UEFA Champions League

Neymar flops once again on disappointing Champions League night for PSG, but team still qualify

Published

3 years ago

November 25, 2021

What happens when a team which relies on moments fails to capitalise on said moments?

From a position of strength in the second half, 1-0 up and in the driving seat in their Champions League group, PSG contrived to surrender their advantage and, by extension, the group.

From Mauricio Pochettino’s perspective, it largely hinged on one moment.

With 17 minutes remaining and the game locked level, Neymar collected the ball on the edge of the area. Slaloming his way through the Man City defence, he had the goal at his mercy.

His finish, however, was dragged wide of the post.

Less than two minutes later, City grabbed their winner.

The episode characterised Neymar’s season in the French capital. Whereas many expected him to thrive after the arrival of former Barcelona teammate Lionel Messi, he has cut a slightly awkward figure. Most damning is that a team which requires decisiveness in the final third is currently getting the opposite from the Brazilian.

PSG’s game plan on the evening mirrored their approach to the fixture at the Parc des Princes in September. Pochettino packed his midfield with athleticism – Ander Herrera replaced Marco Verratti in the starting lineup – before surrendering possession and tasking his star-studded attacking trio to go and win the match.

It was all going to plan for an hour. City created the majority of the goalscoring opportunities, but their pressure wasn’t incessant and there were periods in which PSG were able to take the sting out of the game without much resistance from Guardiola’s side.

However, when City responded through Sterling on the hour mark PSG didn’t really lose their composure. It was about as much as Pochettino could ask from his defensive unit given the instructions he had handed them pre-match, but they were let down by Neymar’s profligacy in that moment 17 minutes from time.

Perhaps he could be forgiven if this was merely an off-night, but it marked the fourth Champions League game this term that Neymar has provided neither an assist or a goal. In a group including Club Brugge and an RB Leipzig side struggling for form, it makes for dismal reading.

His domestic form barely offers a note of encouragement either. Three goals and as many assists in nine starts doesn’t cut it in a dominant PSG side. Many will underline the fact the Parisiens have flattered to deceive in Ligue 1 this term, but Neymar’s contributions – or lack of – is part of that.

When compared to Kylian Mbappe’s numbers, you would be forgiven for believing Neymar was a bit-part squad member. The Frenchman has registered 12 assists this season, with eight goals to boot in all competitions. He is averaging a goal involvement roughly every 59 minutes on the pitch.

There’s only one football on the pitch, you might say, which renders it largely impossible for each of PSG’s front three to post extraordinary numbers. But it’s been Mbappe’s decisiveness which has marked him out. This is also a player who believed he was leaving PSG with just a week left in the transfer window last summer.

Of course, there could be mitigating circumstances. Neymar missed the opening three games of the season through injury, and his performances hint at a player carrying either mental or physical baggage.

But at present, it’s difficult to defend Neymar’s contributions. In fact, it’s difficult to justify his place in the team at all.

-90min

UEFA Champions League

Nigeria’s Victor Olatunji becomes third African scoring debutant in Uefa Champions League

Published

17 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Nigeria’s Victor Olatunji was not just the hero for his side, Sparta Prague, in Wednesday’s 3-0 defeat of Salzburg in their opening game of the UEFA Champions League, he has edged himself into the competition’s record books.

According to Opta, Olatunji’s goal made him the third African player to score and assist on Champions League debut.

Before him were Gabon’s Daniel Cousin in 2007 (for Rangers in the match with Lyon) and Cote d’Ivoire’s Serge Aurier in 2015 (for PSG in the duel with Shakhtar Donetsk).

Olatunji scored one and produced a master-piece assist that led to the third goal for Sparta Prague on Wednesday night.

Reigning Czech Republic champions Sparta Prague kicked off their UEFA Champions League campaign with a game against Salzburg at the Epet Arena in Prague.

Olatunji, who has been the main man for Sparta Prague since last season, got a starting shirt in the striker position- his debut in the Champions League.

The Czech side had a dream start as they took the lead just a minute into the game courtesy of Kaan Kairinen. After conceding, Salzburg started to dominate the game, but they failed to make any clear-cut opportunity.

Sparta Prague were better coordinated and held their lines better. They eventually got their second, and it was courtesy of Nigeria striker Olatunji. A long ball was played from Sparta Prague’s defence, Olatunji got to it, and he took a one-time shot to send the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal.

Then, in the second half, Olatunji supplied the assist for Qazim Laci for Sparta Prague’s third. In his 58 minutes of action, the 25-year-old striker registered two goal attempts, 14 touches, and won four of his seven duels. The game eventually ended 3-0 in Sparta Prague’s favour.

