los blancos on the night, highlighted by Marcelo’s hard work and probing runs down the left, and Isco’s fantastic distribution in the final third of the pitch.
BURNING QUESTION OF THE DAY
SIX PACK OF STATS
• Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo is the first player to score 100 goals in the Champions League for one team.
• Mohamed Salah is the first Liverpool player to score 30 goals in all competitions in a single season since Luis Suarez (31) in 2013-14.
• Adrien Rabiot has scored exactly one goal in each of the five competitions he has played in with PSG this season: Champions Trophy, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Champions League.
• Liverpool have scored more goals than any other team in the Champions League this season (28), with 25 of those goals coming in their last five games.
• Cristiano Ronaldo has scored 10 or more goals in seven consecutive Champions League seasons. No other player has done that in more than two.
• Sadio Mane is the fourth Liverpool player to score a hat-trick in the Champions League, after Michael Owen, Yossi Benayoun and Philippe Coutinho.
Stats courtesy of Opta
THREE STARS
1) Sadio Mane, Liverpool: Scored a hat-trick in the Reds’ comprehensive road win over FC Porto.
2) Marcelo, Real Madrid: Caused PSG all kinds of problems with his speed as he continuously bombed forward. Scored Real’s third goal on the night.
3) Roberto Firmino, Liverpool: Scored one goal and set up another, and was a driving force behind Liverpool’s blistering attack.
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