⚽️ ⚽️ Paris Saint-Germain ⚽️ ⚽️
I realize that blog entries about Ligue 1, and specifically about PSG, have grown a bit sparse in recent weeks, as my attention has gone elsewhere. There was the end of the Trump presidency, including that ridiculous insurrection at the Capitol building, there was what turned out to be a peaceful transition of power to Joe Biden and his new administration, and then there has been the aftermath of the Trump presidency, and particularly of his role regarding the January 6th storming of the Capitol, and his being impeached for it by the House.
Then, there were also the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, which continues to be far easier to follow here in North America (especially the United States, and which usually becomes a main topic on this blog page in late January and early February. Finally, there was the Australian Open, which is still going on, and which I had also largely ignored until yesterday.
Today, my attention shifts, once again, to PSG.
Why?
Because PSG just earned itself a huge win, one of the biggest single victories that I remember for them in the last few years. They played on the road against Barcelona, one of the most storied football franchises in Europe, and they managed to produce a huge victory.
However, it did not start off in fantastic fashion for PSG. Argentinian superstar Lionel Messi scored a penalty shot in the 27th minute, giving Barcelona the lead to start with.
But that was before France's own superstar, 22-year old Kylian Mbappé, started to really get to work. He tied the game up in the 32nd minute, and that was how the two teams wound up tied going into the lockers for halftime. However, that was only the first goal for Mbappé, as he would get a hat trick, ultimately. He scored again in the 65th minute, giving PSG the first lead it would see in this game. Then, with PSG leading 3-1 late in the game, he added his third and final goal in the 85th minute, rounding out the scoring and giving the visiting Parisians a decisive 4-1 win at Barcelona.
It should be noted that Moise Keane also scored in the 70th minute for PSG.
Winning by a comfortable margin like this should seriously improve PSG's chances of advancing to the quarterfinal round, although obviously, we will need to see what happens.
Regardless, what a win for PSG!
I'm confident that PSG will advance to the quarterfinal round and beyond, though one thing at a time of course. PSG has historically tended to struggle against Barcelona – most teams have – but they've acquired lots of invaluable experience against top-notch opposition in recent years, and as last season's lost Champions League final against Bayern Munich shows, they're getting closer and closer to becoming only the second Ligue 1 club to win European club soccer's top prize, nearly three decades since l'Olympique de Marseille did it against AC Milan in 1993. For those of us who support PSG, their success is welcome respite from the sobering realities you mentioned. This win is all the more impressive when you consider that they were playing without Di María and Neymar.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I knew about Neymar, but was not aware that Di Maria was out for this game. Glad that they won, and hope indeed that they can win on the biggest level possible, as well. Wishing them luck!
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