Paris Saint-Germain clashed heads with Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium earlier tonight as they hoped to defend their 1-0 lead from the first leg and secure qualification into the next round of the UEFA Champions League. The Parisian outfit made a bright start to the game and got their noses ahead courtesy of Kylian Mbappe’s clinical finish in the 39th minute. PSG went into the half-time interval 1-0 up on the scoreline.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men suffered a setback in the 61st minute when Gianluigi Donnarumma made a poor mistake which gifted Karim Benzema a goal. The Real Madrid striker went on to score again in the 76th minute with an excellent finish. He completed his hat-trick just two minutes later and put Los Blancos 3-1 up on the night.
The match ended with the Parisian giants suffering a 3-1 defeat (3-2 on aggregate) which knocked them out of the UEFA Champions League.
Let’s take a look at how each PSG player performed during the clash against Los Blancos.
GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma – 5/10
The Italian keeper made a few solid saves but committed a horror mistake to gift Real Madrid an equaliser. He ended up conceding three goals in the second half.
RB: Achraf Hakimi – 6.5/10
Hakimi was solid when defending inside his half and made one good run down the right flank.
CB: Marquinhos – 5.5/10
He cleared the danger when needed but failed to cope with Benzema’s threat in the second half.
CB: Presnel Kimpembe – 6/10
Kimpembe made a lot of crucial clearances at the back but failed to keep the Madrid attackers quiet after the half-time break.
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LB: Nuno Mendes – 6.5/10
He kept a solid defensive shape inside his half and made a few exciting runs down the left flank.
CM: Leandro Paredes – 6/10
Paredes struggled to get a foothold in the game and put in a lackluster display at the centre of the park.
CM: Danilo Pereira – 6/10
He made a couple of clearances at the back but offered very little in the opposition half.
CM: Marco Verratti – 6.5/10
Verratti got stuck in with some solid tackles to make life tough for the home side. He even had a few bright moments in the opposition half.
RW: Lionel Messi – 7/10
Messi made a few excellent runs with the ball but didn’t do enough to register a goal.
ST: Kylian Mbappe – 7.5/10
The France international scored the opening goal of the game with a great finish. He was an ever-present threat in front of the Madrid goal.
LW: Neymar Jr. – 7.5/10
He caused all kinds of problems for the Madrid defenders because of his impressive dribbling and creativity. Neymar ended the game with an assist to his name.
Substitutes:
CM: Idrissa Gueye – 6/10
Gueye injected some energy to PSG’s midfield.
CAM: Angel Di Maria – 6/10
Di Maria struggled to get into the rhythm of the game.
CAM: Julian Draxler – N/A
He didn’t get enough minutes to warrant a rating.
