Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain played to a 0-0 stalemate in the Champions League on Wednesday, providing the Spanish giants with a huge boost.

Both teams remain level on points, but Madrid now heads home for the rematch, giving the squad a huge advantage.

More importantly, Madrid pulled off the solid defensive effort by playing with a starting lineup that included Lucas Vasquez and Jese Rodriguez, two players that would usually be riding the pine with Madrid's top players ready to go.

PSG held the possession advantage but barely got a sniff at the goal, throwing 11 shots at the net but only forcing one save from Keylor Navas. One.

Real Madrid had four shots on target out of their 18 but were undeniably the more dangerous of the two sides. PSG goalie Kevin Trapp had to make a number of big saves, particularly on Cristiano Ronaldo who was in fine form on the night. Ronaldo had two headed chances turned away by Trapp and then fired a shot a few inches wide late in the match. Trapp also made a big save on Jese early in the game.

PSG never managed to get anywhere close, a worrying sign returning to Madrid.

In two weeks time, one of James Rodriguez, Gareth Bale or Karim Benzema should be back. Maybe all of them will be back and starting alongside Ronaldo up top. If that is the case, then the superstar is bound to get better service in the area, something that was rather lacking on this day. Toni Kroos and Marcelo were the most useful in this regard and having the other trio of attackers should only improve the chances Madrid's attack and Ronaldo get on the night.

Also missing for most of the game was Luka Modric, the architect of Madrid's offense. He came on late in the game but his creative prowess in the middle of the park was sorely missed. He should be back to full strength in the rematch.

All this points toward Madrid getting some good luck heading into the rematch in a few weeks time. Of course that also means that PSG can also better adjust its game plan in what will be a far greater challenge.