Kylian Mbappe struck in the fourth minute of injury time to give Paris Saint-Germain a precious 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, while Manchester City put one foot in the next round with a 5-0 win over Sporting.
It looked as though Real would escape with a draw after weathering a first-half onslaught from PSG before Lionel Messi had a penalty saved by Thibaut Courtois just after the hour mark at the Parc des Princes.
In the last minute of stoppage time, Mbappe burst into the box from the left and between two defenders before finishing past Courtois for his 22nd goal this season.
For most of the first half, PSG played perhaps their best football since the arrival of Messi last August. Yet Courtois only really had to make one save of note in that time, to deny Mbappe in the 18th minute.
The visitors would have tried to regroup at half-time, but less than five minutes after the restart Mbappe forced Courtois into an excellent save low to his right.
Courtois then topped that by diving to his left to keep out Messi’s 62nd-minute penalty, awarded after Mbappe was chopped down by Dani Carvajal, who he had tormented all evening.
The French club failed to score when on top in the first half and had now squandered a glorious chance to go in front. The miss summed up Messi’s underwhelming PSG career so far.
Pochettino sent on Neymar, the world’s most expensive player unmistakeable with his peroxide blonde hair.
Mbappe had scored a last-minute winner for his team against Rennes in the league last weekend and he again had the last word, leaving the side he might be representing next season up against it in the return in three weeks.
Meanwhile in the other game, Manchester City took control of their tie and look certain of a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals after Bernardo Silva’s brace inspired a masterful 5-0 rout of Sporting Lisbon in the last 16 first leg on Tuesday.
Pep Guardiola’s side produced a swaggering display at the Jose Alvalade Stadium to kill off Sporting before the second leg in Manchester on March 9.
Riyad Mahrez opened the scoring and Silva bagged the second before Phil Foden made it three by the 32nd minute.
With City at their imperious best, Portugal forward Silva struck again on his return to his homeland and Raheem Sterling’s gem rounded off the demolition after the interval.
City are unbeaten in their last 13 games in all competition, a hot streak that now includes 12 wins.
Sterner tests will await City later in the competition but this was a significant statement of intent that will have been heard all around Europe.