PSG 3-0 Real Madrid
Even without the trio of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, and Edinson Cavani, PSG managed to score a convincing 3-0 win against the listless Real Madrid to get ahead in Group A of the Champions League.
Held at the Le Parc des Princes, the Parisians have put on a show in front of their home crowd while Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane looked distraught as he watched his squad succumb to defeat.
Angel Di Maria, a former Los Blancos forward, bagged home a brace and was clearly the best player of the match. Fellow teammate Thomas Meunier added a goal of his own during added time for good measure.
Consider PSG’s win as a stern warning for all of their competitors in the Champions League as they’re more than ready to take the crown away from Liverpool this time.
On the other hand, the loss gave Real Madrid more questions than answers as most of their fans had a field day on social media criticising Eden Hazard and Zinedine Zidane, and the pressure continues to pile on for these two prominent figures.
With that said, allow SBOBET to help you re-live some of the best Champions League 2019 highlights in this thrilling match.
Highlights of the game
Zinedine Zidane continued his experiment by putting out an attack-heavy starting XI with Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, and Gareth Bale on the frontline while they were missing a key cog in Sergio Ramos.
As for Thomas Tuchel and the Parisians, their attack featured the trio of Angel Di Maria, Mauro Icardi, and Pablo Sarabia in a similar 4-4-3 formation. Neymar was out due to a suspension for insulting league officials, while Cavani and Mbappe were out due to injuries.
There wasn’t anything much during the match’s first 12 minutes as both teams had their turns in trying to find their first goal of the evening. However, everything changed just when the clock ticked at the 13th minute.
After a nice chip on the left flank, Juan Bernat fielded in a lovely pass to a cutting Di Maria for a strong leftie goal that went past the hands of Thibaut Cortois.
Eden Hazard, who was underwhelming for the most part, tried to draw level after a long-range attempt just inside the box few minutes later, but the shot was too far wide from the right.
It was Di Maria who torched Los Blancos’ porous defence again at the 33rd minute. The former Real forward found an open space at the top of the box and launched a left strike to put themselves up 2-0, leaving Neymar and Mbappe laughing with joy at the sidelines.
Gareth Bale, meanwhile, tried to put one in for Real via free kick but the shot went over the post at the 29th minute. Just ten minutes before the break, he volleyed in his first goal of the match. However, the referees waved it off since it was a handball after checking through the VAR.
The Welsh skipper was the bright spot for the Los Blancos team that looked discombobulated in this fixture.
To cap it all off, PSG full-back poured in the team’s third goal at the 91st minute after finding himself wide open after getting past multiple Los Blancos defenders. It was a fitting end to the match that was dominated by the home team.
Key statistics
With the win, PSG managed to snap Real Madrid’s unbeaten opening game streak in the Champions League since 2006.
The Parisians had nine total shots with five of them on target, while Los Blancos had 10 with none of them on target. It was the first time for Los Blancos in 167 Champions League games that they failed to muster a shot on target.
PSG holds the edge in terms of their passes (619 passes made on 89-per cent accuracy) and possession (53-per cent).
Real Madrid’s Champions League 2019 odds of advancing to the next round took a hit with this loss against the Parisians. Los Blancos would have to win in their remaining games against Club Brugge and Galatsaray at the group stage in order to advance at the next round.
What’s next?
PSG will resume their Ligue 1 campaign against the likes of Lyon, Stade Reims, and Bordeaux all over next week. Their next Champions League fixture will be against Galatasaray on October 2nd.
After their previous fixtures against Villareal and Levante, Real Madrid will resume their undefeated La Liga campaign by facing the likes of Sevilla, Osasuna, and Atletico Madrid before clashing with Club Brugge on October in their second Champions League game.
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