A PSG with two faces. For the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain experienced two very different periods against Real Sociedad this Wednesday evening (2-0). Timid offensively, crumbly defensively and especially taken by the intensity of the Basques during the first act, the capital club even came close to being punished. Fortunately for Luis Enrique’s men – who had opted for a 4-3-3 with the surprise Lucas Beraldo in the left lane of the Parisian defense – Mikel Merino saw his shot crash onto the crossbar of Gianluigi Donnarumma, beaten ( 45th). A big alert which would finally wake up the Rouge et Bleu after the break.
An unworthy first act
Well helped by the gradual physical decline of the Real Sociedad players, the teammates of Vitinha, elected man of the match by the FM editorial team, then found the fault. First through Kylian Mbappé, opportunistic after a corner hit by Ousmane Dembélé and deflected by Marquinhos (1-0, 58th). Then thanks to the phenomenon Bradley Barcola, author of a superb solitary rush on his right lane (2-0, 70th). Two flashes of lightning allowing the Parisians to take a very good option before the round of 16 second leg, scheduled for March 5 at Anoeta. If this evening will remain as a very beautiful operation carried out by the Parisians, everything was not perfect. Without really shining, PSG has often shown its limits, like its full-backs (Beraldo, Hakimi) and technical waste that is still problematic.
Yes, but despite this lack of control over the course of events, the reigning French champions were, once again, able to count on a decisive offensive trio that was more than brilliant. Aligned alongside Mbappé and Barcola, Dembélé regularly weighed in on this European clash. In the first period, he was one of the rare Ile-de-France elements to bring this madness. Just technically, still as sharp in his first steps, the former FC Barcelona star (11 duels won out of 13 contested, 100% successful dribbles) tried to wake up his team, suffering from the pressure initiated by the Basque team . Not very successful on the edge of the opponent’s area, he was finally rewarded a few moments before the hour mark by delivering this corner deflected by Marquinhos and taken by Mbappé at the far post.
The offensive trio in X factor!
On his momentum, the native of Vernon still shone when playing to revive his partners in the action leading to PSG’s second goal. Confusing in his changes of direction, he notably gave Javi Galan a bad evening, often overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the Parisian number 10. In his wake and after a big opportunity during the first act – the Real goalkeeper repelled his cross shot (6th) – Kylian Mbappé also woke up (4 shots on target out of 7 attempts, 5 duels won out of 11 contested, 4 balls recovered and 10 lost). Much more visible after the break, the former AS Monaco nugget (finally) took the game into his own hands. Not always precise in front of goal (50th, 69th), he nevertheless had the merit of delivering his own, thus registering his 44th achievement in 68 Champions League matches and surpassing a certain Raul (43) among the players who scored the no more goals in this competition at 25 or younger.
Involved and certainly stung by Luis Enrique’s annoyed speech during the break, the Bondynois did not hesitate to ask for help from the public to escape from the trap set by the Txuri-urdinak. On his momentum, the Parisian number 7 was even close to the double but his attempt was deflected by the Basque goalkeeper onto the crossbar (64th). A failure which hardly changed the final outcome of this meeting. Interviewed at the microphone of Canal + at the final whistle, PSG’s number 1 asset admitted, despite everything, a sluggish evening. “In the first half, we had difficulty getting out of the pressing. We could have added more personality. It’s part of this team’s learning. We didn’t pay much for it. Second, we come back with more conviction. We managed to score at key moments. The clean sheet is important. We are looking for this kind of performance in the Champions League..
Mbappé and Barcola scorers, Dembélé decisive!
Relaunched on the sequence of events, Mbappé also confided that he expected new major opposition in San Sebastian. “We knew they came with a lot of desire. We managed to score at times that hurt. It’s going to be a similar game, they’re going to want to score goals. If we have spaces, we will go there and we will score. (…) They will want to play, they are late. For us, the most important thing will be to put quality in our ball output. We will do what we need to do in the return match.”. Finally, what can we say about Bradley Barcola. A new phenomenon for the Rouge et Bleu and increasingly impactful in recent weeks, the former OL winger also had an irregular evening.
Very discreet during the first 60 minutes of this shock and little helped by Lucas Beraldo, in difficulty facing the pressure of the Spaniards, the number 29 of PSG, weaned from balloons, did not really exist in this poster (20 balloons lost in total ). A frustration that the 21-year-old gem would finally chase away in the last third of this match. Taking advantage of a rediscovered Ile-de-France collective coupled with the Basques’ loss of momentum, seeming to stick out his tongue after the hour mark, the 1m82 right-hander reminded the whole world of his extraordinary qualities. Staggered by Fabian Ruiz, he mystified Hamari Traoré before finishing with a sharp point passing under the belly of Remiro (70th). Enough to give the Parisians some fresh air before the return match and to show their happiness when analyzing this shock at the microphone of RMC Sport.
“We started off rather badly, we were moved around a lot. Mentally, we didn’t expect that and the coach pointed that out to us at half-time by giving us more instructions. It’s a sigh of relief because we know that we leave with an advantage for the return match. We are very happy because we needed this victory. Having the confidence of the coach means progress and I am lucky to have it as well as that of my partners. I know it helps me a lot and I can only play well. I hope it continues like this. The favorite of the Park? No, it’s Warren (laughs)”, concluded, all smiles, the former Lyonnais, once again precious in his defensive involvement. One thing is certain, if PSG has suffered and a more regular face is already expected on March 5, the Parisian club can always count on a special offensive trio, capable of changing a match, however poorly started. , in a matter of seconds. This Wednesday evening, Real Sociedad can easily attest to this.
