PSG Vs Atalanta B.C.

 Match Review





1. Both sides begin to look threatening in the opening minutes: 

As soon as the whistle blew, Gasperini's men began the game without their star striker Josip Iličić and looked promising by sprinting forward towards PSG's box. The Italian side had an early opportunity when Zapata slipped the ball downside the left side towards his teammate who shot low towards Navas for an early save. Tuchel's men were close to scoring when Icardi circled the opponent's defense to set-up Neymar as he sprinted past Atalanta's defenders only for the Brazilian star to miss the chance by sidefooting past the goalkeeper well-wide. Point to be noted, the Italian side had been pressing PSG's defense that has caused problems for them which lead to Atlanta winning freekicks often. 


The underdogs reacted when Gomes advanced towards the French side's defense and set-up a chance for Hatoboer who received the ball and headed towards the net only for the Costa Rican keeper to react and claw the ball for a corner. PSG had another opportunity to break the deadlock when they countered well to break the Italian sides' backline as Neymar sprinted towards the box to find Icardi only for the ball to roll away for safety. This encounter had begun to show excitement in the early stages. 



2. Underdogs break the deadlock: 

Gasperini's men have caused problems to the French side by intense pressing and were almost close to scoring twice in the game. Their pressing has made PSG frustrated as they committed fouls on them and the Italian side won freekicks. They have also been very fluid and impressive despite their start striker being absent. 

Atlanta's efforts were finally paid off and they opened the scoring when they split open the French backline and within sprint seconds Zapata's sudden pass towards Pasalic forced him to shoot and curled the ball delightfully towards the left top-corner which was no chance for Navas to save. It is very impressive for a side who have performed brilliantly despite their top-scorer missing out on this crucial fixture. 





3. Neymar's opportunities: 

The Brazilian starman had been the most influential player for his side in this encounter without a doubt. Neymar's creativity had been the focal point in this fixture as his ability to link-up with his teammates, skills, acceleration, and his ability dribble past the defenders. He had many moments in the match to give his side the lead when he sprinted past the Italian's side only for him to sidefoot the ball far wide. He has been causing problems to the Italian side defenders.


They were again to close to score when the former Barca man combined well with Sarabia to break open the defense as he sprinted towards the box as his pass was sloppy in the end to deny a wonderful chance. His freekick was also well struck which could have been a matter of concern for Gasperini's men but fortunately, it was off-target. There was another moment for him when he intercepted a sloppy pass from Atlanta's Hateboer and missed the chance. Overall, even though he has been causing the problem to Gasperini's men, but his finishing had not been up to the mark and spurned many chances as he had a chance to score a hattrick. 




4. PSG score two quick goals in the dying minutes:

The Ligue side began to settle in slowly after conceding the goal and had a couple of chances to score and extend their lead. Tuchel's men had more of the ball and created many chances. They were also refreshed after the second-half and began to look dangerous. Gasperini's men began to look tiring and the defense was exposed many times. 


Point to be noted, Atalanta's attacking had been very impressive but their defense has been disappointing and has been caught on several occasions. The French side finally equalized when Choupo-Moting crossed towards Neymar who passed to his compatriot Marquinhos who equalized courtesy of the deflection. Eventually, Tuchel's side turned the tides in the dying minutes when Neymar slipped a through ball towards Mbappe who slipped the ball towards Choupo-Moting who scored the winner. 









In the end, it was a night to remember for PSG as they won the quarter-finals and reached the semi-final for the first time since the 1994-95 season. It was a dream start for the underdogs as they opened the scoring thanks to Pasalic. The French champions had a couple of opportunities and could have added more the scoresheet. Neymar's tireless running was one of the major points in the game and was everywhere on the pitch. Despite opening the scoring, Atalanta's defense was disappointing and was exposed on several occasions. Eventually, PSG settled into the game as the Gasperini's men were tired in the dying minutes of the game. Atalanta's night ended in heartbreak as the Ligue 1 side scored 2 quick goals in the closing minutes and booked their berth in the last 4 of the Champions League. 








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