Paris (AFP)
He put volume in the silence of the Parc des Princes: Neymar, striker, led Paris SG, for the first time since his arrival, to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, after the success against Dortmund (2-0) Wednesday.
Although behind closed doors, the Parc des Princes attended a concerto in major "Ney" - not the most beautiful, nor the most festive, but the most hoped for by a club which sometimes thought it would never hear it.
Twice, the Brazilian superstar missed the crucial deadline for the round of 16, due to foot injuries. And twice, PSG limped with him, against Real Madrid in 2018 and then Manchester United in 2019.
Wednesday, Neymar finally managed to pass a round of C1 with PSG, after a double confrontation against Borussia where he scored in each heat.
"He is the key to us for extraordinary performance and results," said coach Thomas Tuchel.
Even if he will need more to justify the 222 M EUR spent by PSG, at least Neymar has helped to break the curse that pursued his team in the European Cup. While waiting for the continuation, inevitably promising.
He won an opportunity to be able to get the acclaim of the supporters who whistled for him last summer after the episode of his aborted return to FC Barcelona ... if the health risk linked to the coronavirus allows the reception of the public at the stadium .
After the victory, he led the celebration with his teammates, mimicking the Zen pose that the Borussia player Erling Haaland performs at each goal - mimic reproduced by his teammates, as if to chamber the Norwegian goal scorer on the way out.
- 400th pro goal -
The player, who had started his day wishing his sister Rafaella's birthday on social media, continued the "fiesta" well into the evening. He turned up the sound as soon as he got out of the bus, wearing a portable speaker which he accompanied with a few dance steps.
On the field, he lacked inspiration (7th, 11th, 15th), but compensated with defensive efforts, in unison with a team that started with a high pressing.
It is ultimately in an unexpected register for him that he makes the difference: from the head, to the reception of a corner from Angel di Maria (28th). Neymar, forgotten by the German defense, treated his gesture to deceive Roman Bürki and unlock the Paris SG.
This is how he scored his 400th professional goal, only his ... 23rd header.
He celebrated it by throwing himself in the arms of Kylian Mbappé, replacing him. The entry of the Frenchman (64th) gave rise to exchanges between the two stars, without much success (65th, 67th).
If he did not shine in the second half, he did not give up, like his team which suffered. He caused the expulsion of Emre Can (89th), with provocations which earned him a warning.
He also held his right shoulder, painful since a fall at the start of the match (18th). He winced, but the main thing is elsewhere: Paris qualified.
© 2020 AFP