Paris St Germain’s Achraf Hakimi reacts after sustaining an injury.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Real Madrid swept Manchester City aside to qualify for the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday, while Paris Saint-Germain rubber-stamped their spot in the next round by thrashing French rivals Brest. Kylian Mbappe struck twice in the first half before completing his hat-trick on the hour at the Santiago Bernabeu as the European champions won the return leg of the play-off tie 3-1 to complete a 6-3 aggregate victory. “I said it (before), I didn’t come to Real Madrid to play badly,” Mbappe told Movistar. “Making my dream come true is one thing, but I want to play well here, mark an era and make history at Real Madrid.”

Carlo Ancelotti’s side will face either city rivals Atletico Madrid or Bayer Leverkusen, coached by former Real midfielder Xabi Alonso, in the last 16, for which the draw will made on Friday.

“The best team won, they deserve to be there and we don’t,” said City boss Pep Guardiola.

After two late goals last week swung the balance considerably in Madrid’s favour, City suffered another blow before kick-off in Spain with Erling Haaland only considered fit enough to start on the bench.

Mbappe padded Madrid’s advantage with a fourth-minute lob, squeezing in between Ruben Dias and John Stones as he latched on to Raul Asencio’s long ball and lifted his effort over City goalkeeper Ederson.

The France striker rounded off a flowing team move with a sharp finish for Madrid’s second of the game, completing his hat-trick with a crisp left-footed shot from the edge of the area. 

Nico Gonzalez netted a consolation in stoppage time for City after Omar Marmoush’s powerful free-kick came back off the crossbar.

The lone real disappointment on the night for Madrid was a yellow card for Jude Bellingham that will rule the England midfielder out of the first leg of the last 16.

For City, the focus will switch to simply securing a place in next season’s Champions League after a disastrous domestic campaign for a team that won the last four Premier League titles. 

“It’s been our worst year… we’ve been an incredible team and this year, for many reasons, we have lost that consistency,” said Guardiola.

PSG demolished Brest 7-0 at the Parc des Princes as goals from seven different players propelled the in-form French champions to a 10-0 win over both legs.

Bradley Barcola and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored in the first half to eliminate any small doubts for the hosts, who showed no mercy with Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu also on target.

It was PSG’s record winning margin in a European game. They scored just three goals in their first five Champions League matches this season, but have 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 they have 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 cancelled out Ivan Perisic‘s opener for PSV, but the hosts 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 overall victory.

The competition’s leading scorer Serhou Guirassy missed a second-half penalty but it mattered for nothing in the end as last season’s runners-up were rarely troubled by Sporting.

Dortmund’s reward is a last-16 tie against Aston Villa or Lille. 

Champions League Live Streaming Knockout Phase Play-Off Draw Live Telecast© X (Twitter)

Manchester City came from behind against Club Brugge to reach the Champions League knockout phase, where they were safely joined by Paris Saint-Germain as Arsenal qualified directly for the last 16 on Wednesday in the final round of league-phase matches. Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Lille and Aston Villa also followed Liverpool and Barcelona in securing top-eight finishes to skip the new play-off round. On a dramatic night in which only two of the closing 18 games were dead rubbers, Man City got the win they needed to avoid an embarrassing exit with a nervy 3-1 victory over Club Brugge. Reigning Premier League champions City will face either holders Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in a blockbuster play-off tie next month. “In the second half we lifted our soul and our hearts were free,” City manager Pep Guardiola told TNT Sports.

“For today we are in the next round, that’s good.”

PSG, who defeated City 4-2 last week, produced an emphatic display in a 4-1 triumph at Stuttgart.

Arsenal only needed a point to wrap up a last-16 berth and goals from Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri gave them a 2-1 victory at Girona.

“Hopefully more belief in that dressing room that we are a good team and can face anyone and still perform and win games,” said Gunners manager Mikel Arteta.

Inter finished fourth in the standings by seeing off 10-man Monaco 3-0, while Atletico made it five straight Champions League wins with a 4-1 thumping of Salzburg in Austria.

