If PSG preserved the essentials by qualifying for the round of 16 of the Champions League, Kylian Mbappé clearly hoped to add first place in the group.
PSG shook on Wednesday evening on the lawn of Signal Iduna Park. For almost an hour, the capital club found itself virtually eliminated from the Champions League and for five minutes, it was even condemned to a miracle: while Newcastle led against AC Milan, the Parisians, after having spoiled a multitude of opportunities, were in fact trailing.
At that moment, to hope to continue the adventure in the Champions League, PSG not only had to equalize but count on Milan to wake up. Five minutes were enough for the Rouge et Bleu to come back to the score and in the process, the Lombard club did the same: the French champions were once again virtually qualified. And as it stood, a defeat changed nothing in history. Which undoubtedly explains why the Parisians then engage in the attack to try to win and thus secure first place in the group, synonymous with a much more affordable draw in the round of 16.
Luis Enrique assumes
But a few minutes from the end of the match, the situation changed suddenly: Milan actually took the advantage over the Magpies. From then on, a defeat eliminated PSG. Luis Enrique was well aware of this and did not hesitate to calm the enthusiasm of his troops, perfectly relayed by Achraf Hakimi. A call for calm which was very badly experienced by Kylian Mbappé, inevitably frustrated by his big missed opportunity due to a miraculous save from Sülle in the first period and his goal canceled for an offside of a few centimeters. The Bondynois did not hide his anger at his instructions, multiplying his gestures of unequivocal annoyance.
Asked about this call for caution after the meeting, Luis Enrique fully accepted his decision. “Until the 85th minute, we weren’t worried about all that. When we learned that AC Milan had scored, that changed things.”he explained, adding: “We decided to keep the ball more and not take excessive risks. In such a difficult group, where I haven’t seen anyone better than us, being second is a good thing. »
