Olivier Giroud has been handed a recall by France and a chance to put himself firmly back in Didier Deschamps' World Cup plans.

The Milan striker has not featured in a match for France since Les Bleus exited Euro 2020 at the hands of Switzerland last June.

He has 46 goals for his country in 110 games, which puts him only five strikes behind Thierry Henry on the team's all-time list.

It appeared Giroud's international career might be over as coach Deschamps opted against calling him into recent squads.

However, a calf injury sustained by Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema, ruling him out of Sunday's game against Barcelona, has led to Giroud landing a summons to join up with France for the upcoming friendlies against Ivory Coast and South Africa.

The French Football Federation announced the news on its website, adding that the France staff wished Benzema "a swift recovery".

Deschamps spoke about Giroud after excluding him from a 23-player squad on Thursday, pointing to the 35-year-old's impressive form for Milan.

Giroud has helped Milan top Serie A, scoring eight goals in 20 games in the league, ahead of Saturday's trip to face Cagliari.

Assessing Giroud, Deschamps said: "It's going well for him at the moment. He's scoring important goals with Milan. I'm happy for him.

"I've got decisions to make. I know what Olivier is capable of doing with us. He remains available to France even if I haven't called him up for this get-together."

Now, though, Giroud comes into the picture once again, eight months out from the World Cup in Qatar.

France play Ivory Coast in Marseille on March 25, and South Africa in Lille four days later.

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Karim Benzema will miss Sunday's Clasico clash with Barcelona.

The top scorer in LaLiga this season with 22 goals, Benzema will not be available to face the Blaugrana at Santiago Bernabeu.

The France international netted twice in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca, but limped off towards the end of the contest indicating a problem with his calf.

Ancelotti, who is also without Ferland Mendy, revealed that Benzema will also not link with Les Bleus during the forthcoming international break.

Addressing the media during his pre-match conference on Saturday, the Italian said: "Both [Benzema] and Mendy can't play and won't go to France either. They stay in Madrid.

"He hasn't trained with the group. He still has some discomfort.

"Karim is a very important part, because he finishes all the work, but without him, you have to keep that work and look for different solutions.

"It is already decided who is going to play [in his place]. But I'm not going to tell you."

Benzema's league goals have come at a rate of one every 93.55 minutes, while he also leads the assists standings with 11 to his name already.

Asked if he is concerned by Benzema's latest lay-off, Ancelotti said: "He is a player who is 34 years old and sometimes it can happen to him. 

"They are very minor annoyances and he has recovered very quickly. When he has come back, he has made a difference. 

"We have another two weeks to work with him and then he will make a difference again. 

"It doesn't worry me that he won't play tomorrow because we have time for him to play at the end of the season and make a difference."

Madrid sit comfortably top of LaLiga, armed with a 10-point lead over second-placed Sevilla. Barcelona, in third, are 15 points adrift of Madrid with a game in hand.

Karim Benzema is set to be ruled out of Real Madrid's plans for Sunday's Clasico clash with Barcelona.

The captain and leading goalscorer in LaLiga this season did not train on Saturday as head coach Carlo Ancelotti completed his preparation for the clash at Santiago Bernabeu.

Spanish news agency EFE reported Benzema would miss the game, with Ancelotti expected to confirm that at a news conference in the Spanish capital.

Benzema scored twice in five second-half minutes in a 3-0 win against Real Mallorca on Monday, but he looked in discomfort while celebrating Los Blancos' third goal.

Soon after, in the 85th minute, Benzema departed having indicated a problem with his calf, forcing Madrid to close out the match with 10 men having already used their five permitted substitutions.

It is the calf that continues to trouble the 34-year-old, who has scored 22 goals in LaLiga so far this season, eight more than his nearest challengers – team-mate Vinicius Junior and Enes Unal of Getafe.

Benzema's league goals have come at a rate of one every 93.55 minutes, while he also leads the assists standings with 11 to his name already.

