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Lionel Messi and PSG were mercilessly criticized on social media following their 3-1 defeat against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League last night. Los Blancos won the tie 3-2 on aggregate, knocking Paris Saint-Germain out of the coveted competition in the Round of 16.
What made the result all the more impressive was the fact that it was PSG who scored the first goal when Kylian Mbappe found the back of the net in the first half. The French giants headed into half-time with a 2-0 aggregate lead. However, Karim Benzema put in an extraordinary performance that saw him run away with the match ball after a superb second-half hat-trick to complete Real Madrid's comeback victory.
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Speaking in a post-match interview, Karim Benzema said:
"We wanted to see this stadium like the fans were today, we needed them, the win is for them; it was very difficult, we pushed until the end and we deserved to go through.
"We lost the first leg, we were 1-0 down at half-time, it was a huge effort, the fans pushed us to give everything until the end. They're Champions League games, it's difficult. We know PSG like to have the ball. We started well, we had chances, we didn't take them and they scored on the counter, but in the second half we played our game."
He continued:
"When we press, we can beat any team, it's about pressing as a team, everyone in their position, and with the fans. Every game is a final for us, in the league and the Champions League. Today Real Madrid are alive."
Despite an incredibly successful summer transfer window, where they brought in the likes of Lionel Messi, Achraf Hakimi and Gianluigi Donnarumma, PSG's pursuit of UEFA Champions League glory continues after last night's heartbreak. With Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe and Neymar starting up front, most fans would have expected the Ligue 1 side to comfortably capitalize on their first-leg win.
Lionel Messi fails to impress against Real Madrid as PSG crash out of the UEFA Champions League
Although Kylian Mbappe did his bit, Lionel Messi's struggles continue to draw plenty of attention and flak. Worryingly for the Parisians, Lionel Messi has only scored 7 goals in 25 matches across competitions this season, raising several questions about whether his acquisition was a good idea for the Ligue 1 side.
Following last night's defeat and PSG's subsequent exit from the UEFA Champions League, fans around the world took to social media to lambast the French giants as well as Lionel Messi for yet another unsatisfactory performance.
Without further ado, here is a look at how fans reacted to the French giants' 3-2 defeat against Los Blancos and their resulting elimination from the UEFA Champions League:
