Ahead of their midweek Champions League showdown, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain endured mixed fortunes. Elsewhere, Jesse Marsch made his Premier League managerial debut, Thomas Muller scored an “unforgettable” own goal and Manchester United had a derby day they will want to forget.
Here are Alex Kirkland, Ryan O’Hanlon, Andrew Cesare Richardson and James Tyler with what you need to know from around Europe.
Go to: Talking points | Top goals | Troubled teams | Weekend MVP
Four talking points
Madrid prepare for PSG in style …
Real Madrid warmed up for their biggest game of the season — Wednesday’s Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris Saint-Germain, where they look to turn around a 1-0 deficit — with their best performance of the campaign. A 4-1 win over Real Sociedad had the Bernabeu crowd singing “Sí, se puede! (Yes we can!)” long after the final whistle, bringing the players back out to thank them.
La Real were no pushovers. They had won their previous two games and victory there would have put them third in the LaLiga table. When they went ahead through a 10th-minute Mikel Oyarzabal penalty, it looked like being a difficult evening for Madrid — but Madrid responded in style.
Emphatic long-range strikes from Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric were contenders for goal of the weekend and put the hosts in front. Then Karim Benzema scored from the penalty spot and substitute Marco Asensio netted with his first touch to claim his third goal in a month.
Carlo Ancelotti called the performance “almost perfect,” adding that it “gives us a lot of hope” ahead of facing PSG. That will be a challenge of a different magnitude, with the added complication of Casemiro and Ferland Mendy being suspended; Camavinga showed that he may have a role to play, but the returns from injury of Toni Kroos and Federico Valverde would be more encouraging still. — Kirkland
… while PSG slip again
Remember when PSG beat…
Source : espn
