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Real Madrid 3-1 PSG: Match Review
The second leg of the Round of 16 clash between Real Madrid and Paris-Saint Germain was set at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night. Los Blancos lost by a slim one-goal margin in the first leg and needed at least two goals against the French side to qualify for the quarterfinals.
Carlo Ancelotti took some bold decisions with the lineup on the night. Toni Kroos started in midfield alongside Luka Modric and Federico Valverde despite not being fully fit. Nacho started at left-back while Marco Asensio started ahead of Rodrygo in attack.
The hosts began on the front foot, pressing high and unsettling Pochettino’s side early on. Yet, the intensity died down less than 15 minutes into the game. Karim Benzema had Real Madrid’s first big chance in the 25th minute when he lashed the ball past the left post.
From there on, the French outfit took over and began dominating the possession. Messi took a close shot in the 31st minute but his effort went wide. PSG seemed to have got the lead four minutes later through a Kylian Mbappe finish. The goal was immediately ruled out, however, because of an offside position in the buildup.
In the 39th minute, Real Madrid went a goal down after Mbappe neatly worked the ball past Courtois. It was Neymar who set the Frenchman free, but one felt the goalkeeper could have done better. The first half ended with Real Madrid chasing two goals on aggregate with a big second half ahead of them.
The first big chance of the second half fell to Mbappe once again. The PSG winger yet again converted his chance and scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
A big moment in the game arrived at the hour mark when Donnarumma lost the ball to Benzema in the box. The rebound fell to Vinicius who linked up with Benzema for the equaliser on the night.
After Benzema’s goal, Los Blancos looked rejuvenated. The attacks intensified with Benzema receiving a few direct chances to score. With thirty minutes on the clock, Real Madrid needed one goal to force extra time.
Karim Benzema was the man to step up to the occasion once again in the 75th minute. When his team needed him the most, the striker picked up the ball in the box and fired it past a helpless Donnarumma.
Just a minute later, he completed his hat-trick and gave Real Madrid the lead on aggregate when he capitalized on a Marquinhos error.
Despite their best effort, PSG could not find a way back into the tie. Real Madrid pulled off a stunning comeback to oust the Ligue 1 leaders. They now move into the last eight of the UCL, high on confidence.
Real Madrid made a mess of their game against Elche last night, and it is clear that the men in white have several flaws with no answers at the moment.
From being 2-0 up, the men in white bottled their lead and threw the game into jeopardy by permitting Elche to score two goals. The result, as many saw it, was set to end in a draw.
With some persistent attacks in the dying minutes, however, Real Madrid managed to build pressure on Elche and eventually scored one more goal at the death to take home the three points.
Needless to say, however, the negatives from the game far outweigh the positive news of the three points.
Madrid Universal brings you three takeaways from Elche 2-3 Real Madrid.
Another second-half collapse
After Real Madrid’s win over Rayo Vallecano at the weekend, Jose Mourinho stressed the fact that Real Madrid actually played only one half and that the fatigue began showing after the break.
On the night, the opposition began to enjoy more dominance and create chances after half-time as they outran and outpressed Los Blancos to good effect.
Last night was no different, and the second half went completely awry.
The men in white entered the half-time break cruising with a 2-0 lead and significant dominance over the proceedings. They had a massive xG, with Elche barely creating any chances of note.
After the break, however, the entire dynamic of the game changed as Real Madrid took a step back and handed the impetus to the hosts. Pressing high and attacking without fear, Elche dominated Real Madrid for most of the second half and had a staggering 60% of possession.
They scored twice – in the 71st and 83rd minutes – and equalised Real Madrid on the night. Given the visitors’ shambolic display, it was deserved for Elche.
At this point, the constant second-half collapses and fatigue struggles of the team after just 45 minutes of action must worry Jose Mourinho immensely. Heading into a derby away from home, Real Madrid have to do much better.
The away curse continues
While Real Madrid’s form at home has been imperious this season, their form away from home has been equally shocking.
They began their season with a last-minute win over Espanyol, and their second league game of the season on the road came against Real Betis and ended in defeat.
Heading into their third away game last night, there was an element of worry about how they would perform, and the trend continued once more.
Real Madrid did well to take the lead on the night, but they made the second half a massive war and far more difficult than it should have been.
At this point, serious questions have to be raised about Real Madrid’s form on the road and their inability to keep games under control when playing in away stadiums.
Heading forward in the season, Los Blancos have some massive away games coming up against far more difficult opposition. The Madrid derby is up next, and the team’s form is nothing promising heading into that fixture.
Carlos Espi saves the day… again!
Real Madrid are currently on 15 points after six games in the league, but Carlos Espi has directly contributed to a massive chunk of that.
If not for the new Spanish striker’s ability to come up clutch in big moments, Real Madrid could well have been on just 11 points at this stage in the season, and the four points he has added are absolutely crucial.
Against Espanyol, it was Espi who scored a stoppage-time winner to hand Real Madrid all three points after a complicated match. Last night, he repeated the same heroics once more.
With the team staring at a draw, the new signing was at the right place at the right time to bury Kylian Mbappe’s assist in stoppage time, handing Real Madrid all three points at the death.
He may not have played a large part on the night, but his cameo was again powerful and it is clear that he elevates the team’s attack and provides new solutions in front of goal. Espi has already proven his talent, and his ability to perform under pressure is what makes him special.