Madrid sat comfortably top of LaLiga going into the weekend, armed with a 10-point lead over second-placed Sevilla. Barcelona, in third, were 15 points adrift of Madrid, with a game in hand.

Benzema has scored in two of his last three meetings with Barcelona in all competitions, the same number of goals as he did in his previous 16 appearances in El Clasico.

In 25 LaLiga games against Barcelona, his goal return is a modest seven, plus four assists. However, the loss of an in-form Benzema is undoubtedly a significant blow on the eve of Spanish football's biggest club clash.

Barcelona star Sergio Busquets has labelled Karim Benzema as a "luxury" for Real Madrid and the "most decisive player in LaLiga".

Carlo Ancelotti's Madrid sit 10 points clear at the LaLiga summit after a 3-0 win at Real Mallorca on Monday, with their next fixture the small matter of hosting Xavi's in-form Barca in Sunday's Clasico.

The league leaders have largely been inspired by Benzema and Vinicius Junior, who have been involved in 18 of the past 22 Madrid top-flight goals - with 10 strikes and four assists for the France striker in this time, and four goals and four assists for the Brazilian winger.

Indeed, Benzema - whose hat-trick guided Madrid past Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League last-16 - has scored 32 goals this season in all competitions, his joint-highest tally for Los Blancos in a single campaign (also 32 in 2011-12).

He has also already equalled his best season in the Spanish top flight in terms of assists (11, as in 2012-13), and Busquets heaped praise on the forward in an interview with Vamos on Movistar Plus.

Asked whether Benzema was the best player in the league, Busquets said: "Yes, for sure, at a statistical level, in terms of goals, of confidence. For them, it is a luxury to have him."

Blaugrana midfielder Busquets also appreciates the quality of Casemiro, who leads Madrid in the league for both tackles won (47) and successful duels (206) while ranking fourth for completed passes (1,351).

"If he is not the best, he is among the best, you just have to look at the games and his career," Busquets said of Madrid's Brazil international.

"In the end, you look at the goals and assists. Our task is important, we are in the middle of the team, controlling everything and ordering. I admire him, really."

Barca moved up to third in LaLiga after a 4-0 thrashing of Osasuna, their fourth consecutive top-flight win, but Busquets is aware of the tough threat Ancelotti's Madrid will pose.

"Everything is different. The self-esteem, the state of mind, the confidence. A new coach arrived who made several changes and brought his philosophy that he gave us so many years ago," Busquets said.

"The new players have been understanding it little by little. We are a more complete team. We still have a long way to go, but this is the way.

"It will be a test [on Sunday] because Madrid are the leaders and compete with us to win all the titles. We have to be realistic, we are going to compete, but then hopefully the result will fall in our favour."

Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti played down the injury concern of talisman Karim Benzema after the Frenchman appeared hurt soon after netting his second goal in a 3-0 win over Real Mallorca.

Benzema scored twice in five second-half minutes to put the game beyond Madrid's hosts on Monday, but he looked in some discomfort while celebrating Los Blancos' third goal.

Soon after, in the 85th minute, Benzema departed having indicated a problem with his calf, forcing Madrid to close out the match with 10 men as they had already used their five permitted substitutions.

The two goals moved Benzema's season tally to 22 in 25 LaLiga matches, and although Ancelotti admitted they are in "wait and see" mode, he does not expect anything serious.

A major problem for their key man would be a significant blow for Madrid ahead of Sunday's El Clasico.

"We have to evaluate him in the next few days – things don't seem very serious," Ancelotti said.

"Karim did not feel good after a jump – we have to wait until Wednesday [to learn more]."

Real Madrid now sit 10 points clear of second-placed Sevilla but face a serious test of their credentials next with the visit of a resurgent Barcelona.

Vinicius Junior and Karim Benzema were the difference once again as Real Madrid beat Real Mallorca 3-0 on Monday to take full advantage of Sevilla's latest slip-up and go 10 points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Carlo Ancelotti's men were aiming for a fourth league win in a row and, although they rode their luck at times, Los Blancos got the job done to see their points cushion at the summit reach double figures.

