PSG through to the UCL semifinals with two late goals over Atalanta


PSG through to the UCL semifinals with two late goals over Atalanta

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Two late goals from Marquinhos and Choupo-Moting saw PSG qualify for the UEFA Champions League’s last four. The Parisians have qualified for the semifinals after defeating Atalanta 2-1 at the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon(Portugal).

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PSG missed a lot of chances throughout the game and as result they went 1-0 down in the first half itself. Mario Pasalic’s 26th minute strike gave Atalanta the lead , which prevailed till the 90th minute. PSG were missing their key players like Verratti , Di Maria and Layvin Kurzawa. However the French side enjoyed a whopping 63% possession of the ball. They also had more shots per 90 in comparison to Atalanta. Neymar completed a total of 16 dribbles , the highest in this season’s Champions League .

Neymar could’ve given PSG the lead , when he was through on goal but somehow the Brazilian forward missed the chance to score. Then in the 24th minute Pasalic’ curled a first time shot past Kaylor Navas giving Atalanta the lead. The Italian side went into half time with a 1-0 lead over the Parisians.

Thomas Tuchel brought on Kylian Mbappe in the 60th minute trying to find PSG’s much wanted equalizer. Despite some blazing runs and amazing turns the French prodigy couldn’t make an instant impact. In spite of suffering an ankle injury few weeks back, Mbappe was bought on in the second half and was doing everything in his power cancel Atalanta’s lead.

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The Late Drama

Atalanta’s keeper Sportiello denied Mbappe twice in the 73rd and 80th minute to keep his side’s 1-0 lead intact. However PSG equalized in the 90th minute , as Marquinhos poked the ball in the back of the net as the PSG defender was left unchecked. Then PSG scored another one in quick succession , when Choupo-Moting finished off Mbappe’s assist in added time. PSG have recorded one of the greatest comebacks in the UEFA Champions league. The French side is looking like title favorites this campaign and have secured a slot in the competition’s last four. They will face the winner from the quarterfinal tie between Atlético Madrid and RB Leipzig.

Also Read: Ole Gunnar Solskjær feels “Reaching Semifinals not good enough for Man United”