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Champions League: by beating Manchester, PSG sets its record straight

Following the Paris-SG is an existentialism: living on the edge of the precipice, falling in and out of it because a ball has not entered for a few centimeters and the thickness of a post, mixing the happiness of a victory with taste for accomplishment and bitterness at seeing his best player turn his back on him. On the ropes after a catastrophic start to the 2020-2021 Champions League (two defeats in the three initial meetings), Paris-SG won (3-1) on the lawn of Manchester United on Wednesday and will open the doors of 8e final if he does not lose against the Turks of Istanbul Başakşehir at the Parc des Princes in a week. In case of defeat, any result other than a draw between RD Leipzig and Manchester will qualify it: a resurrection.

To readAgainst Leipzig, PSG relies on talent against chaos

«Almost pregnant, not pregnant, however, had fun the German coach of PSG Thomas Tuchel after the game. I don’t want to let a single guy think we’re already qualified. It’s one of the biggest challenges in the world to win here [à Manchester, ndlr]. The whole team had a great fight, but we still have to take a step.» The meeting was tough: back in the game at 1-1 before the break, the Mancuniens had clear opportunities at the start of the second period and there … «They had very clear opportunities coming back from the locker room, conceded midfielder Ander Herrera. If they score, the game is completely different. After that, we have a lot of quality, players who can kill the match like Kylian [Mbappé], Neymar, Mitch [Bakker] played fantastic… We had a great performance.» At half-time of the match, when the draw then virtually or almost eliminated his team, Tuchel urged his players to take risks and go forward: he was heard, a sign that he still weighs on this team, Neymar and others played on a thread, they almost fell but it passed.

“Play again with Messi”

And the general idea is that the Parisians peeled the victory themselves: tossed around, refereed hard (Manchester could have been reduced to 10 fairly quickly), in physical difficulty for months from the 50e minute, for lack (obviously) of a sufficiently solid pre-season preparation, they clung to the branches. And Neymar did the rest: two goals, another for the captain, Marquinhos, and the idea that the providential men of Paris-SG are eternally up to the task as long as the injuries do not take them away from the field. «Yes, Neymar was still decisive, admitted Tuchel. ” Mark ” [Marquinhos] as well. And these are already the two guys who had been decisive in Portugal [lors du Final 8 du mois d’août, soldant la Ligue des champions 2019-2020, ndlr]. They are leaders, it is clear, they still took their responsibilities when it was necessary. Congratulations to them. ”

The day before, the German coach was (falsely) surprised at the ineffectiveness of Mbappé in a competition where he has not scored for nearly a year: since the international tricolor has not scored either. Manchester, things remain in order and Tuchel knows what he owes and especially to whom he owes it. Once the job was done, Neymar went to sit in front of ESPN’s microphone and he also put his own things back in place: «What I want the most is to play again with Lionel Messi. Still enjoying it with him in the field. I will play it anywhere, even in my place. We should try next season.» Neymar spares the double meaning: a one-way ticket Barcelona-Paris for Messi or Paris-Barcelona for himself. Messi is free to sign where he wants next June and Paris-SG has so far held Neymar against his will. But the Brazilian’s contract comes to an end in June 2022, which also leaves him the possibility of signing where he wants for zero euro transfer in thirteen months, a lever that could force the club to let go this summer to touch Something. Even on victory nights, the sky does not take long to darken: the Paris-SG in all its splendor.

Gregory Schneider

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