Westbrook hits 58 France rout US in vain as Blazers women to lift thwart16 Thunder She Believes18 Cup THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017 Australia defend Smith as ‘cheat’ row escalates Page 17 BARCELONA: Barcelona’s Argentinian forward Lionel Messi (L) shoots against the Paris Saint-Germain players during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg football match FC Barcelona vs Paris Saint-Germain FC at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona yesterday. — AFP Barca hit PSG for six in historic fightback BARCELONA: Sergi Roberto scored in the fifth minute of ble of scoring six and they needed the full 95 minutes to utes before the break thanks to more shambolic PSG PSG were then to rue to huge missed chances to put the stoppage time as Barcelona capped a sensational pull of a miracle revival. defending. Andres Iniesta reached Suarez’s hopeful tie completely beyond Barca. Firstly, Cavani should have had Champions League fightback to thrash Paris Saint- No side had ever come back from a 4-0 first leg through ball and his backheel provoked Kurzawa into his second as he was played in by Draxler, but this time Germain 6-1 and reach the quarter-finals yesterday. deficit in the Champions League, but after much pre- shanking the ball into his own net on his weaker right Marc-Andre ter Stegen stood up to block with an out- Despite Luis Suarez’s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa match hype of a historic turnaround, Barca truly foot. The second period started just as the first ended as stretched leg. own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty, Barca, who lost the believed when Suarez opened the scoring after just Barca edged closer to the history books when Neymar PSG’s two-goal hero from the first Angel di Maria had first leg 4-0, looked down and out when Edison Cavani three minutes. The PSG defence was stationary as was clipped by the prone Meunier and, after consulta- started on the bench, but the former Real Madrid man volleyed home what seemed to be the vital away goal Marquinhos headed Rafinha’s cross high into the air and tion with one of his assistants, German referee Deniz should have rubbed salt in Barca’s wounds five minutes from for PSG. However, Neymar restored Barca’s belief as he Suarez nipped in ahead of the flapping goalkeeper Aytekin pointed to the spot. time when he somehow skewed wide with just Ter Stegen firstly fired home a sensational free-kick two minutes Kevin Trapp to nod in despite Thomas Meunier’s best Messi made no mistake with the penalty to rifle home his to beat. Just when Barca looked down and out Neymar from time and then converted from the penalty spot. efforts to clear off the line. 11th Champions League goal of the season. Only when 3-0 restored hope when he curled home a sensational free-kick And Roberto capped the biggest comeback in In a role reversal from the first leg, Barca’s high press- down did PSG begin to come out in search of the crucial high into the top corner. And as the match entered stop- Champions League history when he stretched to turn ing wasn’t allowing the visitors any restbite, whilst PSG away goal and were nearly rewarded immediately as page time, Barca were awarded a second controversial home Neymar’s dinked cross to the delight of a near failed to take advantage of the huge spaces in behind Meunier got to the by-line and his low cross was turned penalty when Suarez tumbled under a challenge form 100,000 at a rocking Camp Nou, making the score 6-5 the Barca defence on the counter-attack. onto the post by Cavani. Marquinhos. on aggregate. Neymar was inches away from delivering a spectacu- The Uruguayan had to wait just 10 minutes more, Neymar this time took responsibility to send Trapp the Barca also enter the record books by reaching the lar second when he drilled just wide from well outside though, to find the net. Kurzawa made amends for his earli- wrong way. And the Brazilian also showed a cool head quarter-finals for a 10th straight season. the area before Trapp easily collected a Suarez effort er error by heading down a free-kick and Cavani connected amongst a mad final minute when he cut inside before chip- Outgoing Barca coach Luis Enrique warned the from an acute angle. sweetly on the volley to register his 38th and seemingly ping into the box for substitute Roberto to extend his right French champions on Tuesday that his side were capa- However, Barca’s hopes were further raised five min- most important goal of the season. leg just enough to beat Trapp and leave PSG floored. — AFP Aubameyang hat-trick sends Dortmund through DORTMUND: A hat-trick by Pierre-Emerick night to forget in the first leg, missing four clear chances Aubameyang and Christian Pulisic’s dazzling display including a penalty in Lisbon. fired Borussia Dortmund into the Champions League After a strong start from the hosts, Benfica clawed quarter-finals with a 4-0 thrashing of Benfica yesterday. their way back with captain Luisao heading straight at The result saw Dortmund win the round-of-16 tie 4-1 Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Burki from a free-kick on aggregate after Aubameyang’s early goal cancelled midway through the half. out Borussia’s 1-0 defeat in Lisbon last month. Dembele showed his youth, needlessly picking up a The Gabon hot-shot has now scored seven times in booking from English referee Martin Atkinson late in his last three games and has seven Champions League the first half for bitterly complaining after conceding a goals in as many matches this season. free-kick with a push on Andreas Samaris. He is on 28 goals for the season as Dortmund Benfica grew in confidence as the half wore on and reached the last eight in Europe for the first time since Dortmund’s defence wobbled, but it finished 1-0 at the 2013/14. But it fell to US international Pulisic, who only break. Dortmund had a big let-off soon after when turns 19 in September, to net the Germans’ crucial sec- Lukasz Piszczek failed with a clearance, which Franco ond on 59 minutes, which put Dortmund ahead for the Cervi snapped up on the edge of the box, but his shot first time on aggregate. was blocked. Pulisic, in for injured Germany winger Marco Reus, Aubameyang then squandered three golden claimed his first Champions League goal and set up chances at close range before Pulisic finally got the Aubameyang’s opening goal in an impressive all-round breakthrough. The US starlet chipped his shot over the display. After Kostas Mitroglou sealed Benfica’s 1-0 first- advancing Ederson on 59 minutes after Piszczek’s leg victory, Dortmund took just four minutes to cancel superb pass into the area. out the advantage. Aubameyang grabbed his second just two minutes Ousmane Dembele’s corner was flicked on by Pulisic later when he stabbed home Marcel Schmelzer’s pass. to Aubameyang, who headed home at the far post to He hit his third goal of the night on 85 minutes when DORTMUND: Dortmund's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang celebrates after scoring his side's fourth goal during the delight the sell-out Signal Iduna Park crowd. Erik Durm’s run and cross from the right handed him a Champions League round of 16, second leg, soccer match between Borussia Dortmund and Benfica in It was redemption for the Gabon striker, who had a simple tap-in. — AFP Dortmund, Germany, yesterday. — AP.