PSG’s latest European capitulation leaves Mauricio Pochettino on the brink

There was a moment in Wednesday night's Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) game where Neymar received the ball near the Los Blancos penalty box. When his attempted dribble failed, the Brazilian didn’t track back and made no attempt to win the ball back. From the resulting counter-attack, the Spanish side scored as Karim Benzema slammed the ball past Gianluigi Donnarumma for his second goal of the game.

Real Madrid went on to win 3-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate to eliminate PSG from the UEFA Champions League in the round of 16 stage.

Just like in the first leg, the Ligue 1 champions started the game on the ascendency, with Kylian Mbappe’s 39th-minute opener giving them a further advantage in the tie. However, they threw it all away in the final half-hour.

A familiar capitulation for PSG

PSG’s latest capitulation in Europe bears some semblance to how they let a 4-0 first-leg advantage slip away after losing 6-1 to Barcelona in the second leg five years ago.

Real Madrid were done and dusted by the hour mark at the Santiago Bernabeu, when the Parisians had a two-goal advantage with 30 minutes to go. However, Mauricio Pochettino’s side contrived to lose, conceding three goals in the final half-hour to lose the tie to their Spanish opponents.

While the likes of Luka Modric and Karim Benzema stepped up for the Spanish giants, no one rose to the occasion for PSG bar Mbappe. The Frenchman was isolated as he tried to singlehandedly drag the team on. For a team that had Lionel Messi, Neymar and Angel Di Maria on the pitch, that is worrying.

The Ligue 1 side ultimately lost the tie due to their lack of desire and character and, at this stage in football, no team can do without these attributes, which Real Madrid showed enough of.

Mauricio Pochettino on the brink

Pochettino’s job stability has never come up for discussion despite the media constantly linking him to Manchester United but now he’s on the brink. The Argentinean manages a team that is full of talented individuals, including arguably the greatest player in football, and has yet massively underachieved.

Exiting the Champions League at the last 16 stage is unacceptable for PSG and the manner in which they were eliminated makes matters worse.

"There's a feeling of a lot of injustice. Because of the [Benzema’s first] goal,” a frustrated Pochettino said after the game, as quoted by Marca.

"It was a clear foul from Benzema on Donnarumma. The emotional state of the game changed and we were exposed. It was a big blow because we were the better team in the tie," he added.

We had the better of the 180 minutes, but Real Madrid had nothing to lose at 1-1 and threw everything at us… Small details count and VAR hasn't seen a decisive foul. It was a determining factor that influenced the mood of the two teams and the stadium. We had been in control," Pochettino concluded.

For all of PSG's control in the first half, their capitulation in the final 30 minutes was inexcusable. Pochettino must take the blame for doing nothing to change the face of the game, while his opposite number, Carlo Ancelotti, made proactive moves.

The Argentinian manager is currently on the brink and it’s only a matter of time before he’s sacked after yet another European failure for the French giants.