 "Champions League: Mbappe dazzles as Real Madrid oust Man City; PSV eliminate Juventus")
Real Madrid swept Manchester City aside to qualify for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, while Paris Saint-Germain rubber-stamped their spot in the next round by thrashing French rivals Brest.
Kylian Mbappe struck twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick on the hour at the Santiago Bernabeu as the European champions won the return leg of the play-off tie 3-1 to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory.
“I said it (before), I didn’t come to Real Madrid to play badly,” Mbappe told Movistar. “Making my dream come true is one thing, but I want to play well here, mark an era and make history at Real Madrid.”
Carlo Ancelotti’s side will face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, in the last 16, for which the draw will made on Friday.
Guardiola: ‘Best team won’
“The best team won, they deserve to be there and we don’t,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.
After two late goals last week swung the balance considerably in Madrid’s favour, City suffered another blow before kick-off in Spain with Erling Haaland only considered fit enough to start on the bench.
Mbappe padded Madrid’s advantage with a fourth-minute lob, squeezing in between Ruben Dias and John Stones as he latched on to Raul Asencio’s long ball and lifted his effort over City goalkeeper Ederson.
3 - Kylian Mbappé is the only player in the history of the European Cup/Champions League to score a hat-trick at the Santiago Bernabéu, with Real Madrid today against City, and at the Camp Nou, against Barcelona with PSG in 2021. Sidereal. pic.twitter.com/IfwhelsPzi
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) February 19, 2025
The France striker rounded off a flowing team move with a sharp finish for Madrid’s second of the game, completing his hat-trick with a crisp left-footed shot from the edge of the area.
Nico Gonzalez netted a consolation in stoppage time for City after Omar Marmoush’s powerful free-kick came back off the crossbar.
The lone real disappointment on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Jude Bellingham that will rule the England midfielder out of the first leg of the last 16.
For City, the focus will switch to simply securing a place in next season’s Champions League after a disastrous domestic campaign for a team that won the last four Premier League titles.
“It’s been our worst year… we’ve been an incredible team and this year, for many reasons, we have lost that consistency,” said Guardiola.
Record win for rampant PSG
PSG demolished Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes as goals from seven different players propelled the in-form French champions to a 10-0 win over both legs.
Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the first half to eliminate any small doubts for the hosts, who showed no mercy with Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu also on target.
It was PSG’s record winning margin in a European game. They scored just three goals in their first five Champions League matches this season, but have found the net 21 times in five outings since then.
“I think we are showing that winning everything is possible,” Kvaratskhelia told Canal Plus. “We come into every game to win and of course that is our goal and our dream. We will put everything into that.”
🎙️ The reactions of Luis Enrique, Bradley Barcola, Vitinha and Désiré Doué after the big win against Brest! 💪💬 pic.twitter.com/d5rn84FJVX
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) February 20, 2025
Luis Enrique’s men go on to a blockbuster clash with Liverpool or Barcelona, while Brest’s first-ever European campaign ended in sorry fashion against a club they have not beaten in 40 years.
“It is pretty shameful to go out this way. To lose 7-0 is too much. Yes Paris are a great team and I hope they go all the way, but to lose 7-0 is unacceptable,” said Brest midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou.
PSV Eindhoven knocked out Juventus 4-3 on aggregate after extra time, overturning a first-leg deficit with a 3-1 win in the Netherlands.
Timothy Weah cancelled out Ivan Perisic’s opener for PSV, but the hosts forced an additional 30 minutes with a goal from Ismael Saibari.
Defender Ryan Flamingo turned in from close range in the 98th minute to send PSV through at the expense of Thiago Motta’s Juventus, with Arsenal or Inter Milan awaiting the Dutch side next month.
Borussia Dortmund progressed after a goalless draw at home to Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon sealed a 3-0 overall victory.
The competition’s leading scorer Serhou Guirassy missed a second-half penalty but it mattered for nothing in the end as last season’s runners-up were rarely troubled by Sporting.
Dortmund’s reward is a last-16 tie against Aston Villa or Lille.
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