Mallorca arguably created the better chances in the first half, though Vinicius was more ruthless soon after the restart, even if there was a hint of controversy around it.

It set Madrid on their way and Benzema put the game beyond Mallorca from the spot before nodding in his second of the day late on, though Ancelotti will be worried that he failed to complete the game.

Amid a busy start, Madrid were fortunate to not fall behind in the 11th minute, as Vedat Muriqi steered a close-range volley off target from Brian Olivan's excellent cross.

They got even luckier just past the half-hour mark when Pablo Maffeo scuffed wide from 10 yards with only Thibaut Courtois to beat.

Predictably, Mallorca were made to pay.

Referee Jose Maria Sanchez Martinez refused to penalise Federico Valverde for tripping Iddrisu Baba just outside the hosts' box, and Benzema fed Vinicius into the area for a straightforward finish.

Mallorca's response was lacking and Madrid finished them off 13 minutes from time, Benzema slotting home a penalty after Vinicius was nudged over while trying to reach a pass from his partner.

Benzema added another with a well-placed header from a Marcelo cross, but he was then withdrawn with an apparent calf strain in what could be a major blow ahead of the Clasico.

Karim Benzema has hinted this could be his best season in a Real Madrid shirt, following his side's knockout win over Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.

The talismanic Benzema scored a hat-trick in Madrid's epic comeback from a two-goal aggregate deficit, which meant he surpassed Alfredo di Stefano as the club's third-highest goalscorer with his total of 309, including 67 Champions League goals – now ahead of Raul.

While the 34-year-old was sceptical on whether Wednesday night's win was his best game for Madrid, this season is providing some individual enthusiasm.

"I don’t know if it's my best game because I also remember the Champions League final against Liverpool," Benzema told Real Madrid TV.

"If it is, it's because of the goals, because there are three in a very important game – a comeback, we trailed 2-0 in the tie. It was a very big game, but also for the players.

"It could be my best season because every year I want to do more than the previous one and I'm on a good path now.

"I am happy and proud, but it's for the whole team. It's everyone's effort. The team, the people who were on the field, the people who weren't but help their team-mates as well. Also the coaches, the fans, all of that, it was a magical night for everyone."

Only scoring five league goals in Cristiano Ronaldo's final season at Madrid in 2017-18, Benzema has cracked 20 in each season since, with 20 in 24 LaLiga appearances this season and 30 goals in all competitions.

This is on top of the sizeable role Benzema and Luka Modric's interplay has had in Madrid's build-up play, during and after Ronaldo's time at the Santiago Bernabeu.

With all this in mind, the magnitude of passing Di Stefano's goals tally is not lost on Benzema.

"It's a dream because [Di Stefano] is a Madrid legend," the forward said. "I remember my first day here when he was with the president, and he gave me a hug. He is a legend. Being in his place makes me very proud, very happy and gives me more strength to go higher.

"These are very important figures. I signed for this club, firstly, to win titles. I didn't plan to score goals like I'm doing now, but I always wanted to be inside the heads of people, of the Madridistas one day, and I think I'm on the right track."

The LaLiga leaders travel to the Balearic Islands this weekend, to face Mallorca on Monday, before next Sunday's Clasico with Barcelona.

Thibaut Courtois tipped Karim Benzema to challenge for the Ballon d'Or following his star performance for Real Madrid against Paris Saint-Germain.

Benzema struck a hat-trick to secure a 3-1 second-leg win over PSG at the Santiago Bernabeu and send Madrid into the Champions League quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

The Ligue 1 leaders held a 1-0 lead from the first leg of the last-16 tie and, after Kylian Mbappe fired past Courtois in the first half, it looked as though the tie could be over.

That was until Benzema led a stirring fightback in the final half-hour, scoring his first after forcing an error from goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma and then steering home a deflected strike.

The France striker then flicked in Vinicius Junior's pass to send the home fans into jubilations and mark his 500th start for the club in supreme style by surpassing the great Alfredo Di Stefano in Madrid's all-time scoring charts with 309 in all competitions.

