This time, Paris did not come out of it by being pushed around. In Haifa, PSG had won without shining, carried by its individualities. Wednesday, October 5, the capital club suffered a little more on the lawn of Benfica Lisbon, and came out with a draw (1-1) on which he will not have to consider himself injured. The score could even have been very different without an excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal. If Marco Verratti and Lionel Messi survived, the rest of the Paris squad alternated between average and frankly disappointing.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: 8/10
Paris can say a huge thank you to him. Without the saving interventions of his Italian goalkeeper (six stops in total), the first period could have turned into a nightmare. His opposing hand parade in the 18th minute against David Neres is a model of its kind. He couldn’t do anything about the fleeing cross and Danilo Pereira’s own goal, and ended his evening with yet another save in the 82nd minute.
Sergio Ramos: 3/10
There had been better since the start of the season, but tonight he was nothing like a boss. Too unresponsive to the recovery against Benfiquist pressing, he put his friends in the defense in difficulty almost systematically when he was under pressure. To complete it all, no tackle attempted in the match, a symbol of his perdition.
Marquinhos: 4/10
In the heart of the defense with three, the Brazilian did not have the radiation of which it is sometimes capable. The Parisian captain didn’t miss much, but he didn’t lead by example either before being overpowered in envy by Gonçalo Ramos’ call on Danilo Pereira’s own goal. Can do much better.
Danilo Pereira: 4.5/10
He had started his match with a lot of lucidity against the opposing pressing. But he beat his copy too quickly by scoring against his camp on a bad reading of the center of Enzo Fernandez. The Portuguese was not playing in his favorite position, it sometimes felt, even if he at least has the merit of not having sunk, especially in the duel.
Ashraf Hakimi: 5/10
The right piston of PSG multiplied the races as often. But he was able to do it by being more efficient when he returned from the locker room. It’s not surprising that his two strikes of the match came in the second half. The fact remains that he is involved in the Benfica goal by not going up enough on the centralizer in wanting to cover his side.
Vitinha: 5/10
When he has the opportunity to make his quality on the ball speak, the midfielder is a pleasure for the pupil. He ran a lot, but showed inconsistency in the game, alternating between strong moments and much more difficult passages when the opposing pressure was more intense. Replaced by Fabian Ruiz in the 88th minute.
Marco Veratti: 6.5/10
For his resumption match, the “little owl” needed twenty minutes to get into his match. But it was worth the wait. The Italian was the catalyst for PSG, the only one capable of getting out of the grip of the pressing, and advancing the ball towards the opposing camp in midfield. Verratti in the text, in short.
Nuno Mendes: 4,5/10
The Portuguese piston is definitely very frustrating. The talent is there, the desire too. But he still too often alternates between hard-hitting thrusts and unnecessary risk-taking. He still needs to polish himself technically, especially in his quality as a center. Defensively he was solid at least, with a big comeback on David Neres in the 12th minute. Injured in the thigh, replaced by Juan Bernat in the 67th minute.
Neymar: 5.5/10
He played in spurts. But the Brazilian remains this permanent poison, who did not hesitate to make defensive efforts to better be able to give himself space. His pass for Lionel Messi’s goal is an offering. His return on his wrong foot on the crossbar just after the break was the biggest Parisian thrill of the second period.
Lionel Messi: 6/10
Like the others, we didn’t see him at the start of the match. And then a flash, and a sublime curling strike to launch a PSG totally absent until then. That’s the strength of talent. And it felt even more in the second half, when Paris played more direct, and the Argentinian made himself even more influential. Some rare inaccuracies on his part, however, such as his too long control. Replaced, it seems, for a physical alert by Pablo Sarabia in the 81st minute.
100% – Lionel Messi v Benfica
1 shot on target
1 goal
100% successful dribbles (5/5)
100% duels won (7/7)Leader. #BENPSG pic.twitter.com/1UrJ7nHy1j
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 5, 2022
Kylian Mbappe: 3/10
Yes, it is the action of the goal by its relay towards Neymar. A dangerous strike in the 69th minute too. And that’s all. The French international has done just about everything backwards, from his calls to his dribbling to his transmissions. Touch as many balloons as Gianluigi Donnarumma tonight, that is to say. A game to forget.