Good evening! Thank you very much for joining
Sports Mole for tonight's
Champions League showdown between
Paris Saint-Germain and
Manchester United!
PSG are very much in the driving seat of this tie following their 2-0 away victory at Old Trafford last month, leaving United to achieve something which no other club has managed in Champions League history if they are to go through. Solskjaer and co have spoken confidently in the buildup to this match, though, and on current form it is perhaps too early to rule the three-time winners out completely.
Kickoff is only five minutes away, so let's have a quick look at the team news before we get going...
PSG STARTING XI: Buffon; Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat; Alves, Marquinhos, Verratti, Di Maria; Draxler; Mbappe
SUBS: Paredes, Cavani, Meunier, Areola, Choupo-Moting, Kurzawa, Dagba
MAN UTD STARTING XI: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw; Fred, McTominay, Pereira; Lukaku, Rashford
SUBS: Rojo, Dalot, Romero, Garner, Chong, Gomes, Greenwood
KICKOFF: Here we go! United get us underway at the Parc des Princes!
GOAL! PSG 0-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (ROMELU LUKAKU)
GOAL! Oh my word! What a start for Manchester United as they give themselves a real fighting chance within two minutes at the Parc des Princes!
It is dreadful from Kehrer as he plays a blind back-pass which is nowhere near Buffon. Lukaku steals in and holds off the challenge before taking it round Buffon and sliding into the empty net from a tight angle.
Game on!
Mission impossible has just become a lot more achievable. It seemed like such a mountain to climb just five minutes ago - now United only need one more goal to force extra time.
Kehrer has made a really shaky start to this game, and United must surely look to target him. He has been so complacent so far.
CHANCE! A sharp reminder of just how quickly PSG could strike to regain control of this tie. Di Maria plays a low ball into the box and Mbappe is a whisker away from connecting to turn it in from close range. Moments later the ball arrives to Mbappe again inside the box, but this time his effort is blocked.
Here is that early goal which broke the deadlock. Really poor from Kehrer, but Lukaku still had plenty to do.
Good defending from Kimpembe as he matches Lukaku for pace and power to deal with a potential danger. Lukaku is up for this one tonight, though.
Crucial challenge from Smalling to dispossess Mbappe inside the area, just as the PSG forward was looking to pull the trigger!
GOAL! PSG 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED (JUAN BERNAT)
GOAL! PSG level things up on the night and restore their two-goal advantage on aggregate with a quick response, 10 minutes after falling behind!
Alves slides a pass through to Mbappe, who squeezes a low pass across the face of goal for Juan Bernat to tap into an empty net at the back post. United now need two again!
CHANCE! Another chance for PSG, who are looking dangerous almost every time they come forward at the moment. This time Di Maria gets a cross in from the left which goes all the way through to Alves, but he slices his attempted volley well off target when he should have done better.
Mbappe is played in down the right channel again and is not put off from having the shot despite the angle being against him. His effort slams into the side-netting, though.
A couple of stats relating to the two goals we have seen so far...
CHANCE! Another chance for the home side, and again it comes through Bernat! Di Maria slides the ball in to the full-back inside the box and he has all the space he needs to take a touch, line up his shot and go for goal. His eventual effort is too close to De Gea, though, and the keeper makes the save.
CLOSE! More PSG goals look inevitable at the moment. This time it is Di Maria who lets fly with a sweetly-struck 25-yard effort which flies narrowly wide of the target.
PSG have dominated pretty much since falling behind in the second minute, and they have had particular joy down their left. Bailly - playing right-back - is really struggling to get to grips with the PSG attackers.
Di Maria makes a mockery of Bailly again here by beating him three times before delivering a cross into the box which Alves cannot connect with when going for an acrobatic effort at the back post.
This night started so promisingly for United, but that early goal also seemed to jerk PSG into life. The hosts are back in control of the tie and it would be a surprise if they didn't go on to score more tonight the way this one is going.
