Paris and Leipzig cancel each other out
Having been behind, in front and eventually pegged back, Paris Saint-Germain were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw against Leipzig on Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League group stage. We take a look back at the match.
Two weeks after earning a spirited win at a fiery Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain tonight made the trip to Leipzig. Without Leo Messi and Marco Verratti, Mauricio Pochettino based his starting eleven around the trio of Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar Jr.
Against a Leipzig side that simply had to win in order to keep their hopes of going through alive, the Parisians quickly understood that they would be facing a highly motivated team ready to fight for every blade of grass in order to survive as, in the 15th second, André Silva's dangerous ball in forced Gigio Donnarumma into a goalline save. Emil Forsberg then tried his luck in the 5th minute, before Christopher Nkunku opened the scored with a 7th-minute header. A penalty conceded three minutes later could have rocked the Parisians' confidence, but the immense Donnarumma got his gloves onto André Silva's spot kick to keep his side in the contest.
With the hosts starting to doubt themselves, now was the time to strike, and that's exactly what the Parisians did. After some superb combination play, Gini Wijnaldum got onto the end of an inch-perfect cross from Kylian Mbappé to equalise from close range in the 21st minute. Then, from a corner, captain Marquinhos found the Dutchman, who was perfectly placed to head the ball in and give his side the lead just before the half-time interval.
Fully aware that Leipzig would use every weapon in their armoury, the Parisians came back out from the changing rooms intent on plugging the gaps. Despite being tested physically, they were able to count on Kylian Mbappé never shying away from a shot, as well as Marquinhos constantly being committed to protect his team's lead at the other end of the pitch.
However, with the support of the fans inside the RB Arena and carried by the energy of Christopher Nkunku, Leipzig remained determined not to bow out of the competition this evening. In the final few minutes, the former Parisian won a penalty that was then converted by Dominik Szoboszlai.
All eyes now turn to what could be a final come early for the Parisians at the Etihad Stadium, where they will face Manchester City in three weeks' time.