UEFA Champions League

Kylian Mbappe scored a brilliant goal in stoppage time as Paris St-Germain beat 13-time Champions League winners Real Madrid in the first leg of their last-16 tie.

The France striker, linked with a move to Real in the summer, received the ball on the left from a clever backheel by Neymar, and got between two defenders inside the box before slotting through Thibaut Courtois’ legs to send the Parc des Princes wild.

It was a dramatic finish to a game that had looked set to end in frustration for PSG, especially after Lionel Messi saw his penalty saved just after the hour mark.
Manchester City effectively sealed their progress to the quarter-finals of the Champions League with a stunning last-16, first-leg demolition of Sporting Lisbon in Portugal.

As they have done for much of this season, City put on a majestic display to give themselves a surely unassailable advantage in a tie against what had been a buoyant and reinvigorated Portuguese champions.

Bernardo Silva was brilliant, silencing the boos that greeted every touch from him and City’s three other former Benfica players with his side’s second and fourth goals, the first a glorious half-volley following a corner.

In-form Riyad Mahrez was on the scoresheet again with a close-range finish awarded via VAR after a lengthy delay to assess if Kevin de Bruyne had strayed offside in the build-up, as originally ruled.

Phil Foden also added to his growing collection of cool, calm finishes in a relentless first half that shattered Sporting.

There was no let-up after the break, with Silva seeing a hat-trick headed goal ruled out for offside before he set up Raheem Sterling to curl in a lovely fifth.

The result equals the biggest winning margin in an away match in the Champions League knockout phase and gives City their joint biggest European away victory, level with the 5-0 win at Steaua Bucharest in the play-off round of this competition in 2016-17.

Sporting will travel to Manchester for the formality of the second leg on Wednesday, 16 March

Six-time winners Bayern Munich needed a late Kingsley Coman equaliser to avoid a shock last-16 first-leg defeat at an impressive Red Bull Salzburg.

Winger Coman ghosted in at the far post in the 90th minute and converted following Thomas Muller’s flick.

Salzburg substitute Chukwubuike Adamu had netted the opener with a delightful curling finish into the corner.

The hosts could have nicked a second at 1-0, but Karim Adeyemi’s shot was saved and Adamu’s follow-up was blocked.

Liverpool took a huge step towards the Champions League quarter-finals after scoring two late goals against Inter Milan in the San Siro.

The Reds looked set for a goalless draw in the first leg in Italy until Brazil forward Roberto Firmino got on the end of Andrew Robertson’s corner to head his side into the lead.

Mohamed Salah added a second with a deflected effort from inside the box which means Jurgen Klopp’s side take a sizeable advantage into the second leg at Anfield on 8 March.

Italian champions Inter hit the bar through Hakan Calhanoglu and were on top for long periods of the second half before Firmino struck in the 75th minute.

Liverpool scored from their only two attempts on target and will be firm favourites to progress when the two sides meet in the deciding leg next month.

It was a particularly memorable night for midfielder Harvey Elliott, who became the youngest player ever to start a match in the competition for Liverpool at the age of 18 years and 318 days.

The only negative on an otherwise upbeat night for the Reds was an injury to Portugal forward Diogo Jota, who was replaced by goalscorer Firmino at the start of the second half after suffering an ankle injury.

 

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