Tops
Neymar, long unhappy but in the final decisive
The Brazilian had declared "to give his whole life" on this match. And he showed it. Placed as the central playmaker, the Parisian number 10 was simply elusive from start to finish. Constantly striking, he multiplied his breakthroughs with the ball at the foot. But what a lot of wasted opportunities at first. From an awkward entry into a failed duel against the opposing goalkeeper (3rd), he still missed a few opportunities (19th, 28th, 42nd, 77th). But he never got discouraged. Continuing to offer good balls to his partners, he kept all his lucidity to serve Marquinhos, equalizer scorer. Before launching in a perfect tempo Mbappé on the action of the 2nd Parisian goal. Purchased 222 million euros from Barça three years ago, he showed why he came to the Paris club.
Mbappé, an expected entry
As agreed, Kylian Mbappé was not the holder. And his entrance was scrutinized. She arrived on time to replace an insufficient Sarabia. And the Frenchman was immediately in tune with devastating acceleration on the left side. If he, like his friend, missed opportunities (74th, 81st), he did not give up and turned into a decisive passer for Choupo-Moting, who scored the winning goal. Hard-hitting, it will not be too much for the upcoming semi-final.
Marquinhos, the man through whom hope has returned
Appointed captain of PSG after the departure of Thiago Silva, Marquinhos still showed great solidity in the midfield. Replaced as sentry, the Brazilian was invaluable in intercepting the balloons in the midfield. It was through him that hope returned with this angry goal in the 90th minute. An end of the match that will go down in the history of PSG, which turns 50 this Wednesday.
Paris has at least the state of mind
If, in the game, Paris was disappointing, it had the merit of not giving up. The best example is the performance of the players who entered during the match. We can obviously think of Mbappé, but also of Paredes, precious to find laser passes. Without forgetting the hero of the evening: Eric Choupo-Moting. Often criticized, even mocked, the Cameroonian was present in the right place at the right time. And hoists Paris for its first semi-final of the Champions League since 1995. With an end to the match which is enough to forget, in part, the past disappointments.
Flops
But Paris was laborious
If all observers will remember this crazy finish, we must not forget the lackluster performance in the game of this PSG . Organized in a 4-4-2 diamond pattern, the Parisian team suffered in the duels and was well contained by the opposing organization, Atalanta having been effective in pressing. For 90 minutes, only Neymar was able to do well, when his partners turned into spectators. Too much dependent on its Brazilian genius, Paris almost burned itself down, once again. To think about for the rest.
Atalanta came close A
revelation of this season in the Champions League, Atalanta Bergamo came very close to a historic semi-final. Well organized for a long time, the Dea was not necessarily flamboyant. But she was able to show herself solid, while having been realistic by scoring on one of her rare occasions. But physically exhausted, the players of Gasperini ended up giving in in the last moments.
Icardi-Sarabia, it's worrying
The starting attack duo was not at the party this Wednesday evening. Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia have indeed encountered all the difficulties in the world to exist offensively. The Argentinian was still heavy on his support and struggled to offer solutions for Neymar, who was also annoyed with him. As for Sarabia, he too seemed to run out of juice, with sluggish runs and poor use of the ball. Paris can welcome Di Maria and Mbappé's coming returns for the Champions League semi-final.
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