United could do without giving them helping hands like this too. Rashford tries to play a cross-field free kick back into his own half, but gets it all wrong and gifts PSG an attacking throw-in from nothing.
CHANCE! Another poor ball from Rashford, this time in the final third as a really promising position goes begging. Bernat is again at fault - although this time through a slip rather than any poor play - which sends Rashford in down the left flank. He has men in the middle, but his low ball into the box is nowhere near them and goes behind for a goal kick.
GOAL! PSG 1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (ROMELU LUKAKU)
GOAL! Now then! Out of nothing, United regain the lead on the night as PSG gift their visitors a second goal! Rashford's strike from range is dipped but should be simple for a goalkeeper like Buffon. However, the keeper spills it straight to the feet of Lukaku, who turns home the rebound to blow this one wide open again!
UPDATE: There has also been a goal in the night's other Champions League game, where Porto have taken the lead against Roma. As things stand, that would send them through.
CHANCE! A cross arrives from the PSG right this time and Di Maria lines up a volley, but he gets it wrong and drags his effort.
YELLOW CARD! In his frustration, Di Maria picks up the first yellow card of the night for a late challenge on McTominay.
MAN UTD SUB: United are forced into an early change here, although many fans may not be too sad to see Bailly go off. He is replaced by Diogo Dalot.
Another big chance for United as a free kick is clipped over the defence to leave Rashford through on goal. The striker drags his effort wide of the far post, but the flag belatedly goes up anyway.
Buffon will not want to see this one again!
Just five minutes left of this extraordinary first half, which has seen PSG enjoy 74% possession so far but still trail on the night. United only need one more goal as things stand.
Ashley Young has now dropped back to right-back after Bailly's absence, by the way, with Dalot playing in a more advanced position.
SAVE! Speak of the devil! Dalot picks the ball up in that advanced position and skips past his marker far too easily to get into the box. He pulls the ball back into a dangerous area and it comes off a PSG foot, but fortunately it is close enough to Buffon for the keeper to make the save.
Terrible pass from Dalot which gifts the ball to Mbappe, who suddenly finds himself running straight at Lindelof. Mbappe steps on the ball, though, and a promising attack breaks down.
This game also so happens to be the last Champions League away knockout game that they won too...
There will be just the one minute of added time at the end of this first half.
HALF TIME: PSG 1-2 MANCHESTER UNITED (PSG LEAD 3-2 ON AGGREGATE)
A thrilling and action-packed first half comes to an end at the Parc des Princes and things are set up very nicely for the second half now!
It was dubbed as Mission Impossible beforehand, but United are now just one goal away from a famous comeback and a place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. PSG have dominated possession, but they have been punished for a couple of high-profile errors.
United gave themselves a dream start to the game with the opening goal after less than two minutes as Thilo Kehrer's dreadful back-pass was picked off by Lukaku.
Lukaku still had plenty to do, though, and he finished it expertly by holding off Silva and taking the ball around Buffon before sliding it into the empty net.
KICKOFF: We are back underway for the second half!
This is all about game management for PSG from hereon in. They are still in control of the tie and have looked dangerous enough going forward to suggest that they will get another goal tonight, but they have also looked shaky at the back. This one is on a knife edge!
Apologies, we're having a few technical problems here! It remains 2-1 to United on the night, though, with the visitors needing just one more goal to progress as things stand.
DISALLOWED GOAL! PSG think that they have an equaliser on the night as Mbappe flicks the ball through to Di Maria, who dinks a lovely finish over De Gea. It is a beautiful goal, but it will not count as the linesman's flag is correctly raised!
UPDATE: Porto have regained the lead against Porto to make it 2-1 on the night, which means they are set for extra time there as things stand.
SAVE! Di Maria tries his luck with a curling effort from range, but he does not catch it right and De Gea is there to gather - a routine stop for the United keeper in the end.
Really poor from Marquinhos as he goes down as if he has been elbowed in the face by McTominay, but there is nothing in it. A flash point ensues, but the referee calms things down without producing a card.
