Kylian Mbappe reacts to completing his brilliant hat-trick for Champions League holder Real Madrid in a 3-1 playoff win over Manchester City on Wednesday, helping Los Blancos reach the next round of the competition. AGENCIES
Kylian Mbappe was celebrating a "perfect night" with Real Madrid — one that included his third Champions League hat-trick and his club securing a spot in the round of 16 to keep alive its hopes of winning a record-extending 16th European title.
With a pair of goals in the first half and another successful strike in the second, Mbappe led Madrid to a comfortable 3-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday. The Spanish powerhouse advanced 6-3 on aggregate after a dramatic 3-2 first-leg win in England last week.
"This was a perfect night," Mbappe said. "We wanted to win, and this was how to do it. We gave everything in front of our home fans, and we won because we produced a great performance against City, who are always difficult to play."
Mbappe joined Lionel Messi, Karim Benzema and Robert Lewandowski on the list of players with two hat-tricks in the knockout stages of the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo has four. Mbappe's other hat-tricks came with Paris Saint-Germain against Barcelona in 2021, and in the group stage against Club Brugge in 2019.
"He has the quality to reach his numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano's level," Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti told a news conference.
"Everyone was waiting for this hat-trick from him, and it has finally arrived. But, Mbappe is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality, which is remarkable."
Madrid player Jude Bellingham was among those praising Mbappe's performance against City.
"Mbappe is very special — everyone knows that, and he never stops proving it," he said. "He's a better person than a player, and we're going to benefit from his goals."
The France star said it was one of his best games since he joined Madrid this season.
"Whether this was my best game for Madrid or not, I'm not the best person to analyze," Mbappe said. "Better that somebody else decides. I'm here to play and to perform on the pitch. I would categorize this as a great team performance."
Ancelotti lamented that his side had to go through the pain of the knockout round, but said that it only had itself to blame, after its slow start to the campaign saw it finish outside the top eight in the league standings.
"It's not positive at all having to go through the playoffs, because we had to play 10 games to get to the last 16," Ancelotti said.
"We're not coming out of a difficult period, we're entering one, because this is when the real season starts. There is no way to stop, to rest. But, on an emotional level, sure, this tie has been good for us. Let's keep rolling."
The defending champion will next face either Bayer Leverkusen or crosstown rival Atletico Madrid, depending on Friday's draw.
Mbappe said he would rather see Madrid faces Atletico instead of Bayer Leverkusen in the next round, mostly to avoid a trip to Germany.
"Honestly, I would rather we are drawn against Atletico," Mbappe said. "They are two great clubs and it would be difficult either way, but, in the next round, it would be much better for us if we don't have to travel."
Kylian Mbappe reacts to completing his brilliant hat-trick for Champions League holder Real Madrid in a 3-1 playoff win over Manchester City on Wednesday, helping Los Blancos reach the next round of the competition. AGENCIE
Seven heaven for PSG
Meanwhile, Mbappe's former outfit PSG demolished Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes, as goals from seven different players propelled the in-form French champion to a 10-0 aggregate win.
Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the first half to eliminate any lingering doubts over the outcome of the tie, as the host showed no mercy with Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu also on target.
It was a record winning margin for PSG in a European game. It scored just three goals in its first five Champions League matches this season, but has found the net 21 times in five outings since then.
"I think we are showing that winning everything is possible," Kvaratskhelia told Canal Plus. "We come into every game to win, and, of course, that is our goal and our dream. We will put everything into that."
Luis Enrique's men go on to a blockbuster clash with Liverpool or Barcelona, while Brest's first-ever European campaign ended in sorry fashion against a club it has not beaten in 40 years.
"It is pretty shameful to go out this way. To lose 7-0 is too much. Yes Paris are a great team and I hope they go all the way, but to lose 7-0 is unacceptable," said Brest midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou.
PSV Eindhoven knocked out Juventus 4-3 on aggregate after extra time, overturning a first-leg deficit with a 3-1 win in the Netherlands.
Timothy Weah canceled out Ivan Perisic's opener for PSV, but the host forced an additional 30 minutes with a goal from Ismael Saibari.
Defender Ryan Flamingo turned in from close range in the 98th minute to send PSV through at the expense of Thiago Motta's Juventus, with Arsenal or Inter Milan awaiting the Dutch side next month.
Borussia Dortmund progressed after a goalless draw at home to Portugal's Sporting Lisbon sealed a 3-0 aggregate victory.
The competition's leading scorer Serhou Guirassy missed a second-half penalty, but it counted for nothing in the end, as last season's runner-up was rarely troubled by Sporting. Dortmund's reward is a last-16 tie against Aston Villa or Lille.
Agencies
