Atletico Madrid earn 2-1 win over PSG in Champions League
Atletico Madrid pulled off a thrilling 2-1 victory against Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in their Champions League clash on Wednesday. The match, held at the Parc des Princes, was decided by a last-minute goal from substitute Angel Correa. This win has revitalized Atletico's campaign and raised questions about PSG's European prospects. Despite taking the lead, Luis Enrique's men allowed Atletico to make a return in the contest before seeing a last-gasp goal break their hearts.
A game of missed opportunities and late surprises
The match started with Warren Zaire-Emery scoring an early goal for PSG, which was soon equalized by Nahuel Molina. Despite creating numerous chances, PSG's finishing let them down all season. The game appeared to be headed for a draw until Correa's decisive strike in the 93rd minute turned the tide in favor of Atletico Madrid.
Atletico's resurgence in Champions League
Atletico Madrid's win comes after back-to-back losses to Benfica and Lille. The side is back on track for the play-off round of the revamped Champions League, which is halfway through. Although a draw appeared good enough for Atletico, especially with goalkeeper Jan Oblak making several saves in the second half, Correa's late goal sealed the deal for the Spanish side.
PSG's European hopes hang in balance
Despite comfortably leading Ligue 1, PSG's performance in the Champions League has been underwhelming. The team has only managed to secure four points from their four games so far, three of which were home matches. With fixtures against Bayern Munich and Manchester City, their chances of making it to the top 24 and qualifying for at least the play-off round remain uncertain.
Atletico Madrid's strategy and PSG's struggle
Atletico Madrid was missing two key defenders, Jose Maria Gimenez and Robin Le Normand. Starting at center-back, Clement Lenglet was responsible for PSG's early lead. However, Atletico quickly recovered with Molina's equalizer. The Spanish side then absorbed PSG's pressure as the hosts struggled to find a second goal despite dominating possession and attempts.
Points table and match stats
Atletico Madrid are 23rd in the 36-team table. Diego Simeone's men own two wins and two defeats (six points). PSG have dropped down to 25th in the standings with four points collected (W1 D1 L2). In terms of the match stats, PSG were the dominant force, managing 22 attempts with nine shots being on target. Atletico had three shots on target from four attempts. PSG had 72% ball possession and a 91% pass accuracy from 871 passes.
Key feats attained in the match
PSG have now lost five of their last 8 Champions League games. For the first time, the Parisans have failed to win successive home group games in the competition. On the other hand, Atletico ended a run of three away defeats in the Champions League. Atletico star Antoine Griezmann assisted Correa. He notched his 50th goal involvement in the competition. In addition to 37 goals, Griezmann has 13 assists. He is the 4th Frenchman to attain this milestone.
Do you know?
As per Opta, PSG's Warren Zaire-Emery (18 years and 243 days) became the youngest goalscorer at the Parc des Princes in the UEFA Champions League (for or against PSG), ahead of Kylian Mbappe(18 years and 337 days against Celtic in November 2017).
