PSG punish 10-man Barca, Dortmund sink Atletico
Kylian Mbappe struck twice as Paris Saint-Germain battled back to beat 10-man Barcelona 4-1 and book a place in the Champions League semi-finals with a 6-4 aggregate triumph on Tuesday, while Borussia Dortmund fought back to beat Atletico Madrid. PSG's hopes of going all the way in Europe's elite club competition for the first time hung in the balance after they lost 3-2 at home to Barca in the first leg of their quarter-final last week. But they seized the opportunity given to them in Catalonia after Ronald Araujo's red card left Barcelona to play over an hour with 10 men, allowing Luis Enrique's team to go on and win 4-1 on the night and 6-4 on aggregate. PSG were rampant with the extra player, as Ousmane Dembele again stood out against his old team by scoring the equaliser on the night and winning a penalty which Kylian Mbappe converted to put PSG ahead in the tie. In between, the outstanding Vitinha – who had already scored in the first leg – netted with a brilliant strike from outside the box, and Mbappe made sure of the win late on to spark wild celebrations in the away contingent at Montjuic. The final scoreline was identical to that on their last visit to Barcelona in February 2021, when Mbappe hit a hat-trick in the first leg of a last-16 tie they eventually won 5-2 on aggregate. But the manner of this victory surely finally exorcises the ghost of their humiliating collapse in Barcelona in 2017, when they won 4-0 at home in the first leg only to lose 6-1 in the return in a stunning implosion. Borussia Dortmund beat Atletico Madrid 4-2 in their quarter-final second leg, securing a 5-4 aggregate victory and a first Champions League semi-final since 2013. Trailing 2-1 from the first leg, goals from Julian Brandt and Ian Maatsen had Dortmund 2-0 up at half-time. Visiting coach Diego Simeone made three changes at half-time including bringing on Angel Correa and his energy told immediately, Mats Hummels conceding a poor own goal before the Argentine netted to put Atletico back ahead in the tie. But those goals brought a sluggish Dortmund back to life, with Niclas Fuellkrug and Marcel Sabitzer each scoring in a three-minute period to send the Bundesliga club through. (AFP)