Champions League Briefing: Vinicius keeps dancing (and scoring). What were PSG fans thinking with Hakimi banner?

It was another wild night of Champions League action and, by the time it was done, we’d seen blood spilt, tears wept, a moment of personal triumph for Vinicius Junior and two games, in particular, that will be remembered as classics.

First, there was the beautiful chaos of Atalanta, now Italy’s last team in the competition, staging a remarkable comeback to overcome Borussia Dortmund 4-1 on the night, 5-4 on aggregate, with one of the most remarkable endings you’ll see in any game this season.

Juventus could not quite pull off their own great escape against Galatasaray, but gave it a good go before succumbing in extra-time. The reigning champions Paris Saint Germain edged past Monaco to navigate passage to the last 16, and it was probably inevitable after the shameful events last week in Lisbon that Vinicius had a decisive role in Real Madrid’s win over Benfica.

While he celebrated in style inside a packed Bernabeu, the suspended Jose Mourinho watched the match from the Benfica team bus outside, despite a radio booth having been allocated, and even catered, for him and his assistants.

Now the final 16 teams have been decided (more on that later), the draw for the next round will take place on Friday at 11am GMT (6am ET).

Daniel Taylor takes us through the key talking points…

Unstoppable Vinicius won’t let anything or anyone change him

It wasn’t just any ordinary goal. It was a reminder of Vinicius’ resolve and his refusal to be cowed by the noise, the nonsense and occasional nastiness that engulfed his life for the last week, as it often does.

And just look how he celebrated. The run to the corner flag, the wiggle of the hips, the dance, the footwork, the shuffle. He might as well have put a neon sign around his neck: “Look at my moves, Jose.”

The Brazilian had just scored the goal that effectively sealed Real Madrid’s place in the last 16, eliminating Benfica in a playoff that will always be remembered because of the events that scarred the first leg in Lisbon.

What Gianluca Prestianni, Benfica’s Argentine winger, said to Vinicius is still under investigation. Nothing has been proven, other than Kylian Mbappe claiming it was “monkey” five times and Prestianni issuing a statement to deny it emphatically.

Most of us are aware, though, about what Mourinho said in response, accusing Vinicius of inciting the Benfica crowd and players because of his goal celebration.

So it was quite some moment as Vinicius took in the acclaim of the Bernabeu, having made it 3-1 on aggregate, and showed he is quite happy to carry on being the person he is. It was a little piece of joy, a statement of intent and a stamp of his personality, wrapped into one.

Chaos in Bergamo: blood, three red cards and a decisive 98th-minute penalty

Three red cards in 30 seconds, a late and controversial penalty, blood all over the place — have you ever seen an ending quite like the one that took Atalanta through to the last 16 at the expense of Borussia Dortmund?

There wasn’t even time to restart the match once Lazar Samardzic’s 98th-minute penalty sealed Atalanta’s 4-3 aggregate win. The electronic board had indicated three minutes of stoppage time. Yet it wasn’t the timing that will leave Dortmund smoldering with a sense of injustice, more so the VAR-assisted decision that led to the penalty decision.

Ramy Bensebaini, the Dortmund defender, ended up getting a second yellow card because of the improvisational flick that saw him clear a left-sided cross but simultaneously connect with the head of Atalanta’s Nikola Krstovic.

Yes, the defender’s studs were up. Blood was spilt and Krstovic watched the final, dramatic moments with a bandage around his head, Terry Butcher-style (if you remember the England captain, wild-eyed and bloodstained, from a World Cup qualifier against Sweden in 1989).

Even so, it was harsh on Bensebaini given that a) he got the ball b) his foot was not particularly high c) Krstovic stooped his head into the challenge. Accidents do sometimes happen on a football pitch. But no, the Spanish referee went across to the VAR screen…

Then proceeded to show a red card to both benches – one for Dortmund’s Nico Schlotterbeck…

And one for the Atalanta defender Giorgio Scalvini, who has been excellent in recent weeks since returning from injury. He had been substituted in the 77th minute and replaced by Berat Djimsiti.

The referee then re-entered the pitch to show Bensebaini a second yellow card and indicate his decision to award a penalty.

Samardzic’s penalty was a beauty … and that was the very last kick of a wild, eccentric finale. Though we should also point out it was quite good fun before that point, too, bearing in mind Atalanta had been 2-0 down from the first leg. Three-nil up after 57 minutes, it was shaping up to be some comeback. Karim Adeyemi’s goal for Dortmund made it 3-3 on aggregate and extra-time loomed. And then, finally, the stoppage-time drama and the seventh goal of a nice, quiet, stress-free evening in Bergamo.

PSG fans made a mistake with Hakimi banner

The holders are also through. PSG’s 2-2 draw against Monaco ensured they will be in Friday’s draw with a 5-4 aggregate victory. OK, Luis Enrique’s side are not firing in the way they did last season, but let’s not be too picky. Last season … that was a pretty high level to emulate.

Whatever happens next though, it has to be hoped that the Parisian crowd think carefully before bringing out their banner of support for Achraf Hakimi, the club’s Morocco international, who is due to stand trial over an allegation of rape that he says is not true.

“Achraf, total support” it read.

Hmm. They are not the first set of supporters to make this kind of statement. But in situations like this, waiting to see what the courts rule is usually the most advisable course of action.

Juventus ran themselves into the ground — but fell just short

In the 118th minute of an extraordinary night in Turin, the crowd rose to its feet to applaud the home team’s efforts.

They were watching Juventus go out of the competition, but they wanted to show their appreciation anyway – and you could understand why.

One of the more remarkable details showed the players of Juventus had run 1.25 miles further than those of Galatasaray, having gone down to 10 men after the sending-off of Lloyd Kelly on 49 minutes.

They had given everything to claw their way back into the tie. Luciano Spalletti’s side managed 28 shots, their highest in any Champions League match since 2021. It was a remarkable effort and, 5-2 down from the first leg, Khephren Thuram could be seen crying tears of joy after Weston McKennie made it 3-0 on the night, 5-5 on aggregate.

Ultimately, though, there was no feat of escapology and Galatasaray held their nerve to win in extra-time courtesy of goals from Victor Osimhen and Baris Alper Yilmaz.

At least Atalanta’s progress spared Italian football the prospect of no Serie A sides being involved in the next stage. Barring that result, it would have been the first time since the last 16 was introduced in 2003-04 that no Italian teams had featured.

For Juventus, however, there is much to ponder as it is now four years since they made it to the last 16.

Play-off round results

How the eight matches finished after two legs

Galatasaray 7-5 Juventus

AS Monaco 4–5 Paris Saint-Germain

Benfica 1-3 Real Madrid

Borussia Dortmund 3-4 Atalanta

Qarabag 3-9 Newcastle United

Bodo/ Glimt 5-2 Inter

Club Brugge 4-7 Atletico Madrid

Olympiacos 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen

What lies in store in the last 16?

At this stage of the competition, the Champions League is looking … well, Premier League-heavy.

With six English clubs among the last 16 teams, it isn’t even out of the question that one of those six could go on to win the competition without playing another team from mainland Europe.

How so? It all depends on the draw but, for example, Newcastle United or Chelsea could conceivably play one another in the round of 16, then the winners meet Liverpool or Tottenham Hotspur in the quarter-final, and Arsenal or Manchester City in the semi-final and final.

The draw for the last 16 takes place at 11am GMT (6am ET) on Friday in Nyon, Switzerland, and the two-legged ties will take place on March 10-11 and March 17-18.

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