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Paris Saint-Germain claimed an emphatic victory over Real Madrid as they conquered the 13-time European champions by 3 goals to nil. Angel Di Maria was the star of the match, scoring 2 goals in his 100th game in Europe. In the 14th minute, Juan Bernat put in a low cross for Di Maria, who poked the ball past Thibaut Courtois at the near post.
The Argentinian doubled his tally in the 33rd minute when he curled the ball sweetly into the right corner after a pass from Idrissa Gueye. PSG scored the third goal before the end of the match when fullbacks Juan Bernat and Thomas Meunier combined well. The latter stabbed the ball into a gaping net.
Real Madrid had a disappointing night as they registered zero shots on target and had two goals disallowed. The first one in the 35th minute was an audacious effort by Gareth Bale as he lobbed Keylor Navas with his weaker foot. It was not to be as the ball brushed his hand before the shot.
Karim Benzema’s shot in the 76th minute was also ruled out due to interference from Lucas Vazquez in an offside position.
Without further ado, let us look at the major talking points from the match.
#1 Real Madrid are a shadow of their former selves
Under Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid won three Champions Leagues in a row from 2016 to 2018 and they were seen as one of the most dominant sides in Europe. However, tonight was a different story.
Six players from the starting line-up were involved in the three Champions League wins. One of those players, Toni Kroos, endured a torrid time. The Germany international is known for being a deep-lying playmaker and creating chances with pinpoint passes. But many of Kroos’ passes were inaccurate and fell easily to the midfield players of PSG.
Karim Benzema, who scored thirty goals last season, was virtually a bystander in the match and did not contribute much to Madrid’s attacks. Casemiro was desperately trying to hold the midfield together but could not prevent PSG’s rapid counterattacks on his own.
Zidane needs to find a way to bring Real Madrid back to its former, magical selves and fast. Otherwise, he may rue his decision to manage the club for a second time.
Also check out:Champions League Schedule La Liga Table Premier League Table
#2 PSG’s midfield was sharp and hungry
PSG manager Thomas Tuchel deployed Marquinhos, Marco Verratti and Gueye as his midfield three. They complemented each other perfectly.
Marquinhos played some exquisite cross-field balls to the wide players in order to open up Real Madrid’s defence and helped out defensively as well. He was eventually replaced by Ander Herrera after picking up a knock.
Verratti was a live wire in the midfield, constantly looking for chances to retain possession and then find the space to feed the ball to the players in front of him. Many of his passes cut through Real Madrid's defence and he was close to registering an assist on many occasions.
Just last season, Gueye was playing for Everton who finished eighth in the Premier League. Now he was bossing the midfield against a heavyweight side like Madrid. He committed himself to picking up every loose ball and put in crucial tackles in order to break down Madrid counterattacks.
Due to the midfield’s willingness to win back the ball, PSG were able to create many chances and put Real Madrid to the sword.
#3 Real Madrid are missing Sergio Ramos in defence
Sergio Ramos deliberately picked up a yellow card in the Champions League round of 16 match against Ajax last season and received a two-match suspension. As a result, he missed the game against PSG.
Without his leadership and experience, the defence looked very shaky and was unable to close down players effectively. The summer signing Eder Militao was at fault for the first goal as he did not pick up on di Maria’s shot at the near post.
Dani Carvajal was very rash defensively and committed very clumsy fouls, one of which led to his yellow card. Ferland Mendy, his full back counterpart, may have been lively going forward but his defensive awareness seemed lacking.
Raphael Varane, considered as one of the best defenders in the world, struggled in this match. His positioning was awry and he allowed PSG’s players to find spaces to play through balls.
Overall, Zinedine Zidane will be looking forward to introducing Ramos back into the side after he completes his ban in order to shore up the defence.
#4 Di Maria was the better no. 11
Both Angel Di Maria and Gareth Bale were wearing the no. 11 shirts for their respective teams. It was the former who brought the number to light with a man-of-the-match display. He constantly drove at players and was able to change direction and speed quickly, which Real Madrid players found difficult to halt. Due to this unpredictability, he grabbed two goals and haunted his former club.
The first goal was a poacher’s delight as he put the ball in at the near post with a toe-poke. The second goal was a trademark of his, placing the ball with his magisterial left foot into the right corner. The third goal was also his creation as his through ball put Meunier on a 2 vs 1 situation with Bernat alongside him. All in all, it was an impressive performance from the Argentinian.
Gareth Bale had a decent first half, as he delivered dangerous crosses into the box. He also fashioned a few chances for himself and was unlucky not to score, especially with the goal that was disallowed due to a handball. Nonetheless, Bale disappeared in the second half and his attacking prowess was sorely missed by Madrid.
#5 Eden Hazard looked rusty
It was a big game for Eden Hazard, as he started his first Champions League game for his new club. There were some glimpses of his technical abilities, especially the way in which he dropped a shoulder to fool the defender into moving the wrong way. This was only a fleeting moment though as he looked quite rigid throughout the match.
The Belgian seemed to hesitate as to whether to drive with the ball, pass or cross to a teammate. Because of this, PSG were able to recover defensively. Furthermore, there was relatively little link-up play between the front three of Hazard, Benzema and Bale since they stayed within their positions.
One may forgive Hazard since he was injured for a while and only made his debut four days ago. Hopefully, fans will get to see the Eden Hazard of old as the season progresses.
