At the Parc des Princes
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If he quite logically regretted PSG’s lack of efficiency against Newcastle, Kylian Mbappé did not hide: “I had opportunities, I have to score, that’s clear.” The captain of the Blues, who also had the armband on Tuesday evening, however had the nerves strong enough to convert his penalty at the end of added time and snatch the draw (1-1). It’s strong after such a match, while “KM” and his teammates must have long believed themselves cursed. He left no chance to Nick Pope, the Magpies goalkeeper, the latter having nevertheless disgusted him in the last minutes of regulation time (see elsewhere). Without this goal, PSG was in a very uncomfortable situation before going to Dortmund, on the last day of this Champions League group stage. There, Parisians keep their destiny in their hands. “We are frustrated, but we are still here,” underlines the Parisian number 7. PSG would be assured of finishing at the top of Group F (the ranking here) by winning at Signal Iduna Park. Chick?
What a nice surprise. Sergio Rico was present at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday. A first since the horse riding accident which almost cost him his life at the end of May, in Spain. It was down to the centimeter. The Spanish goalkeeper spent two months in a coma. Coming out onto the pitch before the game, he was obviously given a warm ovation by the public at the Parc des Princes, he who is still under contract until next June and dreams of making his return with the group by then. In the meantime, what a beautiful image to see Rico on the Porte de Saint-Cloud meadow, the miracle worker from Seville. Moving.
With around ten absentees, including Sven Botman, Callum Wilson, Dan Burn and Sandro Tonali, four potential starters, the Magpies did not present themselves in ideal conditions at the Parc des Princes. Yet they produced the perfect match, without brilliance but with a heart like that. Limited, they simply put the bus on in the second period, a line of five behind, line of four in the middle and the only Alexander Isak in front, just in case. Not a pretty sight but effective. Symbol of this long heroic team, Nick Pope, who disgusted Kylian Mbappé, Ousmane Dembélé, Bradley Barcola and company. Six stops. How not to mention the work of the midfielder, the former Lyonnais Bruno Guimaraes and the others. “They are superb ambassadors for the club,” said Eddie Howe, the Newcastle coach, who also made no changes in this meeting. So close, so far… Last in Group F, the Toons no longer have their destiny in their hands before hosting Milan.
SEE ALSO – Mbappé’s hat-trick during Reims-PSG on November 11 (0-3)
CLAW STRIKES
After PSG-Monaco, we targeted the game at the foot of Gigio Donnarumma. The Italian goalkeeper had in fact given the Asemists a goal on a risky kick, his guilty pleasure. But on his line, we know his qualities. Those of a very big one. Issue ? It was precisely on his line that he faltered on Tuesday, repelling an innocuous shot at the feet of Alexander Isak for the opener (see video). He was also no better than last Friday on the feet. That’s a lot… However, we saw the former Milanese imperturbable at San Siro. A good sign. This is the relapse.
Speaking of handplay, the whistled and… non-whistled penalties were important in this match. Too much. Above all, no one understood Szymon Marciniak’s refereeing. In the 72nd minute, he did not penalize Lewis Miley’s hand in the area. And in the 95th minute, he punished Tino Livramento. In both cases, the ball comes to the Newcastle player’s hand, after ricocheting off another part of their body. In both cases, the contact is involuntary. Why did the Pole, blowing the whistle in the World Cup final, make a different decision? If you ask Eddie Howe, Mr. Marciniak was “influenced” by the Parisians. The worst part is that there probably should have been another penalty whistled earlier in the game, when Anthony Gordon knocked Parisian Achraf Hakimi off balance in the area (69th). Parody.
Also read “I had opportunities to score, I have to score”: Mbappé does not shy away and wants to believe it after PSG-Newcastle
“Football is not basketball,” retorts Luis Enrique when asked about the lack of Parisian efficiency and the number of shots (31, including 7 on target) from his team. We still have the right to note that the PSG players lacked efficiency in the zone of truth. It’s clear. “We have to be more clinical,” insists Mbappé, who has missed some good ones. Dembélé too, not to mention the incoming Barcola, who nevertheless had the merit of livening up a hitherto soporific end to the match. He eats the sheet anyway… “It’s not the structure, the organization, it’s us, the players, we have to be much more diligent in front of goal. In this kind of cleaver match, we have to kill. We had too many clear opportunities. Normally, we have to win the match by a wide margin,” adds “KM”. With ifs…
