PSG were no match for Manchester City on Tuesday night in the return semifinals of the Champions League (0-2, 1-2 in the first leg).
In lack of realism, too nervous and generally not at the level of their opponents, the Parisians were logically eliminated at the gates of the final.
DECRYPTION
Paris has fallen on a bone.
PSG, once again beaten by Manchester City on Tuesday night in the return semifinals of the Champions League (0-2, 1-2 in the first leg), was logically eliminated just before the final.
The Parisians, who had a very good run by taking out FC Barcelona in the eighth and Bayern Munich in the quarters, failed to overthrow Pep Guardiola's team, superior in almost all areas on this double confrontation.
In lack of realism in front of the goals, far too nervous on the outward journey as in the return and with stars not at the level, Neymar in the lead, the PSG could not hope for better.
Our consultants discussed this frustrating elimination in the debrief of the meeting on Europe 1.
>> Manchester City-PSG: relive the highlights of the semi-final second leg
A lack of realism
Against Bayern Munich, in the quarter-finals first leg (3-2), PSG had shown clinical realism. In the semifinals, the Parisians were sorely lacking, both on the way out and back. At the Parc des Princes, they opened the scoring and passed very close to the break, before being knocked down in the second period (1-2). Tuesday evening, the Parisians hit the bar on a header from Marquinhos (17th) and a strike from Angel Di Maria, in the wake, passed very close to the post (19th).
Conversely, Manchester City was lethal in both confrontations, first in the first leg with two goals on their almost only occasions in Paris, on a cross from Kevin De Bruyne and a free kick from Riyad Mahrez. thanks to a badly placed wall.
Tuesday evening, the Algerian winger, the great guy of this semi-final, managed a double with in particular a second goal on a counter assassin (63rd), while PSG pushed to equalize.
"We knew how to be efficient when needed and we made the difference. Today in the first period we were average. In the second period, we were able to raise our level, and we could have scored three or four goals. more ", reacted the Algerian striker, born in the Paris region, questioned after the meeting on
RMC Sport
.
Stars not up to standard
If Riyad Mahrez was the man of the double confrontation, with three goals in two games, the other players of Manchester City were also at the level. Kevin De Bruyne has confirmed that he remains one of the best midfielders in the world, while the young English winger Phil Foden has dazzled in sequences with his talent and his nerve. Conversely, the stars of PSG were not there, starting with Neymar. Already little in sight in the first leg, the Brazilian striker completely missed out on his return match, never managing to be decisive and multiplying bad choices. "Neymar tried to play alone, without generosity and with exaggerated individualism, at times it looked like he was playing a neighborhood match. He came down like a libero to look for all the balls," tackled the journalist from
France Football
Nabil Djellit.
Kylian Mbappé, injured, did not even walk the lawn of the Etihad Stadium.
The French striker, transparent at the Parc des Princes, had been left on the bench at kick-off and did not even come into play. Problem: his replacement, the Argentinian Mauro Icardi, was invisible, wandering like a soul in pain until his replacement at the hour mark. And Angel Di Maria, yet one of the few Parisians at the level, completely cracked at the end of the match.
The nerves have cracked
The gesture of "Fideo" (Di Maria's nickname) symbolized the frustration that gripped the Parisian ranks during this semi-final. Provoked by Fernandinho, the Argentine striker foolishly did himself justice by kicking him. Result: he was logically expelled (69th), leaving his partners at 10 for the end of the match. On the first leg, Idrissa Gueye had also seen red ten minutes from time (77th), for a big foul on Ilkay Gündogan.
"PSG did not make a smart match, they showed a bit of silliness and became lousy in the last quarter of an hour, with a deplorable attitude in front of the whole of Europe," said Guy Roux.
"Paris does not deserve congratulations at all tonight. I am disappointed and deeply shocked by their behavior," continued our consultant and former coach of AJ Auxerre.
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A collective inferior to that of City
More broadly, these two meetings showed the superiority of the well-oiled collective of the Citizens of Pep Guardiola. After several frustrating eliminations, including that last year in the quarter-finals against Lyon (1-3), Manchester City displayed a much more pragmatic face, showing themselves to be realistic and sure of their strength to qualify for the first League final. champions of its history. "I think it's deserved on both matches, we deserve to pass," said Riyad Mahrez.
An analysis shared by our consultants. "The lesson of this semi-final is that the best team and the best collective won," said Nabil Djellit. Our specialist in English football, Philippe Auclair, even certifies having "never seen Manchester City dominate its subject in the Champions League like (Tuesday) evening." Ten years after his last C1 final, with Barça, Pep Guardiola will have the opportunity to enter a little more into the legend.