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Real Madrid welcomed Paris Saint-Germain to the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday knowing very well that they needed all 3 points to secure qualification to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League.
The La Liga giants were already 5 points behind PSG in Group A and could not afford to slip further away. Real are currently second in the La Liga table and arrived into the game on the back of a morale-boosting 3-1 win over Real Sociedad over the weekend. However, Zinedine Zidane knew that he had his task cut out on Matchday 5.
For starters, PSG had already defeated Madrid 3-0 in the reverse fixture at home in September. The Ligue 1 champions required only 1 point to secure qualification. The stakes were a little different for both teams going into the game, but both wanted 3 points to secure their position in the group and their managers named the first eleven accordingly.
Real Madrid Starting XI: Thibaut Courtois; Dani Carvajal, Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane, Marcelo; Toni Kroos, Federico Valverde, Casemiro, Isco; Eden Hazard, Karim Benzema
PSG starting XI: Keylor Navas; Thomas Meunier, Thiago Silva, Presnel Kimpembe, Juan Bernat Velasco; Marquinhos, Idrissa Gueye, Marco Verratti; Angel Di María, Mauro Icardi, Kylian Mbappé
The home side started the game well, while the visitors threatened on the counter. Real took the lead through Karim Benzema in the 17th minute. The first half ended with the score 1-0 in the home side’s favour. The Frenchman scored his second of the night in the 79th minute, only for Kylian Mbappe to get one back two minutes later. Pablo Sarabia then drew level for PSG in the 83rd minute and the game ended 2-2. Here are the hits and flops from the game.
#5 Hit: Kylian Mbappe
Because Real Madrid started the game on the attacking front, Kylian Mbappe found a lot of room to run and cause trouble. The Frenchman got beyond Marcelo on a couple of occasions in the first half, which was a cause of concern for the home side.
Real paid closer attention to him in the second half and just when it looked like the home team were cruising, Mbappe hit them hard.
The Frenchman kick-started PSG’s comeback by managing to his escape his marker and scoring a simple tap-in in the 81st minute. The goal instilled confidence in the away side who pushed harder for the second goal and ultimately secured a point.
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#4 Flop: Mauro Icardi
Since joining PSG this summer, Mauro Icardi has hit the ground running in the French capital. The Argentine has scored six goals in seven appearances in the Ligue 1 and four in as many games in the Champions League ahead of Tuesday’s game, which prompted Tuchel to continue with him in the team against Real Madrid. Unfortunately, the Argentine cut a sorry figure on the night.
Icardi came close on a couple of occasions in the first half, but could not assert his influence on the game. Just before the break, it appeared that he had won a penalty, but that decision was overturned by VAR due to a foul in the buildup play. Icardi was finally replaced by Pablo Sarabia in the 75th minute, who went on to score 8 minutes later.
The Argentine had just 11 touches on the ball and had two shots in the game, with none of them being on target. He did not attempt a single dribble and had a night to forget.
#3 Hit: Eden Hazard
The Belgian had a lively game and seemed to be enjoying himself against PSG. After a few initial tough months at the Bernabeu, Eden Hazard has finally looked at home in the last few weeks and was particularly impressive in the weekend’s win against Real Sociedad. On Tuesday night, the Belgian started the game very well and caused all sorts of trouble for the visitors.
Hazard showed great ball control right from the start and was a menace down the left. He combined very well with Marcelo and kept the defence on their toes. In the 17th minute, the Belgian kick-started a fantastic attack with some good skills in the middle of the park, which ultimately led to Benzema’s opening goal.
He continued to be a threat and drew quite a few fouls from the opposition too, as they struggled to deal with him. In the 63rd minute, he hurt his ankle from Thomas Meunier’s challenge and was ultimately replaced six minutes later by Gareth Bale. Hazard managed 71 touches on the ball and registered 55 passes with 91% accuracy, which included 4 key passes. He attempted 7 dribbles with a 57% success rate and registered 1 shot in the game.
#2 Flop: Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois has hardly enjoyed his stay at the Bernabeu since his move and has been under continuous scrutiny in every game. Against PSG, the Belgian was lucky to complete the game, after he brought down Icardi in the box and was shown a red card. However, VAR intervened and ruled out the card as Idrissa Gueye had committed a foul on Marcelo in the buildup.
The Belgian looked shaky in the first half, but made one routine save as Real dealt with the threat of the opposition quite well. However, disaster struck in the second half. Right after Real had taken a 2-0 lead, Courtois let a low cross slip underneath him, presenting Mbappe with an easy chance to score a goal. The Belgian also appeared powerless to stop Sarabia’s goal that secured a point for PSG, which summed up a poor night for him on the pitch.
#1 Hit: Karim Benzema
The Frenchman is enjoying a resurgence of sorts this season after the return of Zinedine Zidane. Karim Benzema had already hit double figures for Real Madrid before the start of the game on Tuesday and was expected to continue his fine form against PSG too.
Benzema’s positioning and movement in the final third was a constant threat to the visitors and the Frenchman made his mark on the game quite early in the first half. After Isco’s shot had hit the bar, the Frenchman was at the right place to catch the rebound and calmly slotted the ball into the net to give Real the lead.
Benzema was also involved in some good build-up play in the game and perhaps should have scored right after the break. However, his moment arrived again in the 79th minute, when he headed home Marcelo’s cross to double Real’s lead.
Even though the home side failed to secure all 3 points, the Frenchman was particularly impressive on the night. Benzema registered 5 shots, 4 of which were on target. He had 77 touches on the ball and registered 60 passes with 92% accuracy. He also had 2 key passes to his name and attempted 4 dribbles with 50% accuracy.