Bayer Leverkusen also completed the job, beating Sparta Prague 2-0, as Lille were the only French side to seal a top-eight slot thanks to a 6-1 thrashing of Feyenoord.

Aston Villa snuck into eighth place in their first appearance in the competition in 42 years, as Morgan Rogers’ hat-trick helped them to a 4-2 win over Celtic.

Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Bayern and AC Milan all ended one point off the top eight.

The other teams in Friday’s play-off draw are PSV Eindhoven, Benfica, Monaco, Brest, Feyenoord, Juventus, Celtic, Sporting Lisbon and Club Brugge.

The new 36-team format provided plenty of tension, but all the fancied sides at least finished in the top 24 to stay in the competition.

Man City, European champions two seasons ago, were in serious danger of an awful season hitting a new low when they fell behind to Raphael Onyedika’s strike on the stroke of half-time at the Etihad.

But Mateo Kovacic waltzed through the centre of the Brugge side to equalise shortly after the break before Joel Ordonez’s own goal put City in front.

Savinho’s late strike added some gloss to the scoreline as Guardiola narrowly avoided the earliest exit from the competition in his career.

Brugge, thanks to results in other games, clung onto the final play-off spot despite their defeat and will next play either Atalanta or Dortmund.

PSG would have been knocked out by a loss in Germany but were never in any danger as Bradley Barcola’s brave header and two goals from Ousmane Dembele put them 3-0 up on Stuttgart inside 35 minutes.

Dembele, who played a starring role as a substitute against City, completed his hat-trick in the second period before Chris Fuehrich’s consolation.

“We’ve been doing very well for some time now, playing well, controlling possession and winning our games,” Dembele told Canal+.

PSG, semi-finalists last season, finished 15th to reach the knockout stage for a 13th consecutive season, after having been outside the top 24 after six matches.

“We’re delighted to have qualified for the play-offs,” added Dembele.

Luis Enrique’s men will take on a fellow Ligue 1 team for a last-16 berth in either Monaco or Brest, as Stuttgart were knocked out.

Seven-time winners AC Milan dropped out of the top eight with a 2-1 loss at Dinamo Zagreb as Yunus Musah’s 39th-minute sending off proved crucial.

Dinamo were still eliminated, though, courtesy of Conrad Harder’s equaliser for Sporting with 13 minutes left in their 1-1 draw with Bologna.

Milan will play either local rivals Juventus or Feyenoord in the play-offs.

A much-changed Liverpool finished top despite losing 3-2 at PSV Eindhoven, as second-placed Barcelona drew 2-2 with Atalanta, who finished an agonising ninth having started the evening in seventh place.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia made his Paris Saint-Germain debut on Saturday and set up a goal for Ousmane Dembele, but the Ligue 1 leaders were held to a 1-1 draw by Reims. The in-form Dembele put PSG ahead at the Parc des Princes with his eighth goal in his last seven appearances, only for Japanese international Keito Nakamura to level soon after. PSG were unable to follow up their superb midweek win over Manchester City in the Champions League with another victory, but they remain undefeated domestically this season and move provisionally 10 points clear of Marseille atop Ligue 1.

Reims have won just once in 12 league outings, yet this was their second draw of the season against PSG, as Luis Enrique’s side perhaps had their heads elsewhere.

The Parisians go to Germany to play VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday needing a draw to be certain of progressing to the knockout phase of the Champions League, and Luis Enrique rotated his squad with that game in mind.

Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Willian Pacho, Joao Neves, Vitinha and Bradley Barcola were rested, with the latter’s place being taken by Kvaratskhelia.

“He is a player who you can see is different when he gets the ball,” Luis Enrique said of the Georgian.

“I hope this was just the first of many matches for the club and I think it was positive although of course he lacks rhythm after a month without playing.”

Kvaratskhelia is not yet eligible for the Champions League so made his first PSG appearance here since arriving last week from Napoli for a reported 70 million euros ($72m).

He saw Goncalo Ramos almost put the home side ahead in the first half with a shot that was diverted onto the post by goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf.

Kvaratskhelia then played a key part in setting up the opener two minutes after the interval, cutting in from the left and playing a one-two before teeing up Dembele to score with a deflected shot.

