PSG again not past Roger Schmidt’s Benfica, Real Madrid through after ‘bloody goal’ in 95th minute | Foreign football

Kylian Mbappe is once again the much-discussed man at Paris Saint-Germain. French and Spanish media came with the message that the French goldcrest wants to leave in January, because PSG would not keep the promises it would have made with Mbappe’s contract extension last summer. Messages that the club management denies.

However, those messages could not prevent Mbappé from being ‘just’ accurate against coach Roger Schmidt’s Benfica. After a foul on Juan Bernat, Mbappé was allowed to score from eleven meters in the 40th minute and he ensured the 1-0 halftime score in Paris. That position would be sufficient after ninety minutes for a place in the eighth finals of the Champions League, because earlier in the evening Juventus lost 2-0 to Maccabi Haifa.

Mbappe also became Paris Saint-Germain’s all-time top scorer in the Champions League with his goal. The Frenchman, still only 23 years old, has already scored 31 times for his team in the billion-dollar ball. He now has one more than Edinson Cavani.

That nice statistic was not enough for the win. After 62 minutes, Benfica was also allowed to take a penalty after a foul by Marco Verratti. João Mario shot the ball high through the middle and made it 1-1. That score was also the final score, although Mbappé also thought to score his second of the evening. However, the Frenchman was offside.

Due to the 1-1 draw, both teams are not yet one hundred percent assured of a place in the eighth final. Both PSG and Benfica are five points ahead of Juventus and Maccabi Haifa with just two games left.

With Shakhtar Donetsk – Real Madrid, because of the war in Ukraine played in Warsaw, the first goal was scored immediately after the break. However, not for Real Madrid, but for the home team. Oleksandr Zubkov nodded the ball within a minute behind Ukrainian goalkeeper Andriy Lunin, who replaced the injured Thibaut Courtois.

After that 1-0, Real Madrid was lucky that former Ajax striker Lassina Traoré did not have his sights on sharp. The striker from Burkina Faso hit the bar and kept the royal with that in the game.

Only in the very last minute of injury time did Real Madrid qualify for the eighth final. Antonio Rüdiger nodded at the very last moment, although he had to pay for it with a serious head injury after a collision with the goalkeeper. Rüdiger did not have time to cheer, but thanks to his goal, the title holder is assured of a place in the last sixteen.

In the same group, RB Leipzig won 0-2 against Celtic with goals from Timo Werner and Emil Forsberg in the last fifteen minutes. As a result, RB Leipzig are now second with six points, Shakhtar Donetsk third with five points and Celtic last with one point.

AC Milan lost 3-0 to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last week and wanted revenge this weekend after a 2-0 win over Juventus. The Blues, where Hakim Ziyech was missing. That revenge never came. AC Milan defender Fikayo Tomori was shown red after eighteen minutes for a foul on Mason Mount. Jorginho used the penalty that followed and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang made it 0-2 before half time. That halftime score was also the final score. Former Ajax player Sergiño Dest came in for AC Milan in the first half. The defender had a great chance in the second half, but hit the ball wrong and couldn’t bring the tension back into the game.

Dinamo Zagreb and RB Salzburg drew 1-1 in the same group as AC Milan and Chelsea. As a result, it remains unprecedentedly exciting in Group E, in which Chelsea lead with seven points, RB Salzburg has six points and AC Milan and Dinamo Zagreb follow with four points.