Unfortunately for Neymar, in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, it is impossible to forgive so many failures. Without Kylian Mbappé at the kickoff, the Brazilian star of PSG, for his first career appearance on Portuguese soil, missed out on his performance against Atalanta Bergamo. It is all the more difficult to come to this conclusion that the Parisian leader has become the sole spearhead of the attack and that he was one of the only members of Thomas Tuchel's team. to energize the game.
But how the one who is described as the third best player in the world, behind Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, could have been so wrong in front of goal? After three minutes in this quarter-final played behind closed doors, Ney drove his sidelines crazy. From Tuchel to Mbappé, his incredible miss of the flat of the right foot 10 meters from the Italian goal caused general astonishment. An occasion which, transformed, would have allowed all of Paris to experience a much more peaceful encounter.
Lonely without his accomplice Mbappé
Positioned in number 10 in a diamond-shaped environment, Neymar had plenty of time to go down and collect the balls very low, to help his teammates out of the Bergamesque pressing. And this is the only successful mission for the Brazilian. His mastery on the ball owes nothing to anyone. Even in the sheds, on long balls, he showed great abilities. Was he too lonely to help Paris? This is one of the options. But if PSG are unable to defeat Atalanta Bergamo without Kylian Mbappé, how can we aim higher?
In his dribbling, Neymar has yet driven his opponents crazy, like this small bridge on the Italian striker Pasalic (28th) or a large bridge in the area (59th). He is no stranger to the many warnings received by Atalanta. But, once again, the finish went wrong. At the end of the first period (42nd), on a high recovery well felt, the former Barcelona hastened his gesture before sending a unscrewed strike from the left in the empty stands of the Luz.
The entry of Mbappé (60th) provided an offensive solution alongside Neymar, annoyed by Icardi's immobility. A superb body feint of the French world champion would have deserved a delivery in a touch of the ball from his Brazilian friend, which the latter did not feel. Physically, Neymar seemed to end up exhausted, like a last face-to-face (77th) missed. Three years after arriving in Paris, the most expensive player in history has still not become the best. Time flies.
“It's a wonderful evening, facing a surprise team from the competition, very aggressive. They played really well, we also had a great game. now we will have to rest. "And to conclude:" I hope we will go to the final. With this state of mind, it's impossible to put us out of this competition. I never thought about elimination. “Parisian supporters cannot say the same.
