PSG out of Champions League
Cristiano Ronaldo punished Paris Saint-germain’s slack defending once again, scoring a powerful second-half header as Real Madrid cruised into the Champions League quarterfinals with a 2-1 win yesterday.
Trailing 3-1 from the first leg, PSG offered little threat on either attack or defence without the injured Neymar.
The biggest bang came from the fireworks constantly let off by a section of fans behind one goal.
Edinson Cavani’s close-range goal gave PSG some hope with 20 minutes left.
But with midfielder Marco Verratti already sent off, scoring two more to force extra time was beyond a lackluster PSG side.
Instead, midfielder Casemiro’s deflected shot looped past stranded goalkeeper Alphonse Areola in the 80th to make it 5-2 on aggregate.
He was gifted the ball after midfielder Adrien Rabiot dealt poorly with Lucas Vazquez’s cross.
To compound a miserable night for PSG fans, who so badly want to believe this side can conquer Europe, Verratti showed terrible composure in getting sent off midway through the second half. He got a second yellow card, having protested vehemently with referee Felix Brych after not getting a free kick his way.
Ronaldo had already done his usual damage.
The Champions League’s all-time leading scorer was given far too much space and leapt triumphantly to beat Areola with a downward header in the 51st minute. It took his tournament-leading tally to 12, including two in the first leg.
After a slow start, Ronaldo is hitting top form at a crucial time as Madrid looks to win the competition for the third straight time and 13th overall. He has scored in nine Champions League games in a row, matching Ruud van Nistelrooy’s record.
In the night’s other match, fivetime champion Liverpool eased into the last eight, drawing 0-0 at home to two-time winner Porto after winning the away leg 5-0.