5 things you may have missed as Benzema’s hat-trick knocks PSG out of Europe

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Karim Benzema hit a stunning second-half hat-trick as Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-2 on aggregate to dramatically seal a spot in the quarter-finals of the Champions League.

Kylian Mbappe, the hero of the first leg, struck shortly before half-time to double the French side's advantage on aggregate.

However, PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma was then punished for a moments of madness, as Benzema tapped home to ignite a spectacular comeback after the Italian was caught dallying on the ball.

Luka Modric inspired Real to a second with less than 15 minutes on the clock, starting off a counter before laying in the French forward for his second of the night as PSG capitulated.

Two minutes later, the 34-year-old completed has treble, guiding home after a Marquinhos blunder following fine work from the lively Vinicius Junior.

Here, Daily Star Sport picks out four things you might have missed in Real Madrid's crazy comeback win over PSG…

Benzema steals the show

For much of the night it looked as though Mbappe would be the headline-maker, however it was a different French forward who stole the show.

Karim Benzema may well be 34 years of age, but he certainly doesn't show it.

The striker struck three times in a stunning second-half display to complete an incredible turnaround and see Real Madrid continue their march for a 14th Champions League crown.

Following the Frenchman's heroics, Gary Lineker tweeted: "Karim Benzema is indisputably one of the greatest number nines of all-time."

And after Wednesday night's display, it's hard to disagree with him.

Mbappe's warm welcome

Where does Mbappe rank amongst the best in the world? Let us know in the comments section.

Mbappe put Real Madrid to the sword in the first leg three weeks' ago with his dramatic late winner, but Los Blancos fans don't appear to have held that against him.

The home supporters gave the French forward a warm welcome on Wednesday night, greeting him with a standing ovation as he took to the hallowed Santiago Bernabeu turf for the warm-up.

It was a reception Mbappe could well be getting used to given the speculation surrounding his future.

Real remain the hot favourites to land the 23-year-old in the summer when his current PSG contract is set to expire and it appears Madrid's fans are doing their part to persuade him to join.

Madrid's message

Arguably the stand-out tie of the Champions League Round of 16, Real Madrid v PSG saw a clash of two of Europe's heavyweights which would have made for a fitting final.

Both sides fielded some of football's most iconic stars on Wednesday night, but their history in the competition makes for very different reading.

With a staggering 13 European crowns to their name, Real Madrid boast the most triumphs in the competition's history, while football's nouveau riche, PSG, are still searching for their first.

Ahead of kick-off, Real reminder their opponents of just who currently sits atop Europe's throne, unfurling a spectacular tifo which read: "We are the kings of Europe".

Sweeper Messi

People often say Lionel Messi is so good he could play in any position and on Wednesday night he went some way to proving that to be the case.

In the opening exchanges at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Argentine attacker could be seen dropping deep to retrieve the ball and acting as a deep-lying playmaker.

In fact, so deep was Messi in one instance that he swept up in his own penalty area, picking up the ball up in his own crowded box before launching a PSG counter.

It seems the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner has been taken inspiration from Tottenham's Harry Kane.

The Neymar-Mbappe link-up

Questions marks have been raised over whether PSG's front three would be able to deliver the club with a much sought-after Champions League crown, but they went some way to disproving their doubters on Wednesday night.

The trio dazzled, but it was Neymar's link-up with Mbappe which caught the eye in particular.

PSG's Brazilian attacker dropped deep on countless occasions before looking to loft one over the top for his frighteningly fast fellow forward Mbappe.

The ploy worked to perfection in the 39th minute – after several warnings – and the pair created history.

Their latest link-up means Neymar has now assisted Mbappe in the Champions League on seven occasions – the most for a single teammate in the competition's illustrious history.

• Champions League

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