PSG-Manchester City (1-2): Marquinhos had shown the way

From one goal to another.

From one angry joy to another.

From the quarter to the semi-final, Marquinhos, the captain of PSG, launched this Wednesday evening an improbable bridge which inscribes it a little more in letters of gold in the history of his club.

We had indeed left the Brazilian on April 7, after a magnificent goal in the snow of Munich (2-3), in the quarter-final first leg.

A goal scored while he was injured.

A few seconds after his celebration, he gave up his place and almost immediately began a race against the clock in order to recover as quickly as possible from this thigh injury. Day after day, he did a series of treatments and small exercises. Last Thursday he was back in training. He stayed in Paris rather than moving to Metz to improve his condition.

Twenty-one days after Munich, Marquinhos had won his bet.

After missing four games, he was there at kick-off.

After fifteen minutes of play, he placed himself in the heart of the area, at the penalty point, next to Gundogan.

And when Di Maria started to hit the corner, he lost company to his bodyguard, rushed to the near post to come and place a magnificent uncrossed header (1-0, 15th).

His ninth goal in 64 games with Paris in the Champions League.

Helpless on Mahrez's goal

Immediately taken by the arm of Neymar, Marquinhos, happy as a kid, went to celebrate his goal with his friends at the foot of the bend just under the "behind you" of the sentence written by the Ultras in the middle of their giant tifo “One region, one city, all behind you on the way to the final triumph”.

Coming back to his position, he could wave his fist in the direction of Mauricio Pochettino and the substitutes applauding him again. At that moment, Marquinhos became the first defender and the third player only to score a goal in the quarter-and-halfs of two consecutive seasons, joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Antoine Griezmann. Marquinhos scored against Bergamo and Leipzig last year.

But the captain's evening was going to take a less pleasant turn. Paris was gradually bending under the pressure of Mancun. And following the corner he conceded by deflecting yet another dangerous ball, De Bruyne equalized (1-1, 64th). In the wall where the ball passed between Paredes and Kimpembe, Marquinhos could only see the damage (1-2, 71st). But on his shoulders he nodded in annoyance as much as in helplessness. At the end of the match, he tried twice to catch the ball with his head to equalize (89th). In vain.