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Tag: PSG

  • Neymar finally speaks on fight with PSG goalie, Donnarumma

    Neymar finally speaks on fight with PSG goalie, Donnarumma

    PSG Brazilian forward,Neymar has dismissed as untrue the fight between him and goalie Gianluigi Dannarumma after their 3-1 round of 16 champions league loss to Real Madrid.

    Real Madrid defeated PSG by 3-2 on aggregate to exit the competition in the round of 16,

    Reports had emerged from MARCA that Neymar had an argument with Donnarumma in the dressing room after PSG’s loss to Real Madrid, adding that the Brazilian criticized the goalkeeper for his mistake that led to Benzema’s opening goal.

    Denying the report, Neymar has released the screenshot of their last conversation between him and the goalie, admiting that their relationship is very perfect.

    The chat reads :“Ciao Ney. I’m sorry about yesterday. This news is unacceptable,” Donnarumma wrote.

    “Mate! Relax! This can happen in football. We are a team and we are with you. You’re still very young and you’re going to win loads! Keep your head up and let’s keep going. Hug,” replied Neymar.

     

    The Brazilian superstar then wrote : “I hate coming here and talking about the news, but the stuff in the previous post is a lie.

    ”some persons in the media are just up to some mischiefs” He said

  • UEFA looking into referee report after PSG exit at Real Madrid

    UEFA looking into referee report after PSG exit at Real Madrid

    Europe’s ruling body UEFA has received the referee report from Wednesday’s Champions League match between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain amid alleged misbehaviour from PSG top officials.

    UEFA said on Thursday it was looking into the report, without giving details.

    French side PSG lost the last 16 tie 3-2 on aggregate after a 3-1 defeat in Spain following Karim Benzema’s hat-trick.

    But the French team’s camp has lamented that their goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, had been fouled before Real’s equaliser for 1-1.

    Media reports in Spain and France had indicated that PSG sports director Leonardo and club president Nasser al-Khelaifi had attempted to get into the dressing room of the match officials.

    The reports had centred around Dutch referee Danny Makkelie.

    There were conflicting reports about what exactly happened and some said that al-Khelaifi and Leonardo were in the dressing room.

  • Pochettino slams VAR after PSG’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid

    Pochettino slams VAR after PSG’s Champions League exit to Real Madrid

    Mauricio Pochettino slammed match officials on Wednesday and questioned why VAR was not used to rule out Real Madrid’s first goal against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their 1-3 loss.

    The French side were dumped out of the UEFA Champions League in sensational circumstances, losing 2-3 aggregate after having won the first leg match 1-0.

    The Ligue 1 leaders looked set for the last eight after Kylian Mbappe had put them 2-0 up on aggregate with a cool finish in the first half.

    Real Madrid, and Karim Benzema in particular, had other ideas, though.

    The France international scored a breathtaking hat-trick —- the second and third of which came inside the space of just 106 seconds —- to book Los Blancos’ quarter-final berth.

    PSG have now been eliminated from four of their nine UEFA Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg.

    Only Real Madrid have done so more often in the competition’s history (six times).

    Pochettino will be under intense pressure after the defeat.

    The former Tottenham manager believes the result only came about due to the officials’ decision not to penalise Benzema.

    That was for a foul on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma during the build-up to the first goal.

    “What a shame! There was a foul on Donnarumma for the first goal,” he said. “It is not possible to not talk about this gross mistake. It is not possible for this to happen in 2022.

    “Real Madrid’s first goal changed the game. I wonder what the VAR does because there is a foul. It’s a shame. When you see the action, it’s a foul.

    “After that, the match changed. For 60 minutes we dominated and that goal changed everything.

    “It’s not easy to explain the defeat. After the goal, the nervousness and the feeling of injustice hurt us a lot. The little details mark these games. We felt the impact of the equalising goal.”

    With a 13-point lead at the Ligue 1 summit, PSG look likely to reclaim the domestic title.

    But Pochettino concedes the final months of the campaign could be challenging, given they are no longer in European football’s premier competition.

    “The rest of the season is going to be very difficult,” he added. “The Champions League has been PSG’s goal for years, everyone knows it. The fans are going to be upset, we know it.

    “At a time like this, we will still have to analyse and remember the good things we have achieved against this excellent Real Madrid team. But what happened tonight is not normal.”

    PSG return to domestic action on Sunday when they host Bordeaux.

  • UCL: City expect to cruise pass Sporting as Real Madrid face uphill task with PSG

    UCL: City expect to cruise pass Sporting as Real Madrid face uphill task with PSG

    With five (5) goals advantage, Manchester City expect to cruise past Sporting CP in their Wednesday UEFA Champions League encounter.

    The Premier League champions have a tremendous lead from the first leg and will be confident of another win in Manchester.

    Manchester City are all set to sail into the quarter-finals of the Champions League when they host Sporting CP in the second-leg of their last-16 tie later today.

    Pep Guardiola’s team thrashed the Portuguese side 5-0 in Lisbon last month to all but confirm their spot in the next round.

    Real Madrid on the other hand, have a daunting task in their hands this evening as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) look set to seal their place in the UCL quarter-finals.

    The La Liga side suffered a one (1) goal defeat in the hands of the French side in February with the only goal of the game coming from Kylian Mbappe.

    Real Madrid have been eliminated from nine of their last 10 knockout ties in the UEFA Champions League when losing the first leg, with the exception being a 3-2 aggregate victory over VfL Wolfsburg in the 2015-16 quarter-final.

