With a hand outstretched in the air, Vitinha pleads guilty and begs forgiveness from his teammates and supporters of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG). Bad control, a lost ball and the Portuguese has just offered a goal to Tottenham and Randal Kolo Muani (72nd). No one will hold it against him, at least not for longer than it takes to swallow the disappointment of the moment. The midfielder takes as proof the immense ovation from the Parc des Princes, standing as one man to cheer him as he left the field in added time (90ᵉ + 4).
We would have to be really picky to retain this excusable gap, as Vitinha flew over the Champions League match won by PSG, Wednesday November 26, after being led twice by Tottenham (5-3). With a hat-trick – the very first of his career – the 25-year-old pulled his team out of the rut single-handedly, or almost, since he was helped in his endeavor by his two friends in the midfield, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves.
Against Spurs, Luis Enrique was able to afford to line up this dominant trio, perhaps the best midfielder in the Old Continent over the past year. A trio which was also decisive in winning the very first Champions League in the club’s history. Unfortunately, this team has only worked intermittently since the start of the season: like many of their teammates, Fabian Ruiz and Joao Neves have been caught up by injuries in recent weeks, so much so that Wednesday was only the fifth time they were together.
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