PSG fights back to earn 2-2 draw with Real Madrid in Champions League thriller

When football powers Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid square off, you can always expect an outstanding match to be delivered. On Tuesday night at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, that’s exactly what fans got, as PSG was able to claw its way back and earn a hard-fought 2-2 draw. 

Early on, this one was all Real Madrid. The home team got on the scoresheet first, with Karim Benzema scoring in the 17th minute. Benzema wasn’t done there, though. In the 79th minute, the French striker recorded his second goal of the match on a strong header. 

Down 2-0, PSG didn’t panic, with Kylian Mbappe leading the comeback charge. The 20-year-old forward cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 81st minute, with the ball somehow making its way through Real Madrid’s goalie to leave a wide open net for him. Just two minutes later, Pablo Sarabia tied things up at 2-2, sending in a rocket of a shot into the top right corner. 

Photo credit: en.psg.fr

Real Madrid’s Thibaut Courtois didn’t even bother diving to try and stop it, as Sarabia’s effort was perfectly placed. Madrid had some late opportunities to earn the three points, but PSG stayed strong in defense and secured the 2-2 draw. 

While they may not have won the match, PSG left the stadium with a different kind of victory, as the one point on Tuesday helped them clinch first place in Group A. The French side previously clinched its trip to the Champions League Round of 16 earlier this month, but now earning the top spot of the group with one match left to be played is huge moving forward. 

PSG will next play Galatasaray on Dec. 11 at the Parc des Princes in its last Group A showdown before moving on to the knockout stages.