After another crazy Champions League evening, Paris Saint-Germain left the Top 8 and will have to go through the play-offs while AS Monaco also validated their ticket for the play-offs. OM lost in Bruges but were qualified until the 97th minute of the match between Benfica and Real Madrid and a goal from the Lisbon goalkeeper…
It made its mark last year, some called it the “Multiplex of the century”, when the famous little Canal + music sounded 64 times, or once every 30 minutes. It was back this Wednesday evening for the last day of the Champions League group stage. 18 simultaneous matches and the stakes practically everywhere.
For the French clubs, Paris Saint-Germain (6th), Olympique de Marseille (19th) and AS Monaco (21st), the objectives were different. The defending champion wanted to beat Newcastle to secure a place in the top 8 to avoid the play-offs. As for OM and Monaco, they needed to take points to stay in the top 24, and qualify for the play-offs.
PSG held in check, will have to go through the play-offs
From the 45th second, Barcola overflowed and won a penalty. Ousmane Dembélé opened his foot but Nick Pope was vigilant and repelled the attempt. Fortunately for PSG, Vitinha opened the scoring with a nice strike from the edge of the area (1-0, 8th).
Everything was going well for the residents of the Parc des Princes, despite the injury to Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, hit in the ankle (20th). Dominant but without managing to kill the match, Marquinhos and his teammates saw Joe Willock and Newcastle equalize with a “kick and rush” (1-1, 45th + 2). Neck to neck with the Magpies who can beat them to the wire for a place in the Top 8, the Parisians struggled to find solutions. PSG’s draw coupled in particular with the success of Chelsea in Naples or Inter Milan in Dortmund took Luis Enrique’s men out of the Top 8, who will therefore have to go through the play-offs after this draw at home (1-1).
Marseille loses in Bruges and does not qualify
In Bruges, OM got off to a very bad start. Diakhon punished the Provençaux from the start, with a right strike (1-0, 4th), imitated a few moments later by Vermant, well served by Forbs (2-0, 11th). Despite a surge and a few chances, Marseille, who had more than a 94% chance of qualifying according to statistics before the match, were eliminated at the break (2-0). It was at the hour mark, when Sporting Portugal equalized in Bilbao (2-2) that OM returned to the 24 again, without shining on the field but taking advantage of the other results. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Igor Paixao, who came on at the start of the second half, came up against a very inspired Simon Mignolet in the Belgian goal. Still in the lead, the Marseillais conceded a third goal by Stankovic, after another tumble from Forbs (3-0, 80th) and left the Top 24, before once again taking advantage of goals on other European pitches to stay alive in this competition. It was, in the 90th + 8 between Benfica and Real Madrid, that a goal from Lisbon goalkeeper Trubin at the end of the suspense, eliminated Roberto De Zerbi’s men, slapped and eliminated.
Monaco, solid, ensures its qualification
For Monaco, in full doubt at the moment, the meeting against Juventus Turin was approached seriously. Folarin Balogun thought he would liberate the Louis-II stadium after a quarter of an hour of play but the American striker was penalized for a foul on his defender and Monaco went 0-0 at half-time. Fewer chances on the Rock in the second period, for the Monegasques perhaps reluctant to discover themselves while an Italian goal could eliminate them. Finally, Pocognoli’s men held on and pushed through the roadblock: objective accomplished.
