If Presnel Kimpembe had not decided to play leapfrog on the shoulders of his former teammate, Christopher Nkunku, the move would have been perfect. Rather smoking. Paris-Saint-Germain would have returned from Leipzig with victory and three points in this 4e Champions League day. But the Parisian defender conceded an avoidable penalty in stoppage time and offered the equalizer to the Hungarian Dominik Szoboszlai (2-2).
PSG therefore ended up not winning a match that they should never have been able to win. It is also its charm, this team resists all analyzes, also all rationality. She does not control anything, but almost always falls back on her feet like her first half this Wednesday, November 3.
This battle of Leipzig begins in the form of a rout. Nkunku launches hostilities from the 8the minute of a recovery of the head but prefers not to celebrate his goal against this training club who never really trusted him. In the process, Danilo Pereira plays badly the firefighters on duty and commits a foul on André Silva. The Portuguese seeks to do justice to himself, but especially warms the gloves of a Gianluigi Donnarumma who started on the right side on this penalty (11e).
Even the always very positive, Mauricio Pochettino saw nothing to save from this start. “It’s our fault if we missed the start of the match”, conceded the Argentine coach at the microphone of RMC after the meeting. For its part, RB Leipzig missed the K.-O. but keep his opponent on the ropes.
But the PSG would be more of the puncher type. On a direct or an uppercut, it can hit you a little fragile chin. On the first Parisian foray into the opponent’s area, Georginio Wijnaldum takes over Kylian Mbappé’s offering to equalize (21e). Disappointing since his arrival from Liverpool this summer, the Dutchman repeats a corner deflected by Marquinhos and scores with a header after resorting to video assistance to the referee.
Mbappé’s failures
But for a hold-up to be perfect, you have to get out of the bank without raising the alarm and before the police. In the second half, the Parisians negotiated several blocks badly, like an untenable Mbappé but angry with the finish against goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi. It did not take more to restore confidence and going to the players of Leipzig. The RB might not have wings, but it was pushing back Parisians often saved by their captain, Marquinhos. But that was before Kimpembe decided to jump on Nkunku without the situation requiring it.
From a strictly accounting point of view, this draw does not put PSG on the straw. Second in this group A, the Parisians (8 points) keep four points ahead of the third, FC Bruges, before moving to the leader, Manchester City, and receiving the Belgians on the last day. The background is more worrying. With his chosen words and his tone of personal development book writer, Mauricio Pochettino admits that his team can still be improved. “The stats show that we have to do better in terms of possession, and above all we have to better control the match against teams capable of playing in transition like Leipzig. “
🎙 “Being second behind City doesn’t change anything. You have to want to win there to try to be first… https://t.co/trWgYrYktf
But the problem is perhaps bigger. A year after the arrival of the Argentinian, very smart who can say where the former defender is coming from. What is the identity of this team? She has talent, yes, a bit of character too, but she lacks consistency, balance and control. Some important qualities to go very far in the Champions League.