Mbappe brace helps PSG march on

Kylian Mbappe scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain reversed a first-leg loss at home to return to the Champions League semi-finals with a 4-1 win over 10-man Barcelona last night.

PSG took advantage of a first-half red card to Barcelona defender Ronaldo Araujo to advance 6-4 on aggregate and make their first last-four appearance since 2021.

Former Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele and Vitinha also scored for PSG after Araujo was sent off in the 29th minute for fouling Bradley Barcola to stop a breakaway.

Barcelona got off to a good start and opened the scoring with a goal by Raphinha in the 12th minute, but the visitors took control with the man advantage and didn’t let Barcelona get back into the game.

Mbappe scored his goals in the 61st and 89th minutes. Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund stormed into the semi-finals with a rip-roaring 4-2 home win over Atletico Madrid that saw them fight back from a 2-1 defeat in the first leg to win the tie 5-4 on aggregate.

Julian Brandt put Dortmund level on aggregate in the 34th minute, and five minutes later Dortmund took the lead in the quarter-final clash as Ian Maatsen cut in from the left and drilled a perfectly placed shot in at the foot of the far post.

Dortmund’s Mats Hummels turned the ball into his own net in the 49th minute, and substitute Angel Correa put Atleti back in the lead in the 64th minute.

However, Niclas Fuellkrug levelled the tie again with a brilliant glancing header, with Marcel Sabitzer drilling home the winner in front of an ecstatic crowd three minutes later.