If they weren’t up for this one, then maybe Real Madrid were dead after all. Alas, on the biggest night of their season they proved to be very much alive.
The scene was set for their downfall after all, and while this tie remains alive, Real Madrid navigated through the nagging doubts that have lingered all season. They were hardly spectacular and this performance wasn’t vintage by any means, but they did show this is still their stage after all.
PSG, merely pretenders, proved to be exactly that. They had a wonderful opportunity placed before them; a wounded Real Madrid, in part feeling sorry for themselves, and a throne there for the taking. The French side passed it up however and while not terrible, didn’t offer any indication that they can win the competition or dominate Europe in the coming years.
Unai Emery was bold with his initial line-up, rightly choosing to select Presnel Kimpembe and in turn drop Thiago Silva. However, the scepticism over handing Giovani Lo Celso a role at the base of PSG’s midfield was fully justified as the game grew on. How he managed to stay on the field until the 84 minute was baffling. That word often describes Emery when it comes to his decisions however, none more so than with his substitutions and general in-game management.
PSG can’t truly be confident of beating giants like Real Madrid when they don’t even have faith in the man on the bench. Emery left a goldfish bowl to swim the sharks and has ultimately been devoured time and time again. A Ligue 1 title loss to Monaco, the humiliation of squandering their lead over Barcelona in this very competition last year, and now another potentially devastating early exit after extreme investment in the team.
Erroneous decisions that plagued Emery’s reigns with Valencia and Sevilla are still prevalent years later in his time with PSG. At his previous clubs it was maybe accepted, but at PSG, with their aspirations, it simply cannot. It has to be better, and Adrien Rabiot admitted as much after the final whistle.
“It’s all well and good putting eight goals past Dijon, but it’s in matches like this that you have to stand up and be counted,” said the young Frenchman after the game, who to his credit was one of the few individuals to shine for PSG.
While on the subject of individuals, Neymar can’t be ignored. The Brazilian created the opening goal and while showed intent in terms of taking the game by the scruff of the net, ultimately fell flat in his efforts. For much of the time it seemed he wanted to play Real Madrid on his own, and given those lofty ambitions to succeed Lionel Messi as the best player in the world it’s perhaps understandable. There is still a feeling he doesn’t have the support network in place to achieve it however, and it’s why he maybe takes things into his own hands at times. Emery’s failure to create a fluid, collective system could be a decisive factor in this tie. In Paris, there is a feeling it’s on Neymar to show his true credentials for Messi’s crown.
His Brazilian compatriot Marcelo shone brightest for Real Madrid and was a whirlwind throughout. He’s often derided for a lack of defensive solidity but in an attacking form he can’t be faulted, such is his energy and ingenuity. Outside of Marcelo, few really shone for Zinedine Zidane’s men. They didn’t have to in all honesty, and while they seemed tired at times, Real Madrid did do enough to win this game. Marco Asensio’s introduction late on proved to be a much needed shot in the arm, and undoubtedly got Real Madrid over the line. The young Spaniard hasn’t been as influential this season but showed with his sheer drive and determination he can’t be ignored.
Cristiano Ronaldo meanwhile, who has apparently ‘lost it’ whatever that may be, proved he still has it. That ability to do next to nothing all game - but appear when it matters most to take the glory.
An away goal keeps PSG’s hopes alive but they have the aura of being uneasy and uncomfortable in these surroundings. There is still something missing and it can’t be bought. It’s a feeling, an inevitability. For all Real Madrid’s floundering this season they still have status in this competition. They still glow when the Champions League anthem hits before kick-off - they come alive.