PSG's pressure is growing now, although there hasn't been too much for De Gea to do in this second half so far. Sooner or later Man Utd will need to push for a third goal, but at the moment they are struggling to keep hold of it.
United are purely playing on the break now, which is understandable at this stage. However, the onus is on them to get another goal right now so PSG won't be taking any unnecessary risks.
There have been a couple of chances for United to break in the last couple of minutes, but on both occasions they have failed to make the most of it. Just over 20 minutes remaining now, so time is running out!
Draxler swings a cross into the box which hits Lindelof, and the PSG man immediately gestures to the bench that his hamstring has gone. He will not be able to continue here.
PSG SUBS: Indeed, PSG make a double change as Leandro Paredes and Thomas Meunier replace Draxler and Kehrer.
Crucial defending from Young as he hooks the ball away from inside his own six-yard box after good work from Mbappe down the right channel.
Good defending from Silva at the other end this time as he takes the ball off Lukaku after the United goalscorer had been played in down the right channel.
YELLOW CARD! Paredes goes into the book for a sliding challenge from behind on Pereira, although it is perhaps a little harsh as he got the ball first.
Less than 15 minutes remaining now and this match is still hanging in the balance! One goal could change everything!
United could be about to throw a wildcard into the equation here - Tahith Chong is warming up and is about to be introduced for the closing stages of this crucial match.
MAN UTD SUB: Sure enough there is the change as Chong replaces Pereira.
OFF THE POST! PSG are inches away from sealing their place in the quarter-finals, but they are denied by the woodwork! First Mbappe is played clean through on goal only to lose his footing when trying to take the ball around De Gea. He scrambles to keep it alive and eventually breaks to Bernat, who drills the rebound against the foot of the post.
Crazy defending from Bernat with just five minutes remaining! A cross arrives from the left flank and Bernat tries a mid-air backheel away with Dalot lurking behind him. Sure enough he misses the ball, but he gets away with it.
MAN UTD SUB: Another youngster for United as Mason Greenwood replaces Young.
Dalot drives forward and goes for goal from outside the area, but his effort takes a deflection and United have a late corner!
Hold on one moment! The referee is going to the VAR! There was a question over handball on Kimpembe which led to the corner! Could we see a dramatic late penalty here?!
PENALTY TO MANCHESTER UNITED!
PENALTY! Oh my word, this is incredible! It is a marginal call and there didn't seem any complaints at the time it happened, but the referee awards a penalty for handball!
GOAL! PSG 1-3 MANCHESTER UNITED (MARCUS RASHFORD, PEN) - MAN UTD LEAD ON AGGREGATE!
GOAL! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES! Rashford slams his penalty past Buffon to send United into the quarter-finals of the Champions League in the most dramatic circumstances!
PSG SUB: Late change for PSG as Edinson Cavani replaces Alves.
Still play goes on here as PSG look for a late goal to send them through! The drama here is incredible!
YELLOW CARD! Shaw picks up a late, late yellow card, and PSG have a free kick. One last chance, surely...
FULL TIME: PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 1-3 MANCHESTER UNITED (3-3 ON AGGREGATE, MAN UTD WIN ON AWAY GOALS)
MANCHESTER UNITED QUALIFY FOR THE QUARTER-FINALS OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE!
Incredible. Just incredible. Manchester United do something which has never been done before in the history of this competition as they overturn a two-goal home defeat in the first leg to book their place in the quarter-finals - and they have done it away to one of the favourites for the competition too.
There was plenty of controversy, with United awarded a highly debatable 94th-minute penalty courtesy of VAR which saw them seal the win, but ultimately it is United who are celebrating one of their greatest ever European nights.
Right, that is all we have time for on this unforgettable night of Champions League football!
Thank you for joining Sports Mole for tonight's incredible contest as Manchester United produce an historic comeback to seal their place in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. I will leave you with our match report, and be sure to stick around for reaction too.
From me, though, it is goodbye for now!
