Mbappe inspires late PSG revival to hold Real Madrid

Two Karim Benzema goals – and a superb performance from Eden Hazard, his best since joining Real from Chelsea in the summer – were cancelled out  Kylain Mbappé iTn Tuesday’s Champions League group match.

Mbappe struck his 70th goal in only 100 appearances for PSG to give the French champions hope when there was none.

Three minutes later they were level and had won their Champions League group with Mbappé then striking the side-netting in injury-time. Even after that Real substitute Gareth Bale struck the post with an excellent free-kick.

Before the chaotic finish it had all been about Hazard and Benzema and also a brilliant performance by goalkeeper Keylor Navas to deny his former side as they were at their best since winning the Champions League against Liverpool in the summer of 2017.

PSG will believe they should have won with Real’s Thibaut Courtois shown a red card after appearing to concede a first-half penalty with both decisions controversially overturned after the intervention of the VAR.

Both were through to the last-16 before kick-off, because of the dramatic draw in the other group game, so this was about making a statement.

And it was Real who delivered first – with a superb, flowing move instigated by Hazard who held off two challenges, even nutmegged the referee, Artur Dias, and swung infield to switch the play.

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His ball allowed Federico Valverde to exchange passes with Dani Carvajal and cross. Isco, a surprise inclusion given he had apparently been frozen out by Zinedine Zidane and is available for transfer in January, met it with his shot rebounding back off the post for Karim Benzema to calmly side-foot into the net. It was the first goal PSG had conceded in the Champions League this season.