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Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven battled into the last 16 of the Champions League Wednesday, after a pulsating 3-1 extra-time win over Juventus gave them a 4-3 aggregate play-off victory.

In the opening period of extra time, PSV advanced past either Arsenal or Inter Milan as a result of a poor defensive play by centre-back Ryan Flamingo.

Luuk de Jong, the PSV captain and talismanic striker, said, “Everyone gave it their all today.”

“We had our backs against the wall, but we kept pushing, and we deserved to win 3-1.” So that was great, just fantastic”, added the 34-year-old.

Roared on by a boisterous crowd at the Philips Stadion, the hosts started the brighter, pressing the Juventus defence, dominating possession, and winning 50-50 balls.

However, the first half ended goalless, with PSV struggling to capitalize on possession and Juventus content to maintain their 2-1 lead going into the second half in Turin.

With 53 minutes left in the tie, PSV were back in the tie with a magnificent goal, the home side pressing for a goal to keep the tie at a bay.

Ivan Perisic, a veteran Croatian attacker, had a great control of the ball and drilled an unstoppable shot into the corner after Noa Lang beat two Juventus defenders and delivered a pinpoint pass to him.

“That’s the type of player I am. I like it when there are a lot of guys in front of me, when I’m double-covered a bit”, said man-of-the-match Lang.

“I like that better than one-on-one. That may sound strange, but I like the bigger challenge”.

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&nbsp, ‘Unforgettable evening ‘

Lang curled a shot past the post before De Jong saw his header cleared off the line, and PSV were well on top.

However, the Serie A side regained the aggregate lead against the run of play with a fantastic strike from Timothy Weah who fired a low shot past Walter Benitez from outside the penalty area.

Ismael Saibari, a Moroccan midfielder, seized on a goalmouth scramble to smash the ball into the top corner, and PSV continued to press hard until the pressure finally paid off.

The Dutch champions had a number of agonizing chances to end the match in the final five minutes, Lang particularly denied by an outstretched foot from goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, with the score at 3-3 on aggregate.

In the second minute of extra time, Saibari wasted a chance to give himself the lead by scuffing his shot past Di Gregorio when he was clean through on goal.

The hosts then took the lead when Flamingo slammed into some confusion in the Juventus defense to direct a point-blank shot home.

“You just have to be there. I used to be a striker, so I have a nose for it”, joked Flamingo, who now has three Champions League goals to his name.

Dusan Vlahovic, a Serbian striker, had no luck to see his effort rebound off the post, so the pressure was now on Juventus to attack.

The PSV faithful endured a grueling second half of extra time, but their defense held on to a strong defense to cap a memorable night in Eindhoven.

After Feyenoord sent AC Milan packing and Atalanta lost to Club Brugge, the defeat put an end to the Italian clubs’ miserable play-off campaign.

“It was a really good atmosphere today,” he said. Every moment was great. It was an unforgettable evening”, said match-winner Flamingo.

After mercilessly defeating French rivals Brest 7-0 on Wednesday to win their play-off round tie 10-0 on aggregate, Paris Saint-Germain can anticipate a showdown with either Liverpool or Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League.

PSG’s first-leg victory in Brittany last week effectively ended the tie with a 3-0 victory over the formidable opponents&nbsp and Brest.

There were seven different goal-scorers in the return at the Parc des Princes, with Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Vitinha, Desire Doue, Nuno Mendes, Goncalo Ramos and Senny Mayulu netting for the home side.

It is PSG’s record-breaking winning margin in a European competition, and it is their first Champions League goal in seven years since Celtic defeated them 7-1 in November 2017.

PSG has found the net 21 times in its first five Champions League appearances since then despite only three goals in their first five matches this year.

Even though Ousmane Dembele failed to add to the 18 goals he had already scored for Luis Enrique’s side in his previous 12 appearances, they made a dominant display in this case.

After achieving a historic third-place finish in Ligue 1 last year, Brest’s first-ever European campaign came to an end in agony.

Being drawn against PSG was an anti-climax for Brest. They have lost 19 of the club’s final 20 meetings, but they haven’t defeated them in 40 years.

Marquinhos blocked a Mathias Pereira Lage shot in front of the net before PSG struck in the 20th minute, almost giving Brest the lead.

For his 16th goal of the season, Barcola, who is on the left, controlled a Fabian Ruiz ball over the top before beating goalkeeper Gregoire Coudert near post.

Six minutes before the break, Kvaratskhelia scored his second goal for his new club after Barcola had headed in a low Joao Neves cross.

In stoppage time in the first half, Neves hit the crossbar, and Pierre Lees-Melou then fired a header past Brest for the opener.

However, just before the hour mark, Vitinha’s lovely strike from the edge of the area made it 3-0, and Ramos then finished with a delightful piece of skill to level up Doue for the fourth.

In the fifth minute of play, Mendes was tapped by Achraf Hakimi, and Ramos scored from close range with his ninth goal of the campaign.

On 86 minutes, Kvaratskhelia scored 18-year-old Mayulu to cap the scoring before Abdallah Sima had a goal that Brest had been denied for offside.

Following a goalless draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund advanced to the Champions League’s last 16 with a 3-0 overall lead.

Serhou Guirassy missed a penalty in the second half, but it was ultimately irrelevant because Sporting didn’t bother them much and persevered.

Dortmund’s reward is a last-16 game against Aston Villa or Lille.

“It was a controlled performance”, Dortmund coach Niko Kovac told reporters.

“We had the missed penalty and Giovanni Reyna’s shot against the post in the second half. We ought to have prevailed, but ultimately, we are over.

” We’re working on taking our goalscoring opportunities. I believe in the lads. “

This young Sporting side, who had been injured last week’s first leg, where Guirassy, Pascal Gross, and Karim Adeyemi all scored, always faced a difficult task.

On a chilly night in Germany, Dortmund controlled the majority of the return leg, with Marcel Sabitzer dominating with a rasping drive that Sporting goalkeeper Rui Silva skillfully palmed around his post.

After the break, Dortmund had the opportunity to end the game when Silva was found guilty of defying Adeyemi in the box after a long pass from Nico Schlotterbeck had to split the visitors’ defense.

The Portuguese goalkeeper saved the Guinean striker’s well-hit penalty, which gave him an 11th Champions League goal in ten games this season.

Reyna came off the bench to almost immediately score a winner against the Portuguese league leaders, but on this night Dortmund did little, with the visitors only able to score one shot from the target.