Courtois now thinks Benzema, who became the oldest player to score a hat-trick in Champions League history at the age of 34 years and 80 days, could be in line for the game's top individual honour in 2022.

"I think he's one of the greatest players in the world, the best number nine, maybe with Lewandowski right now," Courtois told RMC Sport.

"I think he showed why he should, maybe, win the Ballon d'Or this year. He's a great player, a real captain. He led the team to victory with his goals and his class."

Mbappe twice saw a goal ruled out for offside prior to Madrid's fightback as PSG again suffered a Champions League second-leg collapse in Spain, five years on from their famous 6-1 loss to Luis Enrique's Barcelona.

"In the end, it was a complicated match with Kylian and Neymar on the counter-attack," said Courtois.

"That was how the first goal came about. Just before then, they had a few chances without much danger.

"We had a nice shot from Karim, I think Donnarumma made a good save from a header. Then Karim pressed the goalkeeper well, he made a mistake, we got back to 1-1. From there, I think the whole stadium was behind us.

"We went for the win after going 2-1 up, the third goal was key, and you felt that for the PSG players, it was harder after this goal."

Carlo Ancelotti hailed Karim Benzema as a "fantastic leader" after the Real Madrid striker's sensational hat-trick dumped Paris Saint-Germain out of the Champions League on Wednesday.

PSG looked on course of the last eight when Kylian Mbappe put them 2-0 up on aggregate late in the first half.

Los Blancos roared back in the second period, though, thanks to Benzema's hat-trick – the second and third of which came within the space of just 106 seconds.

It saw him become the oldest scorer of a hat-trick in Champions League history (aged 34 years and 80 days), 17 days older than Olivier Giroud in December 2020 for Chelsea against Sevilla.

The treble also saw him move above Alfredo Di Stefano into third on Madrid's all-time top goalscorer list with 309.

Ancelotti was full of praise for the talismanic striker as Madrid overturned a first-leg deficit in a Champions League knockout tie for only the fourth time.

"Karim Benzema is a fantastic leader, a fantastic centre forward," he told reporters. 

"I'm very happy with what he's doing and his attitude.

"After the first goal, we got into a good dynamic, we pressed and controlled the ball better. We had fewer difficulties in the second half compared to the first. 

"At half-time, we said to ourselves that we had to stay in the game, even if it was difficult, thinking that something could happen.

"PSG are a great team with great players, but that's football, every little thing can change everything like that first goal."

PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino was adamant Madrid's first goal should have been ruled out for a foul by Benzema on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, but Ancelotti did not agree with his opposite number. 

Asked if it was a foul, the Italian said: "I don't think so.

"We suffered a lot, but we held on. It was difficult to hold the ball, we tried to press then Karim's good pressure gave us the opportunity to win the game. During the last half hour, there was only one team on the field."

Benzema's third sparked jubilant scenes at the Santiago Bernabeu, with Ancelotti describing the stadium as "magic". 

"I have played many games in this competition and many difficult ones like this," he added. "This stadium has magic; it has a very beautiful history and that is what happens. Hopefully it will not be the last night like this."

Madrid return to domestic action on Monday when they visit Real Mallorca. 

As soon as the December draw for the Champions League round-of-16 threw out Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, all eyes were on a certain French striker.

And for a long time Kylian Mbappe looked set to be the difference-maker between two European giants who are also in a tug-of-war for the forward's future.

His excellent goal in the first leg at the Parc des Princes was decisive then, and he terrorised Los Blancos further in Madrid.

But almost out of nowhere the tie was turned on its head, with Karim Benzema once again proving his master status with a truly exceptional display of ruthlessness as Madrid won 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu to secure their passage to the quarter-finals 3-2 on aggregate.

This was anything but predictable. After all, the tie was all set up perfectly for 'The Narrative' to settle things in this clash of titans.

For months, maybe years, Madrid have flirted with the idea of bringing Mbappe to the Spanish capital, even going as far as submitting huge bids for him last August.

