Marcus Rashford scored a nerveless injury-time penalty as Manchester United staged an incredible comeback to beat Paris St-Germain (PSG) on away goals and reach the Champions League quarter-finals.
Rashford thumped home the VAR-awarded spot-kick in the 94th minute after Diogo Dalot’s speculative shot struck Presnel Kimpembe on the arm.
The odds were stacked against United in Paris, but they became the first team in Champions League and European Cup history, at the 107th time of asking, to overcome a 2-0 or greater home first-leg deficit.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s visitors got the perfect start thanks to Romelu Lukaku’s opportunist strike after two minutes, the Belgium striker latching on to Thilo Kehrer’s blind backpass and finding the net.
PSG equalised on the night to move 3-1 ahead on aggregate when Kylian Mbappe fed a pass to the unmarked Juan Bernat, who slotted home at the back post.
The hosts then had a succession of chances, with makeshift right-back Eric Bailly enduring a torrid time in his 35 minutes on the pitch, before injury saw him replaced by Dalot.
Unable to capitalise, PSG were punished when veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon spilled Rashford’s long-range shot and Lukaku converted United’s second.
The game appeared to be petering out to its conclusion before Dalot’s speculative long-range strike hit the arm of the unfortunate Kimpembe, and after a long delay while the referee consulted his pitch-side monitor, Rashford’s ice-cool penalty sealed a remarkable win.
The draw for the quarter-finals takes place on Friday, 15 March.
United were heading out at the last-16 stage for the second consecutive season when France defender Kimpembe’s block from Dalot’s shot deflected away for a corner.
But before it could be taken Slovenian referee Damir Skomina consulted with the VAR before coming to the side of the pitch to review the incident on the monitor.
Players waited anxiously on the pitch and Kimpembe slumped with his head in his hands when the penalty was finally awarded, before Rashford stepped up to smash the ball high beyond the reach of Buffon.
United had to survive until the game’s 100th minute before joyously celebrating a famous Champions League victory in front of their boisterous travelling support at the final whistle.
