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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Juventus 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 2. The result saw the visitors finish in second place in Group H as Benfica scored more away goals.
The Parisians entered this game on the back of four wins and one draw from their last five games across competitions. They seem to have got their scoring form back, netting 14 goals in their last three games.
Christophe Galtier's men knew a win would help them finish in the top spot in Group H. He fielded a competitive lineup for this game.
PSG made a strong start to the game as they passed the ball with confidence and hounded Juventus players when they had the ball. They won the ball in the opponent's half and Lionel Messi played a pass to Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman displayed brilliant footwork to get into a position to shoot and unleashed a venomous strike that nestled in the bottom-right corner.
Juventus showed resilience as they dug their heels in and attempted to thwart PSG's advances. They tried to play from wide as Filip Kostic and Juan Cuadrado used their pace to their benefit. It worked well as they managed to unsettle the visitors' defense at times. Cuadrado provided a diving assist for Leonardo Bonucci to latch onto and score to make it 1-1 after 39 minutes.
The first period saw Juventus attempt 10 shots with just one on target, which they scored from. PSG, on the other hand, attempted three shots with two on target. The teams went into the break tied at 1-1.
PSG were quick out of the blocks for the second period and made a positive start. Galtier made a couple of changes shortly after the hour-mark as he brought Hugo Ekitike and Nuno Mendes into the action. The latter scored with his first forward run as Mbappe provided an assist for Mendes to make it 2-1.
Juventus had a big positive to celebrate as Federico Chiesa returned to action following a cruciate ligament injury that had kept him out since January. He put in a lovely display during his cameo, showing hunger and determination to win the game. However, that was all the hosts could be happy about as PSG secured a crucial 2-1 win.
With that said, let's take a look at the Parisians' player ratings.
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 6/10
Donnarumma made a mistake for Juventus' goal in the first period as he committed to a dive when the ball was out of his reach. That allowed Bonucci to sneak in at the back post to score Juventus' equalizer. He made just one save throughout the game.
Achraf Hakimi - 6.5/10
Hakimi had a decent game and ventured forward at every opportunity he got. He won two duels, making two clearances and three interceptions. He also completed one successful dribble.
Sergio Ramos - 7/10
Ramos looked solid in defense despite being drawn into silly altercations by Arkadiusz Milik. He won two of his three duels and made four clearances and one interception. He also played five accurate long balls.
Marquinhos - 7/10
Marquinhos looked solid in defense and played consistently throughout the game. He won both his duels and made five clearances, two blocks and two tackles. He also played one key pass.
Juan Bernat - 6.5/10
Bernat had a decent game and was subbed off shortly after the hour-mark.
Fabian Ruiz - 6/10
Ruiz made a decent start to the game but was forced off with an injury after just 21 minutes of play and was replaced by Renato Sanches.
Marco Verratti - 6.5/10
Verratti played well in midfield but also received a booking. He played 95 accurate passes with 94% accuracy including two long balls. He also won four of his eight duels and made three tackles and two blocks.
Vitinha - 6/10
Vitinha was subpar in midfield as he often fumbled the basics. He won just two of his eight duels and was dispossessed 13 times.
Carlos Soler - 6/10
Soler had a decent game but failed to make a significant impact on either end of the pitch.
Lionel Messi - 7/10
Messi made a good start to the game and provided an early assist for Mbappe to make it 1-0 to PSG. He won two duels, played three key passes and one accurate long ball.
Kylian Mbappe - 8/10
Mbappe displayed a lovely bit of individual skill as he put his side ahead after 13 minutes with a sharp finish. He completed four dribbles, played three key passes and won six of his 12 duels.
Substitutes
Renato Sanches - 6.5/10
Sanches was brought on to replace the injured Fabian Ruiz and had a good game.
Hugo Ekitike - 6/10
Ekitike replaced Carlos Soler late in the game and played well.
Nuno Mendes - 7.5/10
Mendes showed great awareness as he made a run into space and scored to make it 2-1 to PSG.
Danilo Pereira - N/A
He came on for the closing stages and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