Carlo Ancelotti is asked about him at pretty much every pre-match news conference, such is the obsession in the Spanish press, but PSG's resolve in August seemed to be paying dividends just over six months later, with Mbappe crucial last time and in the mood here.

Ahead of the trip to Madrid, PSG communicated how the Frenchman was a doubt due to a training knock. Whether that was the truth or subterfuge can only be confirmed by Mauricio Pochettino, but one thing's for certain, Mbappe looked as sharp as ever.

The warning signs were there – twice – inside the first 13 minutes. On both occasions, Mbappe managed to get in behind Madrid's riskily high defence, but he let the hosts off the hook each time.

Despite worrying signs for Madrid, at no point did you expect a tactical change from Ancelotti given Madrid's desperate need to get at least one goal.

As such, the Mbappe 'cheatcode' was seemingly always going to be a possibility for PSG as long as the other 10 remained focused. For all the obsession over tactics, Pochettino's approach seemed to resemble that of millions of FIFA video game players from down the years: kick the ball beyond the defence for the really, really fast chap.

And that was exactly how the breakthrough came. PSG defended a corner and Neymar picked up possession deep inside his own half. Mbappe was already on the charge and the Brazilian clipped a first-time ball over Dani Carvajal.

Mbappe surged forward, shaped to curl his shot around Eder Militao and then picked out the near corner instead, usurping Zlatan Ibrahimovic as PSG's all-time leading scorer in the process.

The offside flag then cruelly, but crucially correctly, denied Mbappe what would have gone down as a classic Champions League goal early in the second, latching on to a throughball and beating Thibaut Courtois with an exquisite stepover before he'd even touched the ball and slotting into an empty net.

And almost instantly PSG's performance went stunningly awry.

Gianluigi Donnarumma's dawdling on the ball gifted Madrid an equaliser as Benzema charged down his clearance and then stabbed in from Vinicius Junior's cut-back.

Suddenly Madrid were like a pack of rabid wolves. Donnarumma's hesitancy and indecision began to overcome the rest of his back four, with PSG almost in a flash going from in control to utterly terrified.

Just 15 minutes later, 1-1 turned into 2-1, with Luka Modric doing brilliantly in midfield to pick out Vinicius, who had the presence of mind to patiently wait for the Croatian to appear on the edge of the box, and he slotted the ball through to Benzema to steer home.

Then, within seconds of PSG restarting the game, Marquinhos panicked in his own area, flicking the ball into the path of Benzema who unleashed an impossibly cool finish into the bottom-right corner, picking it out with the outside of his foot without breaking stride.

It sparked bedlam in the stands of the Santiago Bernabeu as it quickly dawned on the Madrid faithful and players that the tie was theirs. While PSG had the best part of 15 minutes to fight back, their mystifying lack of composure since the hour mark had already sapped them of belief.

Mbappe looked on, having gone from unstoppable to helpless in the space of just a few second-half minutes.

Of course, a key difference between the goalscorers was their respective supporting casts. While Lionel Messi, Marco Verratti and Neymar looked impressive in the first half, they were nowhere to be seen after half-time.

Madrid, on the other hand, had already looked a threat with Vinicius up top alongside Benzema. The Brazilian excelled where his compatriot Neymar could not – the young winger was relentless, working exceptionally hard throughout to ensure Benzema didn't have to do it alone, even if the headlines will suggest it was all him.

There is a school of thought that this tie will ultimately determine where Mbappe ends up next season. On the evidence of this, a front three of him, Benzema and Vinicius will be mouthwatering.

Mbappe has so far been very calm and unequivocal when asked about his future, but Madrid have given him a glimpse of what awaits.

Karim Benzema scored a sensational hat-trick as Real Madrid fought back to beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Wednesday and secure a scarcely believable 3-2 aggregate victory in their Champions League last-16 tie.

Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to join Madrid on a free transfer at the end of the season, gave PSG a two-goal lead in the tie with a breakaway goal late in the first half – a goal that moved him clear of Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the Ligue 1 side's second all-time top scorer with 157 goals.

