Real Madrid produced a stirring comeback victory over Paris Saint-Germain at the Santiago Bernabeu last night. Los Blancos were 2-0 down on aggregate heading into the final half-hour only for a hat-trick from Karim Benzema to turn the tie on its head and send Madrid into the quarter-final of the Champions League.
In France, the reaction has been harsh. The national media has been loudly calling for the head of coach Mauricio Pochettino according to a report by Diario AS, claiming the team have stagnated rather than improved under his leadership. Leonardo, the club’s sporting director, has also been severely criticised.
The result hurts because next season the likes of Sergio Ramos, Neymar Junior and Lionel Messi will be another year older and it looks likely that Kylian Mbappe, author of both of PSG’s goals across the two legs and their undoubted marquee player, will be a Madrid player. PSG’s sporting project is in absolute crisis.
