Paris Saint-Germain advanced to the Champions League quarterfinals 3-2 on aggregate with a 2-0 second-leg victory over Borussia Dortmund at an empty Parc des Princes stadium on Wednesday.
The Ligue 1 side faced the prospect of yet another disappointing campaign in Europe after losing 2-1 in the first leg, however first-half goals from Neymar and Juan Bernat secured passage on an eerie night in Paris.
Neymar, who appeared to hurt his shoulder early in the match, opened the scoring on 28 minutes with a well-placed diving header from an Angel Di Maria cross following a corner kick.
Bernat collected an unlikely second goal just before half-time following a swift PSG move — the former Bayern Munich man ever-so-slightly redirecting a low Pablo Sarabia cross past Roman Burki and into the far netting.
Pushing and shoving between the teams ensued after a hard challenge on Neymar on the sideline, highlighting a frustrating night for the Germans in France — new signing Emre Can receiving a red card for pushing the Brazilian after a verbal exchange.
The match was played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, with the French government announcing on Sunday night an indefinite ban on gatherings of more than 1,000 people. However, PSG fans gathered outside the stadium, letting off flares and waving flags in a show of support for the team.
PSG have experienced an impressive run of domestic success since Nasser Al-Khelaifi and Qatar Sports Investments took over the club in 2011 but have never won the Champions League.