Stats & facts: A look back at qualification against Real Sociedad
In the wake of Paris Saint-Germain's 1-2 victory over Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena on Tuesday 5th March, here are the key figures and highlights from the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16.
A roller coaster
Paris Saint-Germain's 1-2 victory over Real Sociedad saw them reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the eighth time in their history, following their campaigns in 1995, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020 and 2021. Three years after their last appearance at this stage of the competition, Paris are back in Europe's top 8.
Neat and tidy
It is the 3rd time in history that the Rouge et Bleu have won both the first leg (2-0) and the second leg (1-2) in a Champions League knockout tie. The club from the capital achieved this feat for the first time in 2014, when they faced Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the competition (0-4 then 2-1). The Parisians then repeated the feat in 2016, again in the Round of 16, this time with a double victory over Chelsea (2-1 then 1-2).
Viva España
Against Real Sociedad (4-1 on aggregate), Paris have gone on to progress against a Spanish team in a Champions League knockout tie for the fourth time in their history. The capital club defeated Barcelona in the quarter-finals in 1995 (3-2), before beating Valencia in the Round of 16 in 2013 (3-2) and upsetting the Blaugrana again in 2021 (5-2), again in the Round of 16. This is the highest total number of qualifications against representatives of the same country for the Parisians, on a par with that against German clubs.
The ruthless Kylian Mbappé
The scorer of both Paris goals at the Reale Arena on Tuesday evening, Kylian Mbappé has now been involved in 36 goals in 32 Champions League away games (24 goals and 11 assists), at least eight more than any other player since making his debut in the competition in the 2016-2017 edition. Over that period, the France international now has 7 away goals in Champions League Round of 16 matches with Paris, the highest total in this category ahead of Sadio Mané (Liverpool FC, FC Bayern Munich - 6 goals).
Thanks to his brace, the Paris striker now has 40 Champions League goals to his name in a Red and Blue shirt. And he has done so with some success against Spanish teams, as Kylian Mbappé has found the net in each of his last 7 Champions League matches against Spanish teams, scoring a total of 10 goals in the process.