Kylian Mbappe controls the ball against Dani Carvajal during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid at Parc des Princes on February 15, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Catherine Steenkeste/Getty Images)
Real Madrid second best against Paris Saint-Germain
Kylian Mbappe celebrates after scoring the game-winning goal in stoppage time against Real Madrid at Parc des Princes in Paris, France on Feb. 15. (Photo by Loic Baratoux/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Real Madrid fortunate to leave Paris still alive in Champions League
On the surface, for Real Madrid to lose 1-0 to Paris Saint-Germain thanks to an incredible goal by Kylian Mbappé would not be a big deal. Especially with the goal coming in the final minute of stoppage time.
However, the scoreline can be deceiving.
While it took PSG until the dying moments of the game to pull off a winner, the Parisian side were the better team throughout the match. The result didn’t accurately reflect the dominance PSG exerted over the Spanish giants.
But the numbers don’t lie.
PSG finished the game with 21 total shots, eight on target. Real Madrid, on the other hand, only mustered three shots all game, none on target. PSG also had 52 percent of the possession and when they lost the ball, recovered it rather quickly.
The home side should have been ahead in the first half but were unable to convert their chances thanks to another tremendous showing by Thibaut Courtois. If not for the Belgian, this tie could very well be over.
Madrid’s midfield trio of Luca Modric, Casemiro and Toni Kross is one of the best in Europe but were kept in check all game long. As a result, so was Vinicius Jr who had to rely on long passes from his center-backs and Los Merengues couldn’t count on a healthy Karim Benzema to open play or hold the ball.
“Benzema’s problem wasn’t physical,” Ancelotti said. “I took him out of the game right before the end, the problem is that he didn’t get the chances we wanted. We had a hard time creating chances and we normally don’t have as many problems when we get high pressure. I am optimistic, although we need to improve in the return leg. We have a match left at home and we don’t have to worry about an away goal. It’s clear that PSG has a good advantage but I hope it’s not enough for them.”
Source: Marca
The fact of the matter is PSG exposed the flaws of a Madrid side who are in first in LaLiga but cannot match up with the best in Europe, at least not this season.
There is a reason teams from the Premier League and the likes of PSG and Bayern Munich are the favorites for the Champions League. Whether through financial muscle, coaches, tactics, what have you, they’ve eclipsed the old guard from LaLiga.
ESPN reports that higher-ups from Real Madrid were unhappy with the way Ancelotti set up his team, including the poor job of Dani Carvajal covering Mbappé.
While Madrid certainly could have been more aggressive, without a healthy Benzema and with little to no confidence in Eden Hazard or Gareth Bale, it was always going to be a mismatch. PSG may be struggling to play “champagne football,” but their individual quality is more than enough to bail them out as Mbappé did.
Simply because they are Real Madrid, many expected them to play better than what they showed. Even in LaLiga they’ve struggled since the turn of the new year. They were knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Athletic Bilbao, drawn two of their last four games and needed a late winner by Marco Asensio to get past Granada at home.
This type of defeat was coming. If PSG had taken their chances in the first half and if Lionel Messi had converted his penalty, the final result may have been drastically different with Madrid on the wrong side of a blowout.
The problem for Ancelotti and his team is they don’t get a respite. They’re only 4 points ahead of Sevilla so their attention also has to be focused on the league.
To make matters worse, for the return leg they will be without Casemiro and, perhaps more importantly, Ferland Mendy. Marcelo is a shell of his former self and Neymar, who only came on as a substitute, could be fit in time to start the next game.
Real Madrid has been able to stay afloat in LaLiga thanks to the drop in form by Atletico Madrid and the disastrous planning by Barcelona. It set up a sort of mirage, making Los Blancos appear better than they actually are.
Against PSG, a team with questions of their own, Los Merengues were hit with a harsh reality check.
