PSG lost at the last second against Atlético Madrid, not without having opened the scoring and largely dominated the game elsewhere. A look back at the individual performances of the Parisians on a case-by-case basis.
Donnarumma: Starting as expected, he experienced a match that was probably very frustrating until the final seconds with this first goal conceded on an unstoppable shot while he had been effective against Simeone just before. But while the Italian had enough to save a point for his team, he abandoned it at the worst moment with this too soft hand which did not repel Correa’s shot. Four Champions League matches and already two defeats where his responsibility is at least engaged.
Judge: The Moroccan did not stop in the match and was a permanent threat for Atlético with his runs from the first to the last second. It was he who scored the first strike of the match and the last for the Parisians. Between the two, it is impossible to criticize his activity but his lack of lucidity in front of goal only grew and the small errors gradually became big ones, with totally counterproductive choices at the end. Defensively, he did the job, with several good returns.
Marquinhos: In a game where Atlético didn’t even really attack as it was so dominated, the Brazilian captain knew how to manage the day-to-day affairs perfectly overall. Faced with an active but limited Alvarez, Marquinhos did well and extinguished it with his reading of the game but he was also particularly good at cutting out crosses. Largely at Champions League level, he also had a definite offensive contribution with this perfect pass for Hakimi. On the other hand, he again signed a header that was too soft in a very good position.
There : The Ecuadorian, as always, dominated in the duels and did not let much pass on this point, locking the axis of the goal throughout the match. Despite everything, he was unhappy on the first with an involuntary deviation which put him out of position and then did not have time to return to the second. With the ball, he often took the easy way out but managed some interesting crosses.
Nuno Mendes: That the Portuguese cost his team dearly this Wednesday, with a huge involvement on the two goals: poor recovery then random placement on the first, absence of any intervention on the second. Even more embarrassing, his defensive weaknesses were spread throughout the game and he regularly struggled against Giuliano Simeone who was celebrating his first start in the Champions League. Fortunately he had a good period in the last half hour but the shortcomings were glaring and repeated week after week. Offensively, he signed some good crosses but struggled to make a difference with the ball.
Zaire-Emery: The young Parisian midfielder scored a goal and we must salute on this occasion the fact that he was the first PSG player this season to show lucidity and touch in such a situation in the Champions League. Too bad the rest of his match was the complete opposite of this goal full of character and class. The Parisian right runner ran a lot to plug the gaps but was far too timid and slow with the ball.
First Class replaced him for the end of the match and his presence did some good, fixing the defense a little. He also made some useful deflections when called upon in the long game.
Vitinha: The Parisian sentry never ceases to disappoint and its first half was totally catastrophic once again with a total inability to bring the ball to life and direct it to make the opponent suffer. On the contrary, Atlético enjoyed seeing him touch the ball for nothing. Vitinha was fortunately a little more lively and mobile after the break, participating in the long Parisian highlight, but he was very guilty on Madrid’s winning goal, opening the way to the goal with a fake shot that was far from brilliant. Half a surprise given how defensively he is out of it.
Neves : Positioned as a left midfielder, the Portuguese did not manage to restore in this role all the link he had brought to his lane during the match in Marseille. Like Vitinha, his slowness with the ball and his multiple touches of the ball were a nightmare for his team and a delight for the opponent while he never managed to really combine with the players around him. Fortunately, he had a good defensive presence with several interventions which were good.
Fabian Ruiz replaced him and the Spaniard brought presence on the left side, notably allowing Barcola to really exist and Nuno Mendes to be able to move up a little. On the other hand, he had the same problems as the other midfielders in giving the pass which hurts the opponent.
Dembélé: The Parisian winger was in sight from the first seconds and he was for a very long time the number 1 inspiration of the Parisian game, if not the only threat. Galan had a bad evening against him and Lenglet was unable to do anything when Dembélé rushed in front of him to snatch the ball and serve Zaire-Emery on goal. But like Hakimi, Dembélé wore down over time and he gradually lost a lot of lucidity, therefore missing a lot of things in the last third of the match when he needed to have the clearest ideas possible. It’s hard to blame him as he carried out the attack before.
Gifted replaced him for the last seconds, without managing to stand out.
Asensio : Aligned in false point, the Spaniard was a ghost in this match. He succeeded in the feat of neither weighing on the defense as a No. 9 would, nor being useful in the game for his partners as a false No. 9 could do. And while he had finally started to be a little more visible at the start of the second half, he ruined everything with a huge miss on a good cross behind.
Lee replaced him and he was more mobile, placing himself on the right side more than in the axis. But if he touched the ball a lot and only lost a few, he didn’t make much of a difference. To his credit, the powerful shot was poorly repelled by Oblak which Hakimi was very close to converting into a goal.
Barcola: His first hour of play was the complete opposite of what is expected of a player of his supposed class: absolutely no danger for the opponent in his attacking register with zero mobility and borderline winger performance. ridiculous with sluggishness and useless touches of the ball all over the place. He got into action at the end of the match, finally finding a little punch and legs but he was then lacking accuracy in his choices and above all made Oblak shine. Defensively, he didn’t get too tired either, which gives a poor record to say the least.
