UCL: Paris Saint-Germain finish second in Group H despite victory at Juventus
Paris Saint-Germain ran out 2-1 winners against Juventus at the Allianz Arena this evening, but they were unable to finish as group winners despite the result.
Kylian Mbappe’s sheer quality was on display once again, breaking the deadlock after 13 minutes with a sensational strike from the edge of the box, before providing the assist for Nuno Mendes’ winner, after Leonardo Bonucci had initially levelled the game up.
With Juventus unable to qualify for the next round, the game was much of much more significance for Christophe Galtier’s side, and they managed to do enough to win the game, but incredibly they did not win the group, with Benfica striking late to win 6-1 at Maccabi Haifa and take top spot for themselves
PSG lined up in a 4-3-1-2 system for the crucial match, with Carlos Soler playing just behind the unbelievable strike partnership of Lionel Messi and Mbappe, who both played their part in the victory, with the Argentinian assisting the opening goal, while Mbappe was involved in both.
The first of which showed exactly why his club did everything they could to keep him in the summer, firing a right-footed effort in off the post from the edge of the area, after brilliantly taking the ball past Federico Gatti, who could not prevent the Frenchman from getting past him despite pulling his shirt.
Juventus started to come alive after the opening goal, with Nicolo Fagioli seeing his curling effort go wide of the post just minutes after Mbappe’s wonder-strike, before Juan Cuadrado fired an effort into the side-netting.
Stalwart centre-back Bonucci was the man that Massimiliano Allegri’s side had to rely on to offer them a route back into the game, having been named in the side in the middle of a back three, accompanying Alex Sandro and Gatti.
The 35-year-old latched onto a diving header from Cuadrado, after an initial cross from Filip Kostic, finishing well from close range to level things up.
As the second half progressed, it became apparent that PSG needed to go for a winner when Benfica took the lead at Maccabi Haifa, meaning the Portuguese side rose to the top of Group H.
With that in mind, Galtier brought Mendes on for Juan Bernat in the 68th minute, and the full-back immediately made his mark on proceedings, scoring with one of his first touches after being played through on goal by Mbappe, firing low into the bottom-right corner.
That goal appeared to be enough for the French champions to finish as winners of Group H, securing the advantage of playing a team that finished second in the round of 16, however Benfica incredibly scored two late goals to win 6-1 at Maccabi Haifa, in what could be a big blow for Galtier’s side.
PSG now face the prospect of facing 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 difficult
