What a beautiful evening experienced by PSG. The capital club made short work of Maccabi Haifa tonight on Matchday 5 of the Champions League group stage. After a festival of goals, Paris won 7-2 and officially qualified for the round of 16 of the competition. The Messi-Neymar-Mbappé trio delighted, the Argentinian and the Frenchman scoring twice each, while the Brazilian was “content” with a goal. However at the start of the game, Galtier had to do without Verratti, suspended, forcing him to use Renato Sanches as a sentry in front of the defense.
The Parisian MNM too strong
The Israelis got off to a good start with a spirited first quarter of an hour, but that wasn’t enough. On its first opportunity, PSG took the lead on this goal from the outside of the foot signed Messi (1-0, 18th). In the process, Mbappé doubled the bet with a shot from the top corner (2-0, 32nd), then Neymar went there with his goal (3-0, 35th). Seck reduced the mark by being at the reception of this free kick (3-1, 38th). The Pulga then restarted the machine before the break (4-1, 43rd). As often, the champion of France experiences air pockets, as after returning to the locker room, where Maccabi took the opportunity to revive by Seck (4-2, 50th). PSG then got back in touch and widened the gap through Mbappé (5-2, 64th), Goldberg against his side (6-2, 67th) and Soler (7-2, 84th).
Man of the match: Mbappé (9.5): like his two neighbors on the Parisian offensive lines, the number 7 of PSG was there with his very good score. On the first goal, he showed a very good fighting spirit to tear himself away and offer the opener to Messi (20th). He was then at the conclusion of a counter played quickly and cleanly after a collective combination with Neymar (32nd). His call on the third goal allows two Maccabi players to be sucked in to free up the field for Neymar (35th). He then shifts his Argentinian teammate on the fourth goal at the entrance to the area (44th). In the second half, Mbappé offered his double with a shot in the skylight rolled up on the service of Hakimi (67th). Result of the races: two goals and two offerings for Kylian. Replaced by Ekitiké at the 78th who has a good one-on-one opportunity stopped by the Maccabi goalkeeper (82nd).
PSG :
Donnarumma (4,5) : on the first goal of the Israelis, the Italian goalkeeper offered a very bad reading, hesitating to go out. He had a real error of judgment on the free kick from Atzili (39th). Not much else to say about the performance of the Italian goalkeeper, author despite everything of three stops.
Judge (5) : despite a very complicated defensive performance where he was worried by the rapid overflows of Abu Fani in particular, the Moroccan barely made up for it with a formidable cross for Kylian Mbappé on the sixth Parisian goal. Face-to-face, before, he refused the shot, when he had a good opportunity (56th).
Marquinhos (3) : decidedly the captain of PSG can no longer do it. Never serene, he is far from giving off a defensive assurance. On the first score reduction, he did not mark any of the players on the free kick shot in the box by Omer Atzili (39th), and on Maccabi’s second achievement, Marquinhos lost his aerial and physical duel (50th).
Ramos (5) : probably the only Parisian defender with a solid minimum. The former Madridista has been very vocal about Maccabi players’ many breakthroughs down the flanks. He was often the last bastion to clear the ball for a corner. His start to the match, when the score was still blank, was really solid, like the decisive stops, forming the last curtain in Paris (6th, 16th, 22nd). Replaced by Kimpembe in the 78th.
Bernat (4,5): the Spaniard suffered a lot in defense like Hakimi, being unable to effectively stop Atzili’s attacking assaults on his side. He struggled to keep up with the attacking rhythm on the climbs of the Parisian block unlike his Moroccan teammate who was able to bring more in attack.
Ruiz (3,5) : what a complicated meeting for the former Neapolitan. On a great service from Neymar, he missed his control which thus complicates his shot (9th). On Seck’s first goal, he did not follow the curtain and therefore offered a very bad mark by remaining motionless far from the game. Ruiz finished the match with only one duel won out of the eight played. Too often overwhelmed, too often hesitant. Replaced by Sarabia in the 83rd.
Sanches (5) : the Portuguese was in great difficulty, without having any real impact – apart from a few well-inspired physical duels. Renato has experienced a lot of technical waste. Replaced by Soler at the 68th who missed a face-to-face before scoring his first goal in the colors of PSG (84th).
Vitinha (6.5): with 94% of successful passes, the young Portuguese midfielder perfectly fulfilled the role of creator by initiating the many counterattacks in Paris. Without Verratti, it was Vitinha who shone. He also won most of his duels (3/4). He was the best midfielder on the PSG side tonight. Replaced by Zaire-Emery in the 78th.
