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Tag: PSG

  • Champions League defeat was a reality check – solskjaer

    Manchester United interim boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has tagged the Red Devil’s 2-0 home loss to Paris St-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League a “reality check” but insisted “mountains are there to be climbed”.

    Former United winger Angel di Maria provided the assists for goals scored by Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe.

    Solskjaer told BT Sport: “You can’t lay down and say it’s over.”

    United midfielder Paul Pogba was sent off in the last minute of normal time for a second bookable offence.

    This was Solskjaer’s first defeat as interim boss after winning 10 of his first 11 games since taking over from Jose Mourinho in December.

    “Today was a kind of a reality check on the level of the top teams,” he added.

    “That is the level we want to get to. Top four is one thing. United should be at the top. They are a top team. [Our players] know we need to step up our level. We are disappointed.”

    Neither side impressed in the first half, which ended on a negative note for Solskjaer when attacking duo Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial came off injured.

    “We had quality players come on, but they gave us something and let’s hope they are not too serious,” he said about the pair. “They are muscle injuries; we have to wait a couple of days.”

  • Solskjaer face first defeat in Champions League clash

    Solskjaer face first defeat in Champions League clash

    Manchester United caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer encountered his first defeat since taking over from Jose Mourinho to an attacking Paris Saint-Germain team in Champions League tie at Old Trafford.

    Second half goals from Presnel Kimpembe and Kylian Mbappe secured victory for the French champions, with Paul Pogba sent off for two yellow cards late on.

    United’s revival with 10 wins in 11 games under Solskjaer raised hopes that this was the night they could reclaim their place in Europe’s elite.

    Instead, they were outclassed by PSG to suffer their first European home defeat by a margin of more than one goal and will now need to produce something remarkable in Paris on 6 March to stand a chance of advancing to the Champions League quarter-finals.

  • UCL: Very difficult for Neymar to face Man Utd, says Tuchel

    Paris St Germain coach Thomas Tuchel admits it will be “very difficult” for Neymar to regain full fitness for their Champions League clash against Manchester United next month.

    The Brazil forward suffered a fractured metatarsal against Strasbourg in the French Cup last week, with the club confirming it was a recurrence of the injury that threatened his World Cup participation last year.

    “It will be very difficult,” the German coach told Canal Plus after PSG’s 4-1 Ligue 1 win over Stade Rennais on Sunday. “It is too early to talk about a possible return date.

    “To start with, we must wait at least one week — this period and his reaction to the treatment will be important. Only then can we be more precise. That said, it is not a secret — it will be very difficult.”

    PSG visit Old Trafford for the first leg of their last-16 clash on Feb. 12 before hosting the return leg on March 6.

  • Ligue 1: PSG playmaker Rabiot banished to reserve team

    Ligue 1: PSG playmaker Rabiot banished to reserve team

    Troubled Paris Saint Germain star Adrien Rabiot will no longer feature for the first team as he continues to run down his contract in order to leave the French capital as a free agent.

    Paris Saint Germain coach, Thomas Tuchel, this week confirmed the 23-year-old will not be included in his plans, as he prepares to oversee an assault on the Champions League along with retaining the Ligue 1 title.

    According to Dailymail, It is believed Rabiot has now been asked to train with the reserves rather than the senior team on the orders of president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, given that he will be departing the club.

    Both Barcelona and Chelsea have been linked with moves, though Catalonia appears his most likely destination this summer.

    ‘I have to prepare my team for Guingamp and it will be a team without Adrien Rabiot.

    ‘I respect the club’s decision. And it is a decision of the club,’ said Tuchel of the situation, as report Goal.

    While cash-rich PSG have naturally been linked with several players as a replacement for Rabiot, Tuchel would not be drawn on any speculation.

    The Ligue 1 side are rumoured to be looking at Tuchel’s former Dortmund pupil Julian Weigl, but the German coach declined to comment.

    ‘Weigl? I can’t talk about players who are at another club,’ Tuchel added.

    ‘Julian was one of my players, but he belongs to Dortmund. We’re working hard to recruit a defensive midfielder.’

    PSG are currently 10 points clear in France, despite having played three games fewer than second-placed Lille.

  • UCL: PSG defeat Liverpool as last 16 dream hangs

    Liverpool’s hopes of reaching the last 16 suffered a blow as they lost 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

    Juan Bernat punished some sloppy defending to score the opener for PSG on 13 minutes with Neymar finishing off a brilliant counter attacking move to add the second on 37 minutes.

    James Milner swept home a penalty in added time in the first half after Angel Di Maria had cleaned out Sadio Mane in his own box.

    But despite plenty of huffing and puffing in the second period, there was no more scoring.

    With Napoli winning 3-1 at home to Red Star Belgrade to move onto nine points at the top of Group C, Liverpool remain in third on six behind second-placed PSG’s haul of eight.

    Jurgen Klopp’s team need to overcome the Italian side by more than one goal at Anfield on December 11 to reach the last 16 a season after losing 3-1 in the final to Real Madrid.

    PSG will progress if they beat Red Star away from home on the same night.

  • PSG break Tottenham’s 58-year-old European record

    Paris St-Germain broke Tottenham’s 58-year-old European record as they beat Lille to make it 12 consecutive wins at the start of the Ligue 1 season.

    The previous record for a winning start in Europe’s top five leagues was Spurs’ 11-match run in 1960-61.