However, Nakamura finished off a fine move to bring Reims level nine minutes later with his eighth goal of the season, and there was no further scoring.

Monaco up to third

Marseille visit Nice on Sunday, while Monaco climbed back up to third after their 3-2 win at home to struggling Rennes preceded a 2-1 defeat for Lille at Strasbourg.

In the principality, Monaco followed their 1-0 home win over Aston Villa in the Champions League in midweek by seeing off Rennes thanks to goals by Maghnes Akliouche, Mika Biereth and Aleksandr Golovin.

Akliouche lit up the occasion before a sparse crowd at the Stade Louis II by opening the scoring with a breathtaking overhead kick after quarter of an hour.

Golovin hit the bar moments later when he should have scored, and instead Mahamadou Nagida equalised for Rennes in first-half stoppage time.

Danish striker Biereth restored Monaco’s lead early in the second half, the former Arsenal youngster getting his first goal since signing from Sturm Graz.

Akliouche then set up Russian international Golovin for Monaco’s third on 56 minutes, although they were forced to hang on after Amine Gouiri got another goal back for Rennes.

The Brittany side have lost five games out of five between league and cup in 2025, and have been beaten seven times in 10 outings since former Argentina coach Jorge Sampaoli was appointed in November.

“I feel that I can do something for this club and I will do what I can to get us out of this situation”, Sampaoli said when asked if he already felt his position was under threat.

Monaco’s first win in five league games lifted them back up to third, three points behind Marseille and two ahead of Lille.

Like Monaco, Lille are certain to feature in the knockout phase of the Champions League although they saw a club record 21-game unbeaten run in all competitions ended in a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in midweek.

Osame Sahraoui gave Lille the lead in Strasbourg, but Chelsea loanee Andrey Santos equalised 20 minutes from time and Emanuel Emegha got what proved to be the winner shortly after for the hosts, who are unbeaten in eight.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, PSG’s new star signing, is “ready” to make his Ligue 1 debut.© AFP

Pep Guardiola admitted his Manchester City side “could not cope” with Paris Saint-Germain after throwing away a two-goal lead to lose 4-2 to the French side on Wednesday, leaving their Champions League hopes on the brink. “They were better. We have to accept it, We have the last chance at home against Bruges. We will do everything there and if we don’t it is because we don’t deserve it,” Guardiola told reporters after the match at the Parc des Princes.

“They were better, we have to accept it. It’s sport and it is like that.”

City had taken control as Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland both scored early in the second half for the visitors.

However, Ousmane Dembele pulled one back and Bradley Barcola equalised on the hour mark for PSG, who then went in front through a Joao Neves header on 78 minutes and wrapped up the win in stoppage time when Goncalo Ramos got their fourth goal.

PSG move above City in the standings, leaving Guardiola’s team 25th out of 36 teams with eight points from seven games.

Only the top 24 qualify for the knockout phase, but City host Club Brugge in their final league phase fixture next Wednesday and a win in that match should suffice for the 2023 European champions to progress to the play-off round.

Before that City host Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday in a key game in the fight for a top-four finish domestically.

“I knew it would be tough. PSG is an exceptional team. We could not cope,” added Guardiola, who pointed to the home side having an extra man in midfield as being key.

“I would like to say differently but when one team plays better you have to accept it.

“Now we have to prepare for a tough game against Chelsea and of course the final against Bruges. Try to move forward. I know the players gave everything.”

It is yet to be seen if Ruben Dias will feature in either of those games after the Portuguese defender came off at half-time in Paris.

“He asked to be replaced because he didn’t feel good,” the coach said of Dias, who has only just returned from a spell on the sidelines due to injury.

Adrien Rabiot scored a second-half winner as Marseille beat Rennes 2-1 in Brittany on Saturday to move within four points of Ligue 1 pace-setters Paris Saint-Germain. Marseille, bidding for a 10th French title but first since 2010, closed the gap on reigning champions PSG ahead of the leaders’ match against Saint-Etienne on Sunday. Roberto De Zerbi’s men have dropped just two points in their last six league games. Rennes wasted a golden chance to take the lead just after the half-hour mark when Arnaud Kalimuendo’s penalty was diverted onto the woodwork by Marseille goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli.

