. . . Man City also cruise into quarters despite Sporting stalemate

Real Madrid pulled off one of the great Champions League comebacks on Wednesday as Karim Benzema scored a breathtaking hat-trick to upstage Kylian Mbappe and dump Paris Saint-Germain out in the last 16.

Madrid were set to be the latest victims of another Mbappe masterclass at the Santiago Bernabeu after the 23-year-old ran them ragged for the best part of an hour and fired in to put PSG 1-0 up on the night, 2-0 ahead on aggregate.

But Madrid came storming back as Benzema capitalised on a mistake by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and then scored an incredible double in two minutes, the third coming within 11 seconds after PSG had kicked off.

When the fulltime whistle confirmed their 3-2 aggregate victory, many of Madrid's players dropped to their knees and looked up to the sky, as much perhaps in disbelief as joy.

“Every game is a final now for us in the Champions League and LaLiga but today we showed that Real Madrid is alive,” said Benzema.

For PSG, it was another epic collapse to add to their growing list of Champions League disappointments, with Mauricio Pochettino’s future as coach immediately cast into doubt.

Even with Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar, the Qatari-owned club’s wait for a Champions League crown goes on.

“We didn’t manage our emotions well. We left ourselves exposed,” said Pochettino. “We leave with great pain and disappointment because we didn't score the goals to reflect our superiority over the two games.”

Pochettino also fumed at referee Danny Makkelie for not whistling for a foul as Benzema challenged Donnarumma before Madrid's first goal.

“Explaining what happened is easy, there was a foul on Donnarumma during the first goal, and that changed everything,” he said.

All eyes were on Mbappe, who was the only player to be cheered by Madrid’s fans before the game as they were gifted an up-close preview of the player they hope will be theirs this summer.

Mbappe delivered, scoring a superb goal, not to mention a spellbinding second that was disallowed for offside when he bamboozled Thibaut Courtois with a magical dummy.

But what looked set to become an exhibition of the world's deadliest player instead became another remarkable European night for Real Madrid and another nightmare for PSG.

“We suffered a lot but we endured,” said Real boss Carlo Ancelotti. “Karim gave us the chance to score the first goal and then the magic came. From then on, there was only one team was on the field."

Madrid clearly wanted to hit PSG hard from the start and for a while, it worked, Vinicius Junior tearing down the left and Fede Valverde bulldozing through Mbappe.

But the surge was brief, PSG killing Madrid's momentum, pushing them back and taking complete control.

Mbappe sped clear for the first time in the eighth minute, Neymar curling a ball into the space on the left. The stadium held its breath, Mbappe made room but this time hit Courtois.

PSG were comfortable, dictating the play and sensing the trepidation. Madrid had openings, Benzema curling just wide, but all over the pitch they looked slower, heavier, more cumbersome.

MODRIC SHINES

Lionel Messi skipped through and scooped wide before Mbappe had his first of two goals ruled out, driving into the corner only to see the flag raised.

The opener, though, felt inevitable and in the 39th minute, it came. Dani Carvajal lost the ball upfield and with Madrid committed, Neymar arced another brilliant pass over the top.

By the time he reached it, Mbappe only had David Alaba in front of him and as he shaped to bend into the far corner he instead fired early, whipping a deadly shot past Courtois and inside the near post.

Madrid tried to reset at halftime but Mbappe carried on where he left off with a brilliant, but disallowed, goal.

He fooled Courtois with an astonishing dummy shot, beating the Belgian without even touching the ball and slammed in. The flag went up but the stadium was astounded.

The game was becoming less a contest, more an Mbappe exhibition but then Benzema, out of nowhere, dragged Madrid back into the tie.

He chased Nuno Mendes' backpass to Donnarumma, who skewed under pressure. Vinicius was able to collect and cut back to Benzema, who slotted home.

It was Luka Modric who inspired Madrid's second, a scintillating run through midfield allowing Vinicius to race clear down the left. He scooped back inside to Modric, whose exquisite reverse pass found Benzema, who finished.

Madrid were level on aggregate, the goal confirmed after a check from VAR. Then just seconds later, incredibly, they were ahead. PSG squandered possession from kick-off, Rodrygo released Vinicius and Marquinhos' attempted clearance found Benzema, who steered into the corner.

Elsewhere on the night, Manchester City strolled into the Champions League quarterfinals for the fifth consecutive season with a 5-0 aggregate win over Sporting Lisbon despite a subdued 0-0 draw.

All the hard work for the English champions was done in the Portuguese capital three weeks ago.

On Wednesday a much-changed side cruised and could even afford the luxury of bringing 36-year-old goalkeeper Scott Carson off the bench in the final stages.

City are on course for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons, but the Champions League has so far remained out of reach despite the billions invested by the club's Abu Dhabi owners.

Pep Guardiola's men reached the final for the first time last season and are among the favourites to finally become kings of Europe in Paris come May.

A much tougher test will lie ahead in the last eight as Sporting set out at the Etihad just to avoid another embarrassing scoreline like the one they suffered on home soil.

Guardiola handed a European debut to teenage right-back CJ Egan-Riley with a number of defenders out through injury, illness or suspension.

Rodri, Kevin De Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez were also rested from the start, but City should still have won the game comfortably.

Raheem Sterling wasted the best of the home side's chances as the England international failed to lift the ball over Antonio Adan from Phil Foden's sensational through ball.

After an uneventful first half, City thought they had claimed the lead through Gabriel Jesus early in the second period.

Mahrez, introduced at the break, ran into the box and slid the ball into the Brazilian on the left.

Jesus smashed in from a tight angle but the goal was disallowed for offside following a VAR review.

The state of the tie was summed up when Guardiola took the chance to give Carson his first Champions League appearance since 2005, replacing Ederson 17 minutes from time.

Carson was called into action to bravely block from Pedro Porro with Sporting's best chance moments later.

Mahrez, John Stones and Sterling all missed chances late on to break the deadlock, but Sporting salvaged some pride by holding out for a clean sheet. (Based on AFP reports)

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