In the other meeting of the evening, Manchester City finished the job against Sporting CP (0-0), after winning (5-0) in the first leg in Portugal.

Victorious at the Parc des Princes (1-0), the Parisians have long believed in holding their qualification.

But a recovery error from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma turned their evening into a nightmare, reviving the memory of the terrible "comeback" suffered at FC Barcelona in 2017.

The joy of Real Madrid's French striker Karim Benzema after his goal scored against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League round of 16 second leg on March 9, 2022 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium JAVIER SORIANO AFP

The Italian's blunder offered a gift goal to Benzema (61st), who completely revived Madrilenians who had been extinct until then.

Paris had turned the furia promised by Real into a flash in the pan, after Kylian Mbappé's opener (39th).

The joy of Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé after opening the scoring against Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 second leg on March 9, 2022 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium JAVIER SORIANO AFP

After "Gigio's" error, the ground gave way under their crampons.

The strongest of the earthquake lasted 1 minute 46, the time for Benzema to score his 2nd and 3rd goals of the evening in a trance stadium (76th, 78th).

The "Nueve" took the opportunity to overtake the illustrious Alfredo di Stefano and become Real's third top scorer.

The blow was too hard for PSG who, physically overwhelmed, did not even have an opportunity to snatch the extension.

Finalist in 2020, semi-finalist in 2021, PSG is taking a big step back, after this elimination which puts a hasty end to its European season.

Real Madrid's Austrian defender David Alaba comforts Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappé after PSG's elimination (1-0, 1-3) in the Champions League round of 16 second leg, on March 9, 2022 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium JAVIER SORIANO AFP

City without stress

The return to Paris is likely to be all the longer since PSG had been dreaming very hard since they recruited Lionel Messi last summer, the man with seven Ballons d'Or who disappointed again.

Real Madrid's Croatian midfielder Luka Modric clears the ball past Paris Saint-Germain's Argentinian striker Lionel Messi during the Champions League Round of 16 second leg match on March 9, 2022 at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium JAVIER SORIANO AFP

The Argentine "Pulga" however had an opportunity to score (31st), as did Neymar (22nd), but the Parisian superstars ended up giving way to the Madrid collective.

Only Mbappé held his rank.

This match could be his last as a Parisian in C1, since his contract expires at the end of June and no agreement has yet been reached to extend it.

Sporting Lisbon's Spanish midfielder Pedro Porro battles with Manchester City's Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus in the Champions League Round of 16 second leg on March 9, 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Oli SCARFF AFP

The question of his future will animate the next few weeks in the capital which, without the Coupe de France (elimination from the 8th), will seem very dull.

Quite the opposite of Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola may have said on Tuesday that "nothing was done", it was difficult to take the "Sky Blues" coach's word for it.

His team killed the suspense in the first leg, winning (5-0) in Lisbon.

The second round at the Etihad Stadium confirmed the superiority of the "Citizens" who allowed themselves to play the last quarter of an hour with their third goalkeeper, Scott Carson.

They only missed one goal.

Manchester City's Algerian midfielder Riyad Mahrez (l) chats with his compatriot from Sporting Lisbon, striker Islam Slimani, after their draw (0-0 in the round of 16 second leg of the Champions League, March 9 2022 at the Etihad Stadium Oli SCARFF AFP

Unhappy finalists last season, Riyad Mahrez's teammates appear to be one of the most serious candidates for the title, like Bayern and Liverpool, who qualified on Tuesday.

© 2022 AFP