Raphinha scores hat-trick in 100th appearance for Barca
Brazilian winger Raphinha celebrated his 100th appearance for FC Barcelona with a hat-trick goal against Bayern Munich in the Champions League encounter on Wednesday night.
Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League round-of-16 clash at the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday night and Los Blancos skipper Sergio Ramos felt the result was a perfect riposte to all the critics that have slammed the team’s performances this season.
“Vital win. This was one of the Champions League ties which I’ll remember throughout my career and the way we won is important for the return leg. We must continue on in this way and defend our Champions League title. We did brilliantly,” Ramos was quoted as saying by the club website.
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Adrien Rabiot had given the visitors the lead in the 34th minute as PSG took advantage of some slack defending but a Cristiano Ronaldo penalty would equalise proceedings on the stroke of half-time.
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And the 12-time champions would stamp their class on the tie with a dominant performance in the second-half with goals from Ronaldo and fullback Marcelo giving them a definitive advantage heading into the away leg.
“This is no time to dwell on things and this team, despite conceding a goal, looked for that win with real integrity against a focussed side. Despite what we all say, Real Madrid can never be written off,” added the Real Madrid captain.
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The second leg at the Parc des Princes takes place on March 6 and with a two-goal advantage, holders are heavy favourites to progress to the last-eight, despite having conceded an away goal.
Considering Los Blancos trail arch-rivals and leaders Barcelona by a massive 17 points in the La Liga, the UEFA Champions League is their sole chance of winning some silverware this season.
They already made history by becoming the first team to defend their title in the current format but could go one step further if they manage a three-peat and considering their pedigree and experience, anything is possible.
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