In the other matches of the night, Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by Inter Milan while PSG managed a lone goal win over Girona in Paris and Club Brugge lost 0-3 at home to last year’s losing finalist, Borussia Dortmund.

Celtic FC had a goal feast at home with a 5-1 demolition of visiting Slovan Bratislava and Bologna and Shakhtar Donestsk settled for a goalles draw. Action resumes tonight with FC Bacerlona and Arsenal away in Monaco and Atalanta respectively.

RESULTS

Bologna 0-0 Shakhtar

Sparta 3-0 Salzburg

Celtic 5-1 Brastilava

Brugge 0-3 Dortmund

Man City 0-0 Inter

PSG 1-0 Girona

THURSDAY’S FIXTURES

Feyenoord Vs Leverkusen

Zvezda Vs Benfica

Atalanta Vs Arsenal

Brest Vs Graz

Atletico Vs Leipzig

Monaco Vs Barca

UEFA Champions League

Kane scores four goals as record-breaking Bayern crush Dinamo Zagreb 9-2

Published

2 days ago

September 18, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Champions League - Bayern Munich v GNK Dinamo Zagreb - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - September 17, 2024 Bayern Munich's Harry Kane scores their sixth goal from the penalty spot to complete a hat-trick REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane scored four goals to lead his side to a 9-2 demolition of visitors Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday and a record for the most goals by one team in a Champions League match after a scintillating performance.

Bayern struck three times in the first half with Kane converting a 19th minute penalty before becoming the highest scoring English player in European Cup history with 33 goals, breaking Wayne Rooney’s mark of 30.

Kane, who scored three goals against Holstein Kiel in the Bundesliga on Saturday, also became the first player to score a hat-trick of penalties in a European Cup match.

The game had the second-biggest winning margin in Champions League history, with Liverpool and Real Madrid holding the record with 8-0 wins.

Borussia Dortmund’s 8-4 win over Legia Warsaw in 2016 is the record for most goals overall in a Champions League match.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever had three penalties in one game,” said Kane. “It was a different feeling for me, but to score four goals is fantastic.”

“To help the team in any way possible is important. Whether they’re penalties or normal finishes I’ll take them all. It was a great night for us.”

DETERMINED BAYERN

Bayern are eager to bounce back after failing to win any domestic or international silverware last season.

“Everyone has a point to prove here and we’ve started the season that way,” Kane said. “The way the coach wants us to press and be intense with and without the ball is important. We know we can dominate teams with the quality we have.”

With Zagreb completely boxed in, Raphael Guerreiro, who had earlier put the ball in the net only to be ruled offside, drilled home from a superb Jamal Musiala assist in the 33rd and Michael Olise added another five minutes later.

The Croats briefly recovered by making the most of some sloppy defending with goals from Bruno Petkovic in the 49th and Takuya Ogiwara a minute later to give themselves some hope.

It was, however, short-lived with Bayern, who hope to reach this season’s final to be played in Munich, upping the tempo instantly and scoring two more in a four-minute span through Kane and Olise to restore order.

In coach Vincent Kompany’s Champions League debut on the bench, England captain Kane bagged his third and fourth goals with penalties in the 73rd and 78th.

Thomas Mueller also set a record with his 152nd Champions League appearance for Bayern, breaking Xavi’s mark at Barcelona for the most matches in the competition with one club.

Substitutes Leroy Sane and Leon Goretzka also got on the scoresheet with late goals as Bayern opened their Champions League campaign in devastating fashion.

-Reuters

UEFA Champions League

Real Madrid to play Liverpool, Milan and Dortmund in revamped Champions League

Published

3 weeks ago

August 29, 2024

Kunle Solaja

Reigning champions Real Madrid will play Borussia Dortmund in the league phase of the Champions League in what will be a repeat of last season’s final after the draw for the new-look 36-team tournament was held on Thursday.

Clubs will no longer playing three teams home and away in the group phase, but will face eight different teams with four games at home and four away which were picked with the help of a computer.

With clubs facing two teams each from the four pots, the draw threw up plenty of mouth-watering fixtures with Real also set to play former champions Liverpool and AC Milan in the league phase.

Premier League champions Manchester City will face Inter Milan — a repeat of the 2023 final — Paris St Germain and Juventus while Bayern Munich are up against PSG and Barcelona among others.

Apart from Real, Liverpool also take on RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.

New Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has his hands full with the Spanish team set to face the two German giants — his former club Bayern Munich and Dortmund.

The draw was conducted with the help of the competition’s all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who were both given special awards by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

-Reuters