PSG ends Man U’s run
When the reality check came for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United, it wasn’t even handed out by a full-strength Paris Saint-Germain.
A 2-0 victory in the Champions League — consigning Solskjaer to the first loss in 12 games under his caretaker command — was produced by PSG on Tuesday without two of the French club’s fearsome forwards.
Neymar was already ruled out with a broken foot when Edinson Cavani hurt his left thigh at the weekend to join the world’s most expensive player on PSG’s injury list.
“They were a level above us,” Solskjaer said after the first leg of the last-16 contest which saw United’s record-signing Paul Pogba sent off.
Old Trafford instead became a stage for Kylian Mbappe to shine in tandem with Angel Di Maria, who relished the revenge mission on his return to his former club.
By the time Di Maria responded to the torrent of abuse by picking up a bottle of beer hurled at him and taking a sip, PSG was already leading thanks to acade- my graduate Presnel Kimpembe’s first PSG goal in the 53rd minute.
Di Maria, who struggled in his only season at United before being offloaded to PSG in 2015, sent in the corner that Kimpembe raced into the penalty area unchecked to meet with a volley.
The second goal, on the hour, was the culmination of an electric counterattack. As Di Maria sent in a cross, Mbappe darted between center backs Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof and clipped the ball under goalkeeper David de Gea for his 23rd goal of the season.
“It was a perfect pass for Kylian,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. “It was a nice comeback for him.”
Less so, initially.
“In the first half it was a bit hard for him playing right in front of me and losing many easy balls,” Tuchel said. “Maybe he was a bit nervous and a bit overused because he plays all the time for us. I’m happy he stayed confident. He’s always super reliable.” /