PSG overthrows Bergamo and finally finds the half of C1

For its 50th anniversary, PSG has decided to be very, very scared and to ward off fate. Usually victims of this kind of scenario, Thomas Tuchel's men overthrew Atalanta Bergamo (2-1), virtually qualified for the semi-finals until the 90th minute of play, to go straight to the semi-final of Champions League, a first for 25 years. After having harvested a lot like Neymar, Paris freed itself thanks to the anger of Marquinhos and the magic of Choupo-Moting, unlikely hero of this first Lisbon evening. The Final 8 is launched.

Neymar's missed opportunities

How hard it is to judge the Brazilian in this match… The problem when you do everything, alone, is that you are both the determining factor of your team and the man who ruins opportunities. Without the Ney, Paris would not have secured a tenth of its dangerous situations and surely not won this match - he is involved on both goals. Number 10 has broken back, slipped small bridges, double contacts and we surely forget on the way. But he also harvested three clear chances in the first period, including a head-to-head that he would have won with his eyes closed in normal times and which would have allowed Paris to open the scoring. And at this level, failure is not forgiving. Ask Kimpembe: a messed up (and unlucky) intervention in Zapata's feet turned into an assist for Pasalic (26th). 1-0 in the lulu de Navas.

The three circles = Ghostbusters

We can not slap the fingers of the two loustics mentioned without talking about the real Parisian disappointments, namely everyone except Navas and Neymar. Before conceding the goal (and going out on injury), the PSG goalkeeper released the score that has so often allowed Real Madrid to get out of impossible quagmires. But the problem is still the same. Relying on one or two players in an 11-man sport is never a good idea.

Midfielder Marquinhos, Gueye, Herrera aligned by Tuchel first completely sank against the pressing of Atalanta, the hyperactivity of Papu Gomez and the stalls of the overpowered Zapata before recovering under the impetus of the replacements. We can add Mauro Icardi, Pablo Sarabia and Thilo Kehrer in the lot of big disappointments, those which pushed the Parisian bloc to play very often too low until the providential entry of Kylian Mbappé against an Atalanta who did not even not achieved his best game of the year.

Mbappé the savior? No, Choupo-Moting!

Kylian Mbappé only needed a ball grip and an acceleration of which he has the secret to forget his ankle injury. Entering the hour mark, the Frenchman made the opposing defense tremble with his calls and his percussions on the left lane which lowered the opposing block by two notches until the sinking. But at the end of the story, the hero is called Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting. At the origin of the equalizer of Marquinhos in the 90th, the Cameroonian striker came to conclude a comeback as improbable as it is deserved given the number of chances that Neymar and Mbappé obtained. Completely goofy.

I let out tears when Choupo scored. The guy never complains, respects us by finishing the competition and qualifies us in 1/2. Show respect to his name.

First C1 semi-final since 1995

Yes, the post-apocalyptic context offers detractors of Paris Saint-Germain the argument of the cardboard cup. But the club, which celebrated its 50th birthday tonight, has waited too long (since 1995) to return to the Champions League semi-finals not to savor this qualification. Nasser Al-Khelaïfi finally holds his last four and the table, open, even allows him to dream of a final in this same Estadio da Luz. Before that, we will therefore have to beat Leipzig evening, or against Atlético, who play Thursday. And probably without Keylor Navas.

• Sport
• Thomas tuchel
• Kylian Mbappé
• Neymar
• Champions League
• PSG