Paris-Saint Germain (PSG) opens the opportunity to advance to the last 16 of the 2018/2019 Champions League after beating Liverpool on Matchday 5 in Group C at the Parc des Princes.
PSG packs eight points from two wins, one defeat and two draws. Meanwhile, Liverpool must be willing to shift to third place with six points.
The home team who needed a victory to be able to advance to the last 16 of the Champions League immediately stepped on the gas since the first minute. As a result, the French representative was immediately ahead of his guests in the 13th minute through Juan Bernat. The goal began with the failure of Virgil van Dijk to throw the ball perfectly. Without difficulty, Bernat fired an accurate shot towards the near post which made goalkeeper Alisson die off. 1-0 for PSG excellence.
Winning one goal does not make PSG satisfied. Les Perisiens continued to storm the Reds defense. The result in the 37th minute PSG superstar, Neymar, successfully brought his team to double the advantage over Liverpool. The goal began with a quick counter-attack. Kylian Mbappe brought the ball from the left side and gave a pass to the front of the goal that Cavani tried to reach. Alisson managed to block the ball, unfortunately the rebound ball fell at the feet of Neymar who immediately directed the ball to the far post.
Left behind 0-2 made Liverpool increase the intensity of the attack and managed to narrow the gap to 2-1 through the white point. The referee awarded the penalty after Liverpool striker Sadio Mane was tackled by Angel Di Maria.
Referee Szymon Marciniak had doubts but finally pointed to the spot after reviewing the VAR. James Milner who advanced as an executioner successfully completed his task by directing the ball into the left corner, while Gianluigoi Buffon moved in the opposite direction. 2-1 score lasted until halftime.
After halftime, PSG immediately stepped on the gas at the start of the second half and almost widened the advantage in the 48th minute. Starting from Di Maria's pass, Marquinhos successfully thrust the ball into the goal. Unfortunately, the linesman raised an offside flag so the goal was annulled.
At the end of the match, the home team had a golden opportunity through a free kick not far from the penalty box. But Neymar's free kick was pushed over by Allison and no more goals were created until the game was over.
These results make PSG's chances of qualifying for the last 16 still open. PSG has eight points and is ranked second in Group C. Napoli who beat Red Star Belgrade 3-1 leading the standings with nine points. Liverpool are ranked 3 (six points), and Red Star is thrown from the hunt for a big 16 ticket with four points.
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