MADRID - Karim Benzema scored a hat trick in less than 20 minutes in the second half Wednesday as Real Madrid came from behind to defeat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 and advance to the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
Kylian Mbappe had opened the scoring in the first half to increase PSG's aggregate lead after the France striker also netted in stoppage time to secure a 1-0 first-leg win in Paris.
Benzema evened the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in the 61st after a blunder by PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, then scored again in the 76th and 78th minutes to give the 13-time European champions a 3-2 aggregate win. Madrid reached the last eight for the second straight season after consecutive eliminations in the round of 16, while PSG failed to live up to the massive expectations after adding Lionel Messi to its star-studded team this season.
PSG, seeking its first Champions League title, had advanced past the round of 16 the last two seasons, losing the final to Bayern Munich in 2020 and being eliminated by Manchester City in the semifinals in 2021.
Madrid eliminated PSG at this stage in 2018 en route to its third straight title in the competition.
