PSG-Dortmund notes: The Mbappé fiasco, the evil genius Dembélé

We know him by heart and this semi-final reminded us what a goalkeeper he was by offering a caricature of his qualities and his faults. On his line, he is a monster like his marvelous parade in front of Adeyemi (36th). But he has lead in his soles on corners. How can Hummels lay down the law in his six meters? Unforgivable.

• In short… Corners, again and again…

From the heart but inaccuracies. The Moroccan never hid, offering a constant solution on his right side. But he never made good use of his precious ammunition. An astronomical quantity of centers for a ridiculous number of hot situations. Behind, he sometimes suffered against the untenable Adeyemi.

In short… What a waste…

He could have signed a boss match. His sharp interventions and his authority in the duels contained Dortmund for a long time even when Beraldo completely missed his restart (41st). Everything was going well until this stupidly conceded corner after another won duel. The turning point of the match…

• In short… A dumpling that tarnishes the rest.

The duel that should not be lost. Hummels flew above him and Paris buried its final hopes. Beraldo seemed helpless in the face of the German defender’s flight. In difficulty facing the large presence of Füllkrug, Beraldo on the other hand showed himself to be precise and valuable in the recovery. But under pressure, it does not yet provide sufficient guarantees.

• In short… A big responsibility for the evening’s result.

Better in his shoes than on the first leg, he defended by advancing and better framed Sancho. More energy certainly, but we would have liked to see him even more generous in the opposing half. Like his praline which deserved better than a post (62nd).

In short… Not yet its best version.

He will have absolutely nothing to reproach himself for in the double confrontation. This Tuesday, he was above all his teammates. In the recovery and especially the orientation, he directed the maneuver with great foresight. He was the only one to find Ramos in good conditions with sharp passes (13th, 60th) and never stopped causing shifts on the sides. He will place another caviar on the head of Marquinhos (82nd).

In short… If all the Parisians had been at his level, PSG would have met at Wembley.

If he put his mirrors away, Paris would undoubtedly gain in efficiency. His way of slowing down the game by spinning around certainly allows him to keep the ball but it wastes a lot of time. Of course, he could have opened the scoring with a pool shot at the end of the first period but he is far too neutral for a match of this level. And he lost a few hot balloons in dangerous areas…

Replaced by Marco Asensio (63rd)

This double confrontation perhaps reminded us of the step he still had to take to reach the highest level. His start to the match was sluggish and he struggled to survive in traffic. Less on his legs in 2024, he remained within his current standards, without managing to make any difference in the pass. Only the post came to thwart his attempt at a tight angle (47th).

• In short… It’s time for the season to end.

Replaced by Kang-In Lee (76th) who also went there from his crossbar.

The evil genius of Dembélé. It has been some time since he left his lamp. Unusual technical waste and questionable choices completely ruined its first sixty minutes. He then woke up, feeling more enthusiastic and energetic. He finally caused fouls and found dangerous areas on his crosses at the end of the match. Too late.

Like his last-second slip, his last match in the European Cup with PSG was a disaster. He initially failed at everything by never managing to get any speed into his game. When he stopped, he was no longer a danger. In 180 minutes, he moved away from the danger zones too often. As in the first leg, he ended up hitting wood (84th) but we have the right to expect something else from a player of his caliber. He was never the boss he should be. His Parisian career could have ended in a triumph, but it ended in a fiasco.

In short… Absent. On the way there and back.

He was there to convert what passed under his nose, it failed. PSG was no more realistic with him than on the first leg. If the quality of the Parisian centers is in question, especially in the first period, Ramos, sometimes out of time, also stood out with his clumsiness on a golden serve from Vitinha (60th). To his credit, effective pressing although sometimes disorganized.

In short… In Ligue 1, he is enjoying himself. In the Champions League, he struggles.

Replaced by Bradley Barcola (63rd)