Messi (9) : a match that takes on artistic appearances, as the Argentinian came close to perfection this evening. Two goals and two assists, just that. He chained the right combinations with his offensive companions. Author of the opener on a magnificent outside of the foot (20th), he then launched the counter-attack of the second goal by delivering a decisive pass (35th). He delayed well on the fourth Parisian goal to offer himself an individual work with a hook and a flat foot in the small net at the entrance to the surface (45th). La Pulga delivered a new decisive offer on the seventh goal of his team scored by Soler (84th).
Neymar (8,5) : after a slightly more sluggish start than the other two members of the trio, marked in particular by a very badly played 3 vs 1 counterattack where he was slow to give the ball to Mbappé or Vitinha (14th), a failed recovery on Mbappé’s pass (18th) or his understandable warning for protest, the Brazilian was able to bounce back with a scarf pass for the native of Bondy (32nd). He showed a very nice finish on the third goal made in MNM with the three attackers involved (35th). He is decisive in the sixth Parisian goal, centering in force on the calf of defender Sean Goldberg on the CSC of the latter (67th).
Mbappe (9.5): see above.
Maccabi Haifa:
Cohen (3) : what a difficult night for him. He waited until the 39th minute to finally stop an opposing attempt. Paris was already leading 3-1… Three goals on which he cannot do much, nor on the fourth signed Messi (44th), or on the last two of PSG scored by Mbappé (64th), Goldberg against his camp ( 67th) and Soler (84th). His crossbar saves him against the Pulga (77th).
Seck (5): the powerful Senegalese side struggled tonight. Warned for this big sole on Mbappé (25th) which could have cost him more, he is overtaken by the Messi-Mbappé-Neymar trio on the 2nd and 3rd goal. He still revived Maccabi twice, first by converting with a header this free kick from Atzili (38th), then by scoring from a corner (51st).
Science (3,5) : his start to the match is rather interesting with in particular this excellent return on Neymar, when the door was wide open on this counter (14th) and a header off target on this cross from Cornud (24th) but he ended up suffering. The speed of the Parisian game sometimes made him lose his head.
Goldberg (4) : the central defender has shown serious work, despite PSG’s attacking activity. If he can’t do much on the first three goals, he is however led by Messi on the 4th (43rd). He still had some problems aligning himself correctly with his partners. A good return on this cross from Mbappé (55th) but an own goal (67th).
Cornud (4,5) : the French tried to invest his left lane but it was complicated in the face of the opposing firepower. The rises of Hakimi and Fabian Ruiz hurt him in the first half. He still made his left foot speak on this cross for Batubinsika (24th) and that for Pierrot (47th). Replaced by Menachem in the 70th.
Lavi (3) : the Maccabi sentry had the role of short-circuiting the connections between Neymar and the rest of his team. Suffice to say that the evening promised to be delicate. We haven’t seen him enough with the ball. He mostly focused on plugging holes and running. It is also he who puts the leather directly on Mbappé on the second goal (32nd). Warned (73rd).
Mohamed (4,5) : the midfielder tried to bring the surplus by often taking the right lane (25th) or by coming to support his attackers, as on this discount to Chery (43rd). The Nigerian tried to play in the direction of the game with some success. Inevitably, he defended less and above all won far too few duels (2/7).
Abu Fani (5): probably the most active Maccabi player. A technical awkwardness on this two-man corner which wasted a good ammunition (7th), then an out-of-frame attempt to start his match (22nd). His nice center for Pierrot is not far from being decisive (49th), especially since he offers the corner for his team’s second goal. Replaced by Meir in the 70th.
Atzili (4) : lackluster match for the attacking midfielder. His start to the game is rather encouraging, not hesitating to come and challenge Bernat, only he quickly died out and we didn’t see him much again that evening. Warned for a foul on Vitinha (54th), he also scored the free kick which revived Maccabi with this header from Seck (38th).
Pierrot (5,5) : the former Guingampais used his physique in the sometimes floating defense of PSG. He was able to impose his head game with in particular two shots off the frame (47th, 49th). He put the Marquinhos-Ramos duo in difficulty in certain situations. The Haitian still disappeared after the hour mark. Replaced by Rukavytsya in the 83rd.
Chery (3,5) : excellent in the first leg in Israel, the attacking midfielder seemed less comfortable this evening, often dominated by Hakimi or Fabian Ruiz. He does not take advantage, for example, of this loss of the Parisian ball (43rd). Warned (47th), he is the author of a beautiful shot on target which forced Donnarumma to the parade (50th). We didn’t see him at all in the second half.