Benzema led a stirring Los Blancos fightback in the second half, though, grabbing his first in the 61st minute after a big mistake from Gianluigi Donnarumma.

He then sealed their progress into the quarter-finals with two goals in the space of two minutes to leave Mauricio Pochettino's side stunned.

Eduardo Camavinga and Luka Modric scored stunning long-range goals as ruthless Real Madrid beat Real Sociedad 4-1 to go eight points clear at the top of LaLiga.

Mikel Oyarzabal's early penalty put the sixth-placed Basques in front at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday, but Madrid fought back to stay on course for the title.

Two brilliant strikes in the space of three minutes late in the first half from Camavinga and Modric put Carlo Ancelotti's side ahead.

Karim Benzema was on target from the penalty spot after having two goals disallowed and Marco Asensio added a fourth goal to cap a hugely impressive performance from Los Blancos.

Oyarzabal drilled La Real into a 10th-minute lead from the spot, firing into the bottom-right corner after Dani Carvajal had upended David Silva.

The leaders ramped up the pressure after that early setback and were level four minutes before half-time, when Camavinga let fly from 30 yards out with his left foot and gave Alex Remiro no chance with a thunderous drive.

Benzema had a goal ruled out for offside moments later, but Modric put Madrid in front by bending a sublime left-foot strike into the top-far corner after creating space for himself with his quick feet.

Los Blancos carried on where they left off after the break.

Benzema had another goal chalked off for offside but slotted home from the spot after a VAR check ruled Vinicius Junior had been fouled by Aritz Elustondo just inside the box.

Asensio put the icing on the cake, tucking in after the marauding Carvajal cut the ball back into his path as La Real were swept aside.

Carlo Ancelotti was unmoved by reports Paris Saint-Germain have offered to make Real Madrid-linked Kylian Mbappe the highest-paid footballer in the world.

Mbappe was in devastating form against Madrid on Wednesday, scoring PSG's late winner in the Champions League last-16 first leg at the Parc des Princes after generally impressing throughout.

The France star's decisiveness was fitting given overarching narrative of his future, which has put the two clubs into something of a tug-of-war over the past couple of years.

Madrid reportedly made several offers for Mbappe last year but were rebuffed by PSG, who were insistent that they would be able to persuade the striker to stay in Paris.

But then came January 1 and Mbappe still had not signed a new contract, meaning he became eligible to begin discussing moves to foreign clubs.

Many expect he will join Madrid at the end of the season, but in the wake of their 1-0 win over Los Blancos, PSG apparently made it known they would be willing to give Mbappe a basic wage "far in excess of £500,000 [€600,000], and closer to £1m [€1.2m] a week", according to the Independent.

Ancelotti is not convinced that matters, however.

"Everyone has to think what they want," Ancelotti told reporters on Friday ahead of the clash with Deportivo Alaves.

"I have to say, they pay me a lot and so I am privileged, but what I like is not the money I earn, but what I do."

Ancelotti acknowledged in the wake of the defeat in Paris that Madrid were poor, as they struggled to get control of the contest and subsequently found themselves under pressure for much of the game.

They failed to get a single shot on target for only the second time in a Champions League game since Opta records began (2003-04), and their 0.14 expected goals (xG) was their worst in the competition in just under nine years.

He was asked again about the performance and he recognised the best thing about the game was that they only lost 1-0.

"Sometimes it's the little details that decide the matches," he said. "I'm quite honest, we played very badly against PSG in what we normally do well. We had a bad night.

"This doesn't worry me so much because I know the quality and personality the team has for getting out of this.

"The criticism is justified because we did badly. The first critic is myself. The approach has not been good and I have to take responsibility.

"Criticism must be understood and learned from because sometimes it is very helpful. The idea that I don't talk to the players is nonsense.

"I spoke with the president and with the director and we have the same feeling. We are hurt but I think we are honest: we played badly and the image of Real Madrid was not good, which is what hurts the most. The best thing about the game was the result."