    Paris Saint-Germain have been eliminated from three of their eight UEFA Champions League knockout ties when winning the first leg – only Barcelona (4) and Real Madrid (6) have been eliminated in this fashion more often.

  • UCL: We’re preparing for Mbappe to be fit for PSG – Ancelotti

    UCL: We’re preparing for Mbappe to be fit for PSG – Ancelotti

    Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti insists he’d like to see Kylian Mbappe fit for PSG on Wednesday night.

    Real need to overturn a 1-0 deficit on Wednesday night to reach the Champions League quarterfinals. Mbappe is battling to make the second-leg due to an ankle injury.

    Ancelotti said, “There are many factors in these kinds of games. The most important aspect is the mental side of things and the excitement levels. The important thing is that we will enjoy the backing of our fans, which is big motivation. I see the team as being in good shape, motivated and relaxed and we’re going to produce our best.

    “I was a player myself and I never want players to get injured. What happened yesterday to Mbappé means that he’s in with a chance of playing and we’re going to prepare for the match as if Mbappé was going to play. Looking back historically in games at the Bernabéu, great players have always received a good reception. I’d obviously understand it if the fans clap him. The Bernabéu fans enjoy watching good players and also like to see Madrid play well and win.

    “Our game plan isn’t just all about stopping Mbappé, it involves Neymar and Messi and all of PSG’s good players. Our plan is to play as a unit, both with and without the ball, display intensity for over 90 minutes and put in a strong all-round performance and produce a smart display. We mustn’t go crazy out there because we’ve got to win in the game, it’s not a case of having to thrash them. We may go infront early on or in the last minute. The important thing is to be in the game and play with intensity.”

    He continued: “I don’t usually think about what I fear. I think about what we need to do to produce our best and to perform better than we did in the first leg, play out well from the back and apply a better press. In the build-up to a game, I usually focus on the things that we have to do and not on what we have to avoid.

    “When we lose, we lose as a group. Our objective is to remain in what’s a very important competition for this club and we’ve got the same to lose: being knocked out of a competition that’s very important to us. This season goes on after this and let’s hope we’re still in the Champions League. I’m certain that we will be, but PSG will be thinking exactly the same.

    “Applying a high press is part of a defensive mechanism. When you play against the likes of Mbappé and Neymar, you’ve got to be very wary and I think that the fans will have a very important role to play tomorrow. In that sense, we want to produce a performance that the fans want to see and that’s what we’ll do.”

  • Again, PSG chief defends sacking Tuchel on Christmas Eve

    Again, PSG chief defends sacking Tuchel on Christmas Eve

    Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has again defended his sacking of Thomas Tuchel.

    Tuchel was dismissed by Leonardo on Christmas Eve, 2020, before taking charge of Chelsea and leading them to the Champions League title last season.

    Leonardo told L’Equipe: “We cannot say that if he had stayed he would have won the C1 here.

    “It’s a question of context, of interweaving a lot of elements. It was a time (Christmas 2020) where we may not see a future with him.

    “The question was to know if we were going to the end of the contract without certainty or if we stopped before. This is the choice we made.”

  • PSG star Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona

    PSG star Lionel Messi returns to Barcelona

    Paris Saint-Germain star Lionel Messi was back in Barcelona on Sunday.

    Messi played for Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday as they came from behind to beat Saint Etienne 3-1, helping his teammates win three points with two assists.

    However, after the game he jumped on a plane to Barcelona to spend some time back in the Catalan city, where he feels happy, as revealed by La Sexta, who caught him arriving at El Prat airport.

    Messi had a big smile on his face as he sported his PSG tracksuit. He has come to Barcelona to spend time with his partner Antonella, who is in the city to celebrate her birthday.

  • PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino rejects Man Utd job

    PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino rejects Man Utd job

    PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino has turned down a move to Manchester United.

    Sport says Pochettino has already turned down United in hope of landing the Real Madrid job.

    The 49-year-old knows that if experienced boss Carlo Ancelotti fails to win the LaLiga or continue their progress in the Champions League, the job could be his to take.

    Pochettino and Ancelotti are currently going head-to-head in the last-16 of the Champions League with the French side leading 1-0 after the first leg.

    Pochettino, alongside Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, remains among the main contenders to replace current interim boss Ralf Rangnick – although things have become more complicated with Madrid now showing interest.

  • What Paul Pogba has told me about PSG move – Anelka

    What Paul Pogba has told me about PSG move – Anelka

    Former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka can see Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba moving to PSG.

    Off contract in June, the Frenchman has suspended talks over a new deal with United until later in the season.

    Anelka told RMC: “If he wants to come to Paris?

    “I discussed it with him six months ago and he would not mind coming to PSG.

    “If he arrives, we will forget all his injuries and see that he is a top player.”

  • I tried every means to return to Barca – Neymar

    I tried every means to return to Barca – Neymar

    Paris Saint-Germain star, Neymar has revealed that he “tried everything” to return to Barcelona before Lionel Messi’s move to Paris.

    PSG paid a world-record €222 million (£185m/$252m) fee to sign Neymar from Barca in 2017, bringing to an end his hugely successful four-year stint at Camp Nou.

    Neymar recorded plenty of goals and assists in his first two seasons at PSG, but also struggled with niggling injuries and ill-discipline, with supporters seemingly turning against him following an incident after the French Cup final in 2019 that saw him punch a spectator.

    The forward was strongly linked with a move back to Barca in the summer transfer window of the same year, but a deal never materialised and he has since worked his way back into favour with the PSG faithful.

    “I tried to return to Barca. We tried everything, but it wasn’t possible,” Neymar confirmed when quizzed on the saga on the Fenomenos podcast.