But Kalimuendo made no mistake 11 minutes later, collecting the ball and firing into the corner to put the hosts ahead.

Marseille crucially levelled before the interval, though, as Michael Murillo‘s pass picked out Mason Greenwood to score his 11th Ligue 1 goal of the season, moving the controversial English striker joint-top of the goalscoring charts alongside Lille’s Jonathan David.

The visitors completed the comeback less than four minutes after the restart, as Rabiot headed Greenwood’s cross past Rennes ‘keeper Brice Samba, making his debut just three days after signing from Lens.

Marseille thought they had won a penalty late on for a handball by Albert Gronbaek, only for the decision to be overturned by VAR.

But they held on for an important win which leaves Rennes languishing just a point above the relegation play-off spot.

Earlier, Lyon missed an opportunity to draw level on points with third-placed Monaco with a 2-1 loss at Brest.

Monaco’s draw at Nantes and Lille’s stalemate with Auxerre on Friday gave Lyon a chance to climb from fifth into the third and final automatic Champions League spot.

But Brest, who are in the top eight of this season’s Champions League table, bounced back from last weekend’s loss to Angers to move six points clear of the bottom three.

Mahdi Camara gave Brest an eighth-minute lead, following in to score after Ludovic Ajorque’s shot was saved by Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri.

Ajorque doubled the hosts’ advantage in the 25th minute with his fifth Ligue 1 goal of the campaign.

The striker burst onto Camara’s brilliant flicked pass to fire a low strike into the bottom corner.

Jordan Veretout pulled one back in first-half added time to give Lyon hope of a comeback.

But the away side could not find an equaliser in the second period, with Alexandre Lacazette going closest to grabbing a point when his header was kept out by Brest goalkeeper Marco Bizot.

Nice jumped up to fourth, pushing Lyon down to sixth, as Gaetan Laborde scored twice in a 4-2 away victory over Reims.

Marseille closed the gap on leaders Paris Saint-Germain to seven points at the top of Ligue 1 after crushing strugglers Le Havre 5-1 at the Velodrome on Sunday as the season approaches the halfway point. Valentin Rongier, Bilal Nadir, Neal Maupay, Elye Wahi and Ulisses Garcia scored the goals for Roberto De Zerbi’s team, who also moved three points clear of third-placed Monaco with the victory. Marseille have won five and drawn one of their last six outings in all competitions, and have scored nine goals in two matches either side of the fortnight-long winter break.

Rongier drove in the first from distance on 25 minutes and Nadir fired a low shot into the far corner to make it two, the 21-year-old scoring his first senior goal on just his second Ligue 1 start.

Maupay, who is on loan from Everton in a deal that will become a permanent transfer at the season’s end, headed in Marseille’s third goal before the interval.

Nadir, who was starting in the absence of the ill Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, did not reappear for the second half as Marseille added a fourth goal on 66 minutes when Mason Greenwood squared for substitute Wahi to tap in.

Garcia, also on from the bench, completed the scoring for the home side as De Zerbi’s men scored five in a Ligue 1 game for the third time this season.

Le Havre, who are in the relegation zone, pulled one back late on when former Marseille player Andre Ayew headed in.

PSG beat Monaco 4-2 away in December, just before the winter break, in a fixture that was brought forward because the sides met in the Champions Trophy in Qatar on Sunday.

The Parisians won that game 1-0 to claim the first trophy of the French campaign.

Elsewhere on Sunday, Champions League revelations Brest slumped to a 2-0 defeat away at Angers, a result which leaves them 12th in Ligue 1 as the season reaches its midway stage next weekend.

Toulouse were surprise 1-0 winners at Lens thanks to a Zakaria Aboukhlal penalty, while Strasbourg came from behind to beat Auxerre 3-1 in Alsace.

Lyon, Nice and Saint-Etienne also won over the weekend.

Gianluigi Donnarumma suffered a horrific facial injury© AFP