Gareth Bale came off the bench to help Real Madrid beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 in the first leg of their Round of 16 tie. Bale was on the bench as coach Zinedine Zidane opted to start with Benzema, Isco and Ronaldo. The game was tied at 1-1 when Bale came on as a substitute for Benzema midway through the second half.

Zidane also introduced Lucas Vazquez and Marco Asensio off the bench for Casemiro and Isco respectively, and the move paid rich dividends as Real eventually won 3-1. It was a bold move from Zidane when PSG opted to bring in an extra defender, with Meunier brought on for Cavani.