Keylor Navas was therefore not enough. The Parisian goalkeeper's guide mission stopped at the stadium of the Champions League final against Bayern Munich on Sunday evening. The first lost in the career of the Costa Rican. This fervent Catholic has always explained that he puts his life "in the hands of God". His prayers were not heard this time. His gaze focused in the tunnel of the Luz stadium had nevertheless set the tone. That of an evening when Paris had placed a large part of its future on its solid shoulders.
The 33-year-old guard almost missed the date. Blame it on a right thigh which let it go on a quarter-final clearance against Atalanta Bergamo (2-1). An injury at the worst of times, in this Final 8 of the Champions League, the competition for which PSG went to poach Navas at Real Madrid for 15 million euros last summer.
From Salvatore Sirigu to Alphonse Areola and from Kevin Trapp to Gianluigi Buffon, the capital club had never found THE goalkeeper to match its ambitions. Facing Bayern, Paris needed too much Navas' talent, his experience as a triple winner of the event with the Madrid club (2016, 2017, 2018). Just after leaving the field, the goalkeeper and the medical staff had promised to win this race against the clock. Thursday, he resumed collective training. But he was not reassured until the day before the final. When he confirmed to Thomas Tuchel that he was able to start the meeting, the Parisian coach heaved a sigh of relief.
Conductor of a heckled defense
After half an hour of play, it's Navas' turn to think he had a lucky star over his head. On a cross from Alphonso Davies from the right, Lewandowski plays Thiago Silva with an air control of the left foot chained with a pivot strike of the right foot. Navas goes to bed but is too short. From the corner of his eye, the goalkeeper sees the ball crashing into the base of his post (21st). A free warning that wakes Parisians a bit.
Navas turns into a conductor of a defense heckled by the German offensives. A constant with this locker room boss. He also applies his coach's instructions to the letter, quickly seeking his trio of attackers on long raises. Vigilant, Navas turns into a savior by blocking on his line a recovery of Lewandowski's head with an impeccable reflex parade (31st). But faced with the fury of Bayern players, his calls to go up the block are not heard enough. On yet another German highlight, he found himself isolated when Coman perfectly crossed his head on a Kimmich cross. His desperate plunge can not prevent the former Parisian from rocking the meeting (0-1, 59th). On the other side of the field, Manuel Neuer in turn disgusts Neymar (18th), Mbappé (45th) or Marquinhos (70th). The distance duel turns in favor of the 2014 German world champion. For Navas and PSG, the miracle did not take place.