By Alex Al-Kazzaz
Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are coming off hard-fought wins in the first leg of their respective Champions League Round of 16 encounters. Real Madrid's 1-0 win on the road against RB Leipzig is primarily due to their goalkeeper making nine saves. For PSG, Kylian Mbappé scored a magnificent goal that put Les Parisiens on the board. However, Bradley Barcola scoring his first career Champions League spectacularly is what sealed PSG's 2-0 win over Real Sociedad at the Parc des Princes in Paris, France.
Real Madrid faces a tough road in their attempt to win the Champions League for the 15th time. Los Blancos have been dealing with numerous injuries this season, including a recent one to English sensation Jude Bellingham, who is out with an ankle sprain. PSG is still looking for its first UCL triumph. Les Parisiens have fantastic talent on their squad. The problem that's affected the club for many years is the inability to handle pressure and pull through at crucial times. Also, the team has been unable to handle stiff competition in the knockouts. PSG has to be the club with the most to lose in the UCL knockout stage.
Real Madrid faced a complicated task attempting to counter RB Leipzig's unique 4-2-2-2 formation. Los Blancos responded with a 4-3-1-2. Despite Leipzig's nine shots on target, they could not get past Madrid goalie Andriy Lunin, who, as mentioned earlier, made nine saves. Brahim Diaz put Los Blancos on the board in the 48th minute, and it turned out to be the decider.
PSG faced a Real Sociedad team that can't be underestimated. Underestimating is a mistake PSG has made on many occasions. Each time they've made that mistake, it's led to an embarrassing loss, resulting in elimination from the tournament. Les Parisiens took this challenge seriously, and it paid off. Despite being unable to be any threat on the attack, Real Sociedad made PSG play hard every second of the game. PSG's patience paid off when Mbappé found the breakthrough in the 58th minute. Barcola would seal it 12 minutes later, and the rest is history.
PSG and Real Madrid will play their second-leg matches next month. Les Parisiens have a 2-0 aggregate lead, but playing the second leg on the road will not be easy, so they need another convincing win. Los Blancos are hoping to have Bellingham back for the second leg. Regardless, they need to secure qualification to the quarterfinals at home at the Santiago Bernabéu.