Wednesday April 14, 2021
“Fate wanted it …”
Neymar makes fun of defeated Kimmich
In the euphoria about progressing in the Champions League, PSG superstar Neymar loses respect for the defeated opponent for moments: the Brazilian makes a well-deserved gesture of cheer to a Bayern leader.
It was a cheer with particular satisfaction when Neymar and Leandro Paredes jumped to their chests right in front of Joshua Kimmich’s eyes after the final whistle in Prinzenpark. Although he assured that he had “not partied to mess with him”, “fate wanted Kimmich to be there too,” said Brazilian superstar Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain to TNT Sports Brasil, which is the scene in Brazil highlighted. PSG were defeated 0: 1 against FC Bayern, but that was enough to make it to the semi-finals of the Champions League.
“We were the better team in the first leg, but we lost,” said Bayern midfielder Kimmich before the game – and promised for the second leg: “Because we’re the better team, I am convinced that we will get through.” Neymar had apparently got wind of the matter and remembered the words of the Bayern leader afterwards.
“You can have as much possession as you want, like you can charm a woman for a whole evening, and then someone comes and takes it from you in five minutes,” said Neymar in the Brazilian TV interview and laughed heartily. The 29-year-old alluded to the occasional superiority of Bayern, which was not reflected in goals, especially in PSG’s 3-2 first leg win in Munich.
Last season, Bayern was the best team in the tournament for him, but he didn’t see it that way this year. “It went so far that I said: ‘If we meet Bayern, Bayern will be eliminated,'” said Neymar. “We prepared to overcome Bayern; we needed that to prove to ourselves that we can do it.” After all, Neymar admitted to Bayern: “We prevailed against a strong team.”
PSG whereabouts are “not even an issue”
In the Champions League final in Lisbon eight months ago, PSG were also defeated by Bayern 1-0. Neymar cried bitter tears at the time, and David Alaba, with whom he embraced this time, comforted him.
Neymar’s coach Mauricio Pochettino clearly contradicted his offensive power: The Argentine praised FC Bayern to CBS as “the best team in the world at the moment. A fantastic game”. And he also understood the courageous tones from Munich in the run-up to the game: “It’s normal that they were self-confident, they are a team that has won everything and they thought they were the favorites,” said Pochettino. “Football “It’s such a nice game, but it’s also a game where you never give up and fight. But I understand why they said they were confident, it’s normal to play psychological games,” he added.
The successor to Thomas Tuchel, who also made it to the semi-finals with his new club Chelsea, also praised the development of his own team. “After three months you can see more and more that the team is doing what we want,” said Pochettino.
Part of the further development will probably also be the cocky Neymar himself. Whether he will stay with PSG or not is “not even an issue anymore. It is obvious that I feel very comfortable, at home here at Paris Saint-Germain,” said Neymar, who is in talks about a contract extension, but is also repeatedly associated with other clubs, such as FC Barcelona. “I feel happier than I was before.”
.