    Kylian Mbappe scored the first goal with a curled 25-yard effort – his 13th goal in 11 games this season.

    Neymar added a second with a deflected shot, with Nicolas Pepe scoring an injury-time consolation penalty.

    French champions Paris St-Germain are now 11 points above second-placed Lille at the top of the table.

  • UCL: Neymar scores hat-trick as PSG thrash Red Star

    UCL: Neymar scores hat-trick as PSG thrash Red Star

    A Neymar hat-trick inspired Paris St-Germain to an emphatic Champions League Group C victory over Red Star Belgrade at the Parc des Princes.

    In a one-sided contest, Neymar set the hosts on their way with an exquisite free-kick which found the bottom left corner from 25 yards out.
    The Brazil forward doubled PSG’s lead less than three minutes later as the visitors attempted to regroup – guiding a close-range effort into the roof of the net after exchanging passes with Kylian Mbappe.
    Edinson Cavani’s deflected strike made it three and Angel di Maria flicked Thomas Meunier’s cross in for a fourth goal before half-time.
    PSG began the competition with a narrow 3-2 defeat at Liverpool but back in Paris, and with Italian midfielder Marco Verratti restored to their starting XI after suspension, this showing was a reminder of the firepower at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal.
    Despite a determined start, Red Star manager Vladan Milojevic was forced into changes of personnel and tactics at the interval in an attempt to avoid embarrassment.
    However, the second period continued in the same fashion as the first.
    Visiting goalkeeper Milan Borjan superbly saved a succession of shots as the French Ligue 1 leaders repeatedly carved Red Star open down the left.
    On his 50th appearance for PSG, Mbappe received his reward for a fine individual performance by finishing off a sublime move involving Neymar and Juan Bernat to record his 27th goal for the club.
    Former Germany international Marko Marin got the Serbian side on the scoresheet with a powerful drive but Neymar had the final word with another superb free-kick.
    It ensured he completed his second ever Champions League hat-trick, after one for Barcelona in their 6-1 group stage home win against Celtic in December 2013, and also became the joint-highest scoring Brazilian in Champions League history, level with Kaka on 30 goals.
    BBC

  • Neymar rules out Paris Saint-Germain exit

    Paris Saint-Germain winger Neymar has ruled out the possibility of leaving the club this summer despite reports linking him with a move to Real Madrid .

    Speculation regarding Neymar’s future raged throughout his debut season in the French capital, with reports quickly emerging following his world-record move from Barcelona claiming that he was unhappy at PSG and wanted to return to Spain.

    Madrid have been long-term admirers of Neymar, having initially missed out on his signature when he decided to join Barcelona, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from the Bernabeu led to further reports that the European champions could step up their chase for the Brazil international.

    However, Madrid themselves have officially denied their interest and now Neymar has also ruled out the possibility of leaving PSG after only one year.

    “I’m staying. I’m staying in Paris. I have a contract. Most of the speculation is made by the media,” Neymar told reporters.

    “Everyone knows my objective, why I went to Paris. I want to have success with that club and I hope next season could be wonderful.”

    Neymar scored 27 goals and created 16 more in just 28 appearances for PSG last season before his campaign was cut short by injury.

  • PSG appoints Thomas Tuchel as new manager

    PSG appoints Thomas Tuchel as new manager

    French Ligue 1 champions, Paris St-Germain have appointed Thomas Tuchel as their new manager.

    Tuchel, who has been out of work since leaving Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund in May 2017, has signed a two-year contract with the French club.

    The 44-year-old spent two years in charge at Dortmund after succeeding Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp in 2015.

    Tuchel replaces Unai Emery, who led PSG to the domestic treble in France this season but did not have his two-year contract extended.”It is with great joy, pride and ambition that I join this great world football club that is Paris St-Germain,” said Tuchel.

    “I look forward to working with all these great players, all of whom are among the best on the planet. With my staff, we will do everything to help the team push their limits to the highest international level.

    “There is extraordinary potential in Paris and this is the most exciting challenge that has come to me. I am also looking forward to discovering Parc des Princes, a legendary European football stadium with a fantastic atmosphere.”

    PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: “Thomas is one of the most competitive European coaches to have emerged at the highest level in recent years.

    “His ambitious personality, his assertive taste for forward-moving play and his strength of character are part of the style we have always heard at Paris St-Germain.”

  • Paris St Germain win 12th French Cup title

    Paris St Germain win 12th French Cup title

    Paris St Germain beat third division side Les Herbiers 2-0 in the final to win a record-extending 12th French Cup title on Tuesday.

    PSG hit the woodwork three times in the opening 20 minutes before prevailing with a goal by Giovani Lo Celso and another from the penalty spot by Edinson Cavani.
    PSG fielded its strongest side and went close several times before midfielder Giovani Lo Celso opened the scoring after 26 minutes.

    PSG then missed a succession of chances, and had a goal from Kylian Mbappe disallowed by the Video Assistant Referee system, before Edinson Cavani slotted in a penalty in the 74th minute.

    Roared on by its red-and-white contingent of around 15,000 fans, Les Herbiers went close when substitute Clement Couturier raced through in injury time.

    PSG coach Unai Emery hugged his counterpart Stephane Masala after the final whistle, visibly impressed by the way his superbly-organized side had resisted so well.

    While PSG secured its fourth straight French Cup and League Cup double, Les Herbiers’ players continue their fight to avoid relegation to the fourth tier with a crucial match on Friday.