Ibrahimovic Scores Twice As PSG Secures Victory In Germany

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice as Paris St-Germain took a huge step towards the Champions League quarter-finals with a convincing last-16 first-leg win over 10-man Bayer Leverkusen.

Blaise Matuidi slid the ball under goalkeeper Bernd Leno to give the visitors a third-minute lead.

Ibrahimovic then scored a penalty and fired into the top corner from 20 yards within three first-half minutes.

Yohan Cabaye sidefooted into the top corner after Emir Spahic saw red.

Ibrahimovic’s two goals see him move ahead of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo to become the tournament’s top scorer this season, with a personal best 10 Champions League goals.

Before Tuesday, the Sweden striker had appeared in 30 matches in the Champions League knockout stages but only scored five goals, and he has yet to win the competition despite spells with Barcelona, Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan and Ajax.

Here he was a crucial presence, however, and even without their injured £55m striker Edinson Cavani, PSG sent out a warning to the rest of Europe’s big teams with a masterful away performance. They go into the return leg at Parc des Princes on 12 March knowing no side has ever overturned a 4-0 deficit in the competition.