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Champions League: PSG capitalizes on Barcelona meltdown, Dortmund completes comeback
Kylian Mbappé scored two second-half goals as Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to beat Barcelona in Spain on Tuesday and in the total goals wins home and home series, sending PSG to the Champions League semifinals.
Germany's Borussia Dortmund also advanced to the final four following a wild six goal thriller with Atlético Madrid in Tuesday's other quarterfinal second leg. Dortmund trailed 2-1 after last week's opener, went up 3-2 Tuesday at home and fell behind again before late goals by Niclas Füllkrug and Marcel Sabitzer gave the Black and Yellow a 5-4 aggregate win.
PSG and Dortmund will face off for a spot in the June 1 final in London.
PSG's comeback stuns 10-man Barcelona
Up 4-2 on aggregate after Raphinha, who had two goals in Paris last week, opened the scoring after just 11 minutes had been played Tuesday in Catalonia, Barcelona was sitting pretty. That all changed in an instant when Barça center back Ronald Araújo hauled down PSG winger Bradley Barcola just outside the penalty area. Referee István Kovács showed Araújo a red card for denying him an opportunity to score, and the momentum immediately shifted to the visitors' side.
Forced to play a man down for the final hour of the match, the home side crumbled. Vitinha and former Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembélé scored on either side of halftime to put PSG up 2-1 and back on even terms overall, before French superstar Kylian Mbappé put the Parisians ahead in the two-match, total goals wins series for good.
Mbappé added an insurance strike for for his side in the 89th minute.
It was a monumental result for a PSG side that looked all but dead earlier in the evening, and one that keeps Mbappé's dream of leading his hometown team to its first European title before he (probably) leaves for Barça's Spanish nemesis Real Madrid this summer very much alive.
On the flip side, the loss is a colossal disappointment for Barcelona. After winning in the French capital last week, the five-time European champs saw a clear path to the final on the weaker side of the bracket. Barça fans were hoping that such a run could convince lame duck manager Xavi to reconsider his decision to leave the club he, as a player, helped win four of those continental titles at the end of this season. Instead, Xavi was forced to watch the end of the match unfold from the locker room after being sent off by Kovács to complete Barcelona's miserable night.
Borussia Dortmund rallies
If it felt like Atléti might come to rue the late goal they conceded in last week's opener in the Spanish capital, that's exactly how it played in the first half of Tuesday's rematch in Dortmund. Two quick goals just before the intermission put the hosts ahead 3-2 on total goals.
BVB at that point was cruising toward its first semifinal appearance since 2013. But the visitors roared back following an own goal by Mats Hummels, then went ahead once again on Ángel Correa's 64th minute tally.
With the famed "Yellow Wall" at the Westfalenstadion willing them on, though, Füllkrug scored a second equalizer for Dortmund, which got the eventual series winner from Sabitzer just three minutes later:
Two more deciders on tap
Expect more drama tomorrow as the final two quarterfinal second leg matches are decided. Every possible outcome is on the table as Bayern Munich hosts Arsenal and Real Madrid visits defending champion Manchester City with both series even on aggregate.
In theory, Bayern and City have the advantage in playing what, as a practical matter, are now single elimination contests in front of their own fans. In reality, the Gunners and Real both have strong enough rosters to steal a win away from home. After all the drama on display so far, t would surprise nobody if one or both do it.
Doug McIntyre is a soccer writer for FOX Sports. Before joining FOX Sports in 2021, he was a staff writer with ESPN and Yahoo Sports and he has covered United Statesmen's and women's national teams at multiple FIFA World Cups. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
