World Football

Real Madrid is mortal in Europe after all.

The Spanish giant saw its UEFA Champions League title defense come to an end Wednesday night at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium. Arsenal won 2-1 to advance by a 5-1 aggregate score.

It's the first time since the 2019-20 season Madrid failed to reach the UCL semifinals.

Madridistas might've thought the stars were starting to align after referee François Letexier awarded a contentious penalty to Arsenal in the 11th minute. Another tally for the Gunners surely would've removed any doubt about the final result. Instead, Thibaut Courtois saved Bukayo Saka effort from the spot.

Then a lifeline seemingly arrived in the form of a penalty to Madrid for a foul on Kylian Mbappé. Following a lengthy review, however, the French star was deemed to be offside.

The final decision came down in the 27th minute, so there was still plenty of time for Real Madrid to make things interesting. The air kind of went out of the Bernabéu when the penalty was wiped out, though.

Through the years, Real Madrid has consistently risen to the occasion in the Champions League. Regardless of how it was performing domestically or how disjointed it looked on the pitch, the legendary club always found a way.

The luck ran out Wednesday as Madrid couldn't overcome what have been some glaring deficiencies this season.

With Real Madrid now out of the Champions League, the fate of manager Carlo Ancelotti may rest squarely on where it finishes in La Liga. Los Blancos trail bitter rivals Barcelona by four points with seven matches to play.

Should they come up short, that could be the final nail in Ancelotti's coffin because past success matters little in the eyes of president Florentino Pérez.

Even if Real Madrid go on to lift another league title, going out in the UCL quarters means this season is likely to be viewed as a disappointment in the Spanish capital.

Paris Saint-Germain survived after nearly throwing away a four-goal lead in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League.

PSG lost 3-2 to Aston Villa in the second leg at Villa Park but prevailed 5-4 on aggregate.

Twenty-seven minutes into Tuesday's contest, it looked like the Ligue 1 champion was in the clear. Right back Achraf Hakimi scored the first goal of the night, and left back Nuno Mendes made it 5-1 on aggregate to the Parisians.

Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans provided the home side with a lifeline, but there were probably few supporters inside the ground at halftime who thought Paris Saint-Germain was in serious danger.

A little over 10 minutes into the second half, it was a much different story.

Captain John McGinn trimmed the aggregate deficit to two goals in the 55th minute, and Ezri Konsa followed in short order to bring Villa to within one.

And PSG was a pair of sprawling saves by Gianluigi Donnarumma away from watching Aston Villa equalize.

Prior to Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain was increasingly becoming one of the strongest contenders left. Opinions might be shifting a bit based on some of the reaction on social media:

To put a slightly positive spin on PSG's near-capitulation, a previous iteration of the squad might have collapsed completely. Once the initial flurry from Villa after Konsa's goal subsided, the match slowly petered out.

Paris Saint-Germain might also benefit from having a close brush with its own mortality. It certainly looks as though the team went into cruise control early into the second half.

When every domestic fixture is basically a dead rubber from here on out, keeping the players focused and engaged isn't always easy. PSG will know it can't afford another loss of concentration when the Champions League resumes in the next round.

Argentina star Lionel Messi hasn't closed the door on competing in the 2026 World Cup, according to Inter Miami teammate Luis Suárez.

"No, we do talk [about it]. Jokingly, many times, but he [Messi] also has that desire to play in next year's World Cup," Suárez said to Spanish newspaper El País (via ESPN's Adriana Garcia). "Obviously, after being away from the national team for a while, that desire is fading more on my side than on his, but we haven't talked about it [retirement] yet."

Most fans will have expected the 2022 World Cup to be Messi's swan song in the quadrennial tournament. In addition to the fact he'll turn 39 midway through the 2026 installment, he surely can't top what unfolded in Qatar more than two years ago.

Argentina was crowned the champion, while its captain had seven goals and three assists en route to receiving the Golden Ball award.

Messi said in 2023 he was operating with the mindset that "I won't go to the next World Cup."

The eight-time Ballon d'Or winner may not have have expected to perform as well as he has in MLS, though. He has 24 goals and 15 assists in 30 league appearances for Inter Miami, and he was the MLS MVP in 2024.

Messi has been just as prolific with Argentina during the World Cup qualifying process. La Albiceleste have already secured a berth in the tournament, and their legendary forward has six goals through nine of their 14 qualifying fixtures.

On his current form, it's easy to see why Messi might think he can hang around for the 2026 World Cup.

Lionel Messi and MLS club Inter Miami are reportedly progressing toward a contract extension.

According to David Ornstein of The Athletic, talks between the two sides have advanced and they are close to an agreement, which is expected to be finalized soon.

The 37-year-old star, who initially joined Inter Miami in July 2023, would have become a free agent at the end of 2025 in the absence of a new deal.

Messi is widely regarded as one of the greatest soccer players of all time, as he boasts a résumé that few can match.

He spent 18 seasons at Barcelona, winning 10 La Liga titles, seven Copa del Rey titles and four UEFA Champions League titles during his highly successful tenure.

Messi then played at Paris Saint-Germain for two seasons before coming to the United States, winning a pair of Ligue 1 titles.

An eight-time winner of the Ballon d'Or Award, Messi is the second-leading goal scorer in major professional soccer history with 858 goals, placing him behind only Cristiano Ronaldo.

Messi has even excelled for his country, leading Argentina to a FIFA World Cup win in 2022, and winning the FIFA World Cup Golden Ball in both 2014 and 2022.

When Messi made the decision to make the leap to Inter Miami, it was a huge deal for American soccer.

Several superstars from European clubs have come to MLS during the twilight of their careers over the years, but none boast the same accomplishments and iconic status as Messi.

Aside from his name recognition, Messi continues to play at a high level as well, scoring 23 goals in 25 matches across all competitions for Miami last season.

While Miami was upset in the first round of the 2024 MLS Cup playoffs by Atlanta United, the team set a single-season MLS record with 74 regular-season points.

So far this season, Inter Miami has the second-most points in the Eastern Conference with 14, and Messi has scored eight goals in nine matches across all competitions as well.

Retaining Messi should allow Inter Miami to remain one of the top teams and a championship contender in MLS, plus having him on the squad for the transition to a new stadium in 2026 will undoubtedly go a long way toward generating interest and selling tickets.