Paris (AFP)

Paris SG, finalist out of the Champions League, relived a dark evening against Manchester United on Tuesday, which won thanks to Marcus Rashford, again decisive at the very end of the match (2-1).

The landing is brutal for PSG.

Coach Thomas Tuchel believed Monday that he did not ask himself whether or not PSG were favorite in this edition.

"We start with zero points, zero goals. We have to prove again," he said.

His team responded for him: the outgoing finalist did not take the measure of his new status, delivering a match without magic that reminds him that before dreaming of a new epic, you must first qualify.

This defeat places the Parisians in an uncomfortable position before two trips in two weeks, with the Turks of Basaksehir and in Germany, with RB Leipzig.

As if the accounting emergency weren't enough, Paris must deal with its old ghosts, those of March 2019 when Manchester United eliminated them in the round of 16 at the end of their worst European night at home (3-1, first leg: 0 -2).

Already author of the decisive penalty in stoppage time 18 months ago, Rashford put on his executioner's costume, with a goal (88th) which rewarded the best finish of the Mancunians.

- Tuchel on the front line -

While the whistles had accompanied the return of the players to the locker room in 2019, this time it was a song from Maroon 5 that resonated, behind closed doors.

But the mess caused by the defeat should be just as important for PSG and their coach Thomas Tuchel.

The German technician, already weakened because of his fresh relationship with sporting director Leonardo, has not found a solution.

His move to 4-4-2 decided at half-time only offered half an hour of satisfaction, between two periods of poverty.

A new setback could hurt Swabia, who knows that C1 counts triple when taking stock of a coach at PSG.

Perhaps it was the curfew, the rain that fell all evening or the absence of an audience, but Paris played without a spark.

In the first period, the long silence, which separated the hymn from the competition at kick-off, continued in the Parisian game.

Alongside his destitute performance, the Premier League's third-worst defense appeared impassable.

Worse, Tuchel's team seemed to play like a caricature of itself, in search of a personal feat to plug its collective loopholes.

However, goalkeeper David de Gea stopped the beautiful curled shot of Di Maria (11th), the only flash in the offensive night of PSG.

- Decisive martial for Paris -

The absences of Marco Verratti and Captain Marquinhos, finally on the bench despite his return to the group, weighed too much, in attack in construction as in defense.

The Brazilian's replacement, Abdou Diallo, caused Manchester's penalty, by not mastering his intervention on Anthony Martial.

On his second attempt, Bruno Fernandes transformed him (23rd), to become the first opponent to score at the Parc des Princes in C1 ... since his teammate Marcus Rashford.

The return of Moise Kean at half-time, in place of midfielder Idrissa Gueye, changed the face of the Parisians, who multiplied the opportunities after returning from the locker room.

Kylian Mbappé (48th) and Layvin Kurzawa, whose fleeing cross struck the crossbar (54th), lit the first wicks which led to the equalization of Martial (55th, csc), with a header on a corner from Neymar .

An unsightly counter-side goal, but Paris has not shown that it can do better.

The entry of Paul Pogba (64th) coincided with the rise of the Mancuniens at the end of the match, who had several times worried Keylor Navas (59th, 61st) before carrying the blow by Rashford.

Like an air of deja vu.

In 2019, the Parisians had followed by a success in Dijon (4-0), prelude to a chaotic end of the season.

And they meet the Burgundians on Saturday, hoping to follow up on a more serene streak this time.

© 2020 AFP