Both Barcelona and Atletico Madrid’s journeys in the UEFA Champions League ended on Tuesday night after suffering defeats to Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund, respectively.
Mbappe nails Barcelona
Kylian Mbappe spearheaded a thrilling comeback for Paris Saint-Germain, scoring twice to lead them to a 4-1 victory over 10-man Barcelona.
This secured a 6-4 aggregate win and a place in the Champions League semi-finals for the Parisians.
Barcelona started brightly when Raphinha opened the scoring early with a close-range finish after good work from Lamine Yamal.
However, their momentum was halted on the half-hour mark when Ronald Araujo received a straight red card for a reckless challenge.
Paris go through to the semi-finals! ????????#UCL pic.twitter.com/Qyw3nhkFrH
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 16, 2024
PSG capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Ousmane Dembele scoring against his former club just before halftime.
PSG dominated the second half. Vitinha’s screamer from a distance put them ahead on the night, and Mbappe took control of the tie with a well-placed penalty just past the hour mark.
He added his second late in the game, completing a clinical counter-attack and securing a semi-final clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Dortmund win six-goal thriller
Borussia Dortmund booked their place in the Champions League semi-finals for the first time in 11 years with a thrilling 4-2 victory over Atletico Madrid in the second leg.
Despite trailing 2-1 on aggregate coming into the game, Dortmund started strongly.
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— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 16, 2024
Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen gave them a two-goal lead within the first half.
Diego Simeone responded with a triple substitution at halftime, and Atletico looked to have turned the tide. Mats Hummels’ unfortunate own goal and a powerful strike from Angel Correa put them back in front on aggregate.
READ ALSO: Champions League: Dortmund, Atletico Madrid zoom into quarter-finals
However, Dortmund refused to surrender. In a dramatic five-minute period, Niclas Fullkrug’s headed effort and a composed finish from Marcel Sabitzer swung the momentum back in their favour.
They held on to secure a 4-3 aggregate victory and set up a semi-final clash with PSG.
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