At the Allianz Arena this evening, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Juventus 2-1, but despite the victory, they fell short of winning the group. Once again, Kylian Mbappe’s unmatched talent was on display as he scored the game-winning goal for Nuno Mendes after Leonardo Bonucci had first tied the score after 13 minutes with a spectacular strike from the edge of the box.
Christophe Galtier’s team played well enough to win the game, but amazingly they did not win the group after Benfica scored late to defeat Maccabi Haifa 6-1 and claim first place for themselves. With Juventus failing to advance, the game was much more important for Christophe Galtier’s team.
For the key game, PSG lined up in a 4-3-1-2 formation with Carlos Soler playing immediately behind the attack combo of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. Both players contributed to the triumph, with the Argentinean helping to set up the first goal and Mbappe being involved in both.
The first of which brilliantly took the ball past Federico Gatti, who pulled his shirt but was unable to stop the Frenchman from getting past him, demonstrating why his club did everything they could to keep him in the summer. The Frenchman’s right-footed effort went in off the post from the edge of the area.
Juventus 1-2 PSG: One knocked out while the other couldn’t top the group
Following the opening goal, Juventus started to really get going. Nicolo Fagioli saw his curling attempt miss the post only minutes after Mbappe’s incredible goal, and then Juan Cuadrado sent a shot into the side-netting.
tenacious centre-back Massimiliano Allegri’s team had to rely on Bonucci, who was selected in the lineup with Alex Sandro and Gatti in the middle of a back three, to give them a way back into the game.
After receiving a cross from Filip Kostic, the 35-year-old grabbed a diving header from Cuadrado and scored accurately from close range to tie the score.
When Benfica took the lead at Maccabi Haifa in the second half, elevating the Portuguese team to the top of Group H, it became clear that PSG needed to try for a victory.
As a result, Galtier substituted Mendes for Juan Bernat in the 68th minute. The full-back quickly had an impact on the game by scoring with one of his first touches after Mbappe put him in on goal. His shot was low and into the bottom-right corner.
That goal seemed to be enough for the French champions to win Group H and earn the right to face the team that placed second in the round of 16, but Benfica miraculously scored two late goals to defeat Maccabi Haifa 6-1, dealing Galtier’s squad a significant loss.
PSG now faces the possibility of playing the likes of Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid in the round of 16, which may make their quest for a first-ever Champions League more challenging. PSG finished below the Primeira Liga leaders in exceptional circumstances, on away goals scored alone.
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