PSG, Qatar still can't buy its way to European glory

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Lionel Messi stood frozen, stunned in the Santiago Bernabéu.

His right hand was on his hip. His left hand was holding his head. His eyes were closed.

It looked like he wanted the field to swallow him up.

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Watching the celebrations was the last thing Messi wanted to do as Paris Saint-Germain capitulated to Real Madrid.

Especially given the way Karim Benzema had just completed a hat-trick in 17 minutes to shift the Champions League last-16 game in Madrid’s favor for the first time.

It summed up PSG’s implosion that the winner came straight from the kickoff after Benzema scored his second. PSG gave the ball away, gifting a rapid home attack that ended with Vinícius Júnior cutting into the penalty area, a feeble attempted clearance from Marquinhos and Benzema flicking the ball into the bottom corner.

"We paid dearly for our mistakes at the end," Marquinhos said. "It’s tough to explain."

Very tough to explain.

It seemed harder to toss away a looming place in the quarterfinals when Kylian Mbappé had scored a memorable late winner in the first leg and produced another moment of magnificence — created by Neymar’s pass — to score in the first half in Madrid.

The upstarts of European football were still beating the kings of the continent 2-0 on aggregate with a half hour to go.

"We were convinced we were the better side," PSG sporting director Leonardo said, "and that we were going to go through with a squad that could win the competition."

Instead, PSG conspired to get itself dumped out of the Champions League 3-2 on aggregate by the record 13-time champions of Europe.

"The worst feeling is that we