It was a night of comebacks in the second legs of the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) quarter-final matches, as both Paris Saint Germain and Borussia Dortmund came back from a first-leg loss to secure a win over their respective quarter-final opponents: Barcelona and Atlético Madrid.
After losing 3-2 to Barça at the Parc des Princes last week, PSG overcame an early scare to defeat the Catalan giants 4-1 at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys and qualify for the semis on a 6-4 aggregate score.
Ousmane Dembele’s 40th-minute strike cancelled Raphinha’s 12th-minute opener before a goal from Vitinha and a brace from Kylian Mbappe in the second half sealed victory for the Parisians, in an encounter where Barça’s defender Ronald Araújo and head coach Xavi Hernandez were both shown red.
Borrusia Dortmund, on the other hand, fought back from a 2-1 defeat at the Wanda Metropolitano last week to secure a hard-fought 4-2 win over Atlético Madrid for a spot in the semi-final on a 5-4 aggregate score.
The German side grabbed two goals in the first half, courtesy of strikes from Ian Maatsen and Julian Brandt, to revive the hopes of Signal Iduna Park’s crowd.
Atlético retook the lead when Ángel Correa’s 64th-minute goal complemented Matt Hummels’ 49th-minute own goal, in what was looking like a secured victory for the Diego Simeone-led side.
However, two goals in three minutes from Niclas Fullkrug and Marcel Sabitzer put Dortmund 4-2 up on the night and earned them qualification on a 5-4 aggregate!
Both qualified teams—PSG and Dortmund will face off in a two-legged semi-final clash to determine who plays in the final slated for June 1 at Wembley Stadium in London.
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