United striker slams home from the spot to clinch dramatic away goals win as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's injury-hit side pull off mission impossible overhauling 2-0 first-leg deficit
VAR. Bloody hell!
Manchester United, celebrating one of the most dramatic comebacks in sporting history, are Champions League quarter-finalists.
How and why and whether they really should be after United were awarded a 90th- minute penalty will take some explaining.
Doing it justice is almost impossible.
For pure theatre, watching Marcus Rashford coolly place his spot-kick beyond Gianluigi Buffon is right up there.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, scorer of the winner in the 1999 final against Bayern Munich, could not be contained.
Neither could his coaching staff, racing on to the pitch and sinking to the turf like Brian Kidd when United finally lifted the title under Sir Alex Ferguson in 1993.
This was a truly spell-binding, helter-skelter night of European Cup football.
Who cares if Paris Saint-Germain use up some more of their petro-millions to fire another coach for Champions League failure?
Romelu Lukaku slides in to slot United into the lead within two minutes against Paris Saint-Germain
Who cares if the purists bang on about their 72 per cent possession inside the Parc des Princes?
And if anybody tells you PSG had Neymar missing and Edinson Cavani only fit for the bench, put them straight: United had TEN out.
This night was about raw emotion, drama and outright shock after United came from 2-0 down in the first leg.
United wags refined their Cantona song, changing the words to “Ooooh ahhh, VAR” when they celebrated the final whistle.
It was compelling and captivating, a night when you wonder what it would be like to be in the stands alongside them.
At 90 minutes it was 2-1 to United, with 800 words in-coming about glorious failure and nine straight wins on the road for Ole.
A minute later, when Rashford belted his penalty beyond Buffon, it turned into something very different indeed.
The big call came in the final minute when Presnel Kimpembe turned his back on a cross from substitute Diogo Dalot.
Even United’s players seemed resigned, preparing to take a corner and lining up a few bodies in the box in case something special happened.
In the end, something impossible unfolded.
Slovenian referee Damir Skomina referred it, putting the decision in the hands of technology after a moment of uncertainty scrambled his brain.
Even then, nobody thought it could happen.
Then he stirred, at first walking, then spluttering into a jog, then picking up the pace before joyously pointing to the spot. Wow.
Lukaku, scorer of United’s two improbable goals in the opening half hour, allowed Rashford to do the honours.
The inquest at PSG will not last long because Thomas Tuchel must go the same way as Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc and Unai Emery for this failure.
Jose Mourinho, watching this under sedation somewhere, will soon be the bookies’ favourite to land the job. The odds were against United because they were dismantled by Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe at Old Trafford.
Instead they dared to dream, responding to Solskjaer’s rallying calls and respecting his smooth tactical approach.
To recover from Juan Bernat’s 12th-minute equaliser, to go on to score again after half an hour and hold their nerve with seconds to spare is truly astonishing.
They were helped by the flying start, the early goal that gave this patched-up United side the confidence they could do it. Maybe, just maybe, it was on.
Two minutes in and echoes of Clive Tyldesley’s famous commentary in 1999 could be heard in living rooms up and down the country.
Can Manchester United score? They always score.
Lukaku pounced on Thilo Kehrer’s error when he played a no-look pass to Buffon. The United forward was on to it — body-swerving to the left when the legendary Italian keeper, 41, came rushing out — to sweep United ahead.
Mbappe rinsed Chris Smalling in the move that led to Bernat equalising for PSG.
The French whizkid megged him, slipping the ball through Smalling’s legs and then sending a cross for Bernat to plant the effort beyond David De Gea.
It was keep ball after that, with these Parisians dominating the first half with their swaggering 87 per cent possession.
United could not get near those powerful blue shirts. That was until Rashford took a chance, smacking a speculative 30-yard effort towards Buffon’s goal.
The PSG vet uncharacteristically spilled it, giving Lukaku enough time to put United back in front with an accomplished finish. To put that goal into perspective, United attacked three times in the first half and scored twice. Incredible.
There was more drama on the way.
It was the old United gung-ho stuff towards the end, with Solskjaer urging players forward in the hope something would fall for them.
The game opened up, with Mbappe denied five minutes from time and Bernat smacking the rebound off the base of a post.
They were almost into Fergie time when Solskjaer demanded one last attack.
His players responded.
Kimpembe conceded the controversial spot-kick when his arm connected with Dalot’s hopeful punt into the area.
One kick later, Manchester United were Champions League quarter-finalists.
Oooh-ahh, VAR.