Tuesday's match was the sixth game in a row in which Vinicius Junior has failed to score after an extremely bright first half to the season, while Madrid as a team have netted just once in four.

Ancelotti is not concerned about there being a specific issue with Vinicius, however.

"Everything that happens to the team is happening to him, we've dropped off a bit," he added. "But the team is doing well physically.

"Against Villarreal we did well sometimes and against PSG we suffered until the end. Vini has had a very intense month and now he's going to be more effective.

"We have to score more, that's clear. But now Karim [Benzema] is back, he's the main striker, who scores a lot of goals and gets a lot of assists.

"When he's well, he's better. We've had problems but he's fine and he's going to help us fix it."

Carlo Ancelotti recognised Real Madrid had no answer to Kylian Mbappe in Tuesday's defeat to Paris Saint-Germain, acknowledging the match-winner was "unstoppable".

PSG claimed a slender 1-0 win over Madrid at the Parc des Princes to take a first-leg lead to the Santiago Bernabeu next month.

Mbappe got the decisive goal right at the end, skipping between a couple of defenders before firing through Thibaut Courtois' legs.

But Mbappe had terrorised the Madrid defence throughout, managing seven shots in total, drawing some vital saves from Courtois.

Mbappe also won the penalty that Lionel Messi had saved, with the France striker rising to the occasion against the club many expect him to join at the end of the season.

Ancelotti has rarely shied away from declaring his admiration for Mbappe, and he saluted the 23-year-old's show-stopping display.

"Mbappe is unstoppable," Ancelotti was quoted as saying by Marca.

"We have tried to control him. [Eder] Militao has done very well but [Mbappe] can always invent something out of nothing, and he created at the last minute."

In contrast to Mbappe's, Madrid's performance was significantly lacking in purpose, almost appearing to play for a draw from the outset.

They failed to get a shot on target for only the second time in a Champions League game since Opta records began (2003-04).

In fact, their 0.14 expected goals (xG) is Madrid's worst in a Champions League match since registering just 0.05 xG against Borussia Dortmund in April 2013.

Explaining their issues, Ancelotti continued: "We've done quite well in defence but we haven't been very aggressive.

"We lacked something with the ball, we've missed many passes and it took a lot to get out of their pressure.

"[Marco] Asensio and Vini [Vinicius Junior], [Karim] Benzema as well, they didn't get many balls. With the ball we didn't do as we wanted.

"We tried to start from the back but it didn't work out. The low block had to be more aggressive, but it wasn't a conservative approach. It didn't work out for us, getting the ball as we know."

Benzema was withdrawn in the second half after making his comeback following over three weeks on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, though Ancelotti assured he was not substituted due to that problem.

"Benzema's problem was not physical," he said. "I changed him just before the end, the problem is that the balls we wanted did not reach him.

"I'm optimistic, although we have to do better in the second leg. We have the game at home and we don't have to worry about the away goal.

"It's clear that PSG have a good advantage but hopefully it won't be enough."

Neymar was named on the substitutes' bench for Paris Saint-Germain's Champions League last-16 first leg against Real Madrid, who were able to welcome back top scorer Karim Benzema on Tuesday. 

Brazil star Neymar, who turned 30 earlier this month, has not played since suffering an ankle ligament injury in a win over Saint-Etienne in November.

However, he returned to training over the past week and was deemed fit enough by boss Mauricio Pochettino to be named on the bench for the visit of Los Blancos.

Lionel Messi, who scored 26 goals in 45 appearances against Madrid for Barcelona, Kylian Mbappe and Angel Di Maria lead the line for the Ligue 1 leaders. 

Madrid, meanwhile, were able to call upon the services of talisman Benzema, who had not played since suffering a hamstring strain on January 23 against Elche. 

Speaking on Monday, Los Blancos coach Carlo Ancelotti was non-committal on the availability of Benzema, but the France striker has been deemed fit enough to start in a huge boost for Madrid.

Benzema was named in attack alongside Vinicius Junior and Marco Asensio.