Failing to take the TGV, Paris Saint-Germain continues its start to the season in rocket mode. Having already scattered several Ligue 1 clubs since August, the capital club got its Champions League campaign off to a good start by beating Juventus Turin (2-1) on Tuesday September 6 at Parc princes. Victory quickly took shape thanks to Kylian Mbappé’s double (5th and 22nd), before Weston McKennie reduced the score (53rd), in vain for the Turinese.
After the fireworks from the Auteuil stand, a few seconds before the kick-off of the meeting, the one on the lawn was quick to begin, reflecting the trend of the meeting: Neymar as conductor, Mbappé at the finish. On one of the first actions of the match, the Brazilian’s ladle found the Frenchman whose volley left no chance for Mattia Perin (5th). The first moments of the match must have seemed endless for the Italian goalkeeper, as the Parisian assaults were repeated.
5 – Only Lionel Messi (6) has scored more goals in the first 5 minutes of a Champions League game than Kylian Mbappé (5) in the history of the competition. Press. #PSGJuve #PSGJUV pic.twitter.com/Q4Lq6eBGjK
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 6, 2022
This PSG of the first period is the one that Christophe Galtier surely dreams of: a team capable of counting on its offensive stars to harass the opponent when the ball is lost, the technical quality in attack doing the rest. Mbappé not touching the ground at the moment, the striker decided to do the same with the ball by taking up, once again with a volley, a serve from Achraf Hakimi on a sublime action (22nd).
Opposite, Juventus appeared as the team it is now: an Old Lady who is her age, a notch below the new cadors of the continent. However, she was able to worry PSG and even score a goal on a failed exit from Gianluigi Donnarumma on a corner, which Weston McKennie (53rd) took advantage of.
The Italian goalkeeper missed, but that will certainly not revive the debate on the hierarchy with Keylor Navas, because he also saved his team twice, by making two spectacular saves on the heads of Arkadiusz Milik (19th ) and Dusan Vlahovic (64th).
2 – Gianluigi Donnarumma made his second mistake leading to an opposing goal in 6 Champions League matches with Paris. This is already a record for a PSG player since Opta analyzed this data (2007/08). Dumplings. #PSGJuve #PSGJUV pic.twitter.com/rAdFwBdd9b
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) September 6, 2022
The fears experienced by PSG in the second period, on the strikes of Filip Kostic (47th), Adrien Rabiot (59th) or the action of Manuel Locatelli (81st), reminded us that the capital club can be fragile when the minutes parade, that the organisms tire and that the spaces open up in its environment and its defence. Paris will have finally held, and could – should – have won more widely.
Because Lionel Messi did not know how to set the target (67th), Neymar lacked success (49th, 83e) before colliding with Perrin (89th), and that the Brazilian was completely forgotten by Mbappé when he was alone in front of the goals (64th). The general impression, despite the narrow score, is therefore good and Paris can continue to be satisfied with the contribution of its side or that of Vitinha, always just as fair since his arrival at PSG, and perfect complement to Marco Verratti in the middle. .
For the first time in its history and after nine attempts, Paris has finally beaten Juve. But it is above all the fact of having defeated his toughest opponent in Group H that Christophe Galtier will certainly remember. The Parisian coach and his players have fulfilled the first clause of the contract which should lead them to win the club’s first Champions League.
The road is still long, Benfica and Maccabi Haifa will be the two other teams to be eliminated on the way to the round of 16. But after the content seen in this seventh victory in eight games since the start of the season, Paris can continue to dream big.