The final 29 minutes of Real Madrid vs. PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night were entirely surreal. First we watched Gianluigi Donnarumma press the self-destruct button to hand Real a lifeline, then Karim Benzema equalized following some genius Luka Modrić play and finally, only 11 seconds after we got play restarted, it was Marquinhos' time to show why he's PSG captain by playing the ball straight to Benzema for the go-ahead goal.
If that wasn't wild enough, the scenes that accompanied Benzema's winner included a delirious David Alaba lifting a chair in the background.
But why did David Alaba celebrate with a chair?
KARIM BENZEMA MAKES HISTORY WITH A HAT-TRICK!
Real lead and Benzema is now the third top scorer in Real history, tied with the great Alfredo Di Stefano. pic.twitter.com/DlXbmPRXGT— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) March 9, 2022
Look at alaba pic.twitter.com/V16gENDQlJ
— Praveen Chauhan (@tonny_316) March 9, 2022
Don’t you sit in our chair! pic.twitter.com/lmJAMyM8UD
— David Alaba (@David_Alaba) March 9, 2022
The reason Alaba celebrated with a chair seems pretty obvious. Real Madrid is the king of Europe as the 13-time winner of the Champions League. They sit on the throne.
⛲️ KINGS OF EUROPE.#UCL pic.twitter.com/Gov7fem0e9
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadriden) March 9, 2022
PSG, after beating Real in the first leg, seemed to anoint itself king (the club is synonymous with "when trash talk goes wrong" at this point). They became the darlings of the competition (despite it only being the first leg of the last-16) and Mbappé's early goal looked to have cemented the team's place in the quarterfinals. Based on the way PSG played in the second half, there's no arguing it.
However, Real's unbelievable comeback confirmed just how premature PSG's celebrations had been. If you come at the king, you best not miss. PSG missed and Alaba is reminding them who rightfully sits on the throne.
