They didn’t know it was impossible, so they did it. The players of Paris-Saint-Germain have again pushed back the legend of a club recognized as a specialist in scuttling. Touched and well cast. After FC Barcelona and Manchester United, the legendary Parisian generosity this time benefits Real Madrid, long overtaken, outclassed and almost resigned to the superiority of Kylian Mbappé’s partners.
But it was before the air hole of the hour of play. Sixteen minutes to ruin everything, sixteen minutes for an incredible hat-trick from Karim Benzema (61and76and and 78and), sixteen minutes to leave the Champions League in the round of 16 after this 3-1 defeat in a Santiago-Bernabeu stadium, the terminus of PSG’s ambitions on March 9.
At this level of amazement, the result sweeps everything away. The victory with the way of going (1-0), as well as this perfect first half to ridicule at times a Real, sad braggart selling hell to the Parisians in recent days but who had only one unfortunate furia of five minutes at the start of the match to offer and supporters waving their scarves.
As at the Parc des Princes, Mbappé is going too fast, his curling strike with the right foot is still too precise after a bright opening from Neymar (39and). Until then, everything flows and we get lost in too many fine conjectures. We even say that the Parisian coach Mauricio Pochettino has found his typical team, him, this Arturo Brachetti from the match sheets, unable to line up the same one twice. The most daring even discern a Pochettino style. But the primary nature of this team is forgotten, this ability to always leave room for a “what if”.
Pochettino and “the fault that changed everything”
Its recent history speaks against it, the PSG forces the imagination, the art of anticipating the grotesque. In this anthology of bad jokes, this 61st minute already has its place. Because a modern goalkeeper must restart short even under pressure, Gianluigi Donnarumma plays with fire in front of Karim Benzema and burns the tip of his right foot. The French against him, Vinicius follows and gives him the ball for the goal of hope, that of the awakening of Bernabeu, stadium under construction and lifeless like his team before this gift.
Mauricio Pochettino got stuck at this 61and minute. “For me, Benzema’s action on Donnarumma is a foul and that changed everything”, denounced the Parisian coach at a press conference. The Argentinian evokes a ” big mistake “ and withholds forgiveness from referee Danny Makkelie in advance. The images do not, however, confuse the Dutchman. “I’m not at all wrong. He waits, I urge him, he loses the ball.assured Benzema for his part.
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