Leipzig conceded their first goal against Paris early on. The team of coach Julian Nagelsmann feared the next defeat. But of all things a penalty for PSG brought the turning point in a spectacular game.
In the absence of the magic duo Neymar / Kylian Mbappe, RB Leipzig returned the favor at Paris St. Germain and set course for the knockout round in the premier class. The team of coach Julian Nagelsmann won the remake of the semifinals of the previous season against the French series champions 2-1 (1: 1), the pressure in the second leg in three weeks is now clearly on PSG.
Julian Nagelsmann (l.) And Thomas Tuchel before the game in the Champions League. (Source: Jan Woitas / dpa)
Di Maria meets early
78 days earlier, Paris had given the Bundesliga club a lesson with coach Thomas Tuchel at 3-0 and ended the dream of the Champions League final. This time the injured Neymar and Mbappe were missing – nevertheless Leipzig initially had problems. Angel Di Maria scored the opening goal for PSG in the sixth minute, which Dayot Upamecano had initiated with a hair-raising back pass.
Only ten minutes later, Leipzig’s indisposed head of defense caused a hand penalty, which Peter Gulacsi parried against Di Maria. The PSG trained Christopher Nkunku (42nd) and Emil Forsberg (57th / penalty) turned the game in favor of Leipzig, who had recently lost twice in a row. PSG professional Idrissa Gueye saw the yellow-red card in the 69th minute after repeated foul play, as did Presnel Kimpembe (90 + 3).
Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi in a parade: The Hungarian also defused a penalty. (Source: Michael Sohn / AP / dpa)
Leipzig started with a starting eleven that had changed to five positions, but Nagelsmann did without a striker. The RB coach relied on nimble technicians like Forsberg and Dani Olmo and announced that his players would act “with a knife between their teeth”. But at first there was little to see.
Nkunku compensates
PSG were initially the better team with the clearer chances. Especially striker Moise Kean, who was allowed to play due to the injuries to Neymar and Mbappe, caused problems for the RB defense. Kean put on Di Maria’s opening goal and took out the penalty. Even the penalty held by Gulacsi did not act as a wake-up call for RB, who acted too incorrectly on the offensive and defensive and too often let themselves buy the guts in the duel against the ripped off Parisians.
PSG scored two offside goals before half-time and didn’t really allow anything – until the 42nd minute. After a cross pass from Angelino, Nkunku met from 20 meters to the previously flattering equalization. Shortly before the break, Olmo even had the chance to make it 2-1.
Tuchel causes confusion in advance
After the break, Leipzig came out of the cabin with more momentum. Forsberg (53rd) initially failed with a left-footed shot, but the Swede was more unerring when it came to the hand penalty, which RB had been awarded after video evidence. The lead gave the home side a clear tailwind, while Paris was noticeably unsettled.
Tuchel had caused a stir in the run-up to the game when he was extremely skeptical about the extension of his expiring contract. One should “not dream when one is under constant fire,” said the 47-year-old: “For a while I had this naive vision that the coach would be out of the line of fire for a while after four titles and a Champions League final would stand – it took five days. “
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