After the final whistle Tuesday night and Paris Saint-Germain stood victorious over Club Brugge, all football fans could talk about was Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick—and rightfully so. However, there was another fleet-footed attacker who deserves applause for one of the most beautiful passing performances you’ll ever see.
Ángel Di María Vs Brugespic.twitter.com/2alCcInJZP
— BNS Comps (@BnsComps) October 23, 2019
Angel Di Maria didn’t get on the scoresheet against Brugge but he played a major role in four of the five goals that were scored. He was on the receiving end of a long pass from Thiago Silva and then picked out Mauro Icardi in the box for the game’s first goal on the night.
Then, he popped up again in the second half when Kylian Mbappé was subbed on and played a nifty give-and-go with the Frenchman before firing on target and the rebound landed back to Mbappé who scored his first on the night.
The Argentine wasn’t finished yet. Approaching full-time, Di Maria received the ball in space and dribbled towards goal before sliding a pass right into the path of a sprinting Mbappé for his second.
His final assist on the night though was so spectacular it deserves to be framed and hung up in a museum:
The outside of Di Maria’s boot knew exactly where Mbappe was going to be ↪️⤵️ pic.twitter.com/MRAff5PbzU
— B/R Football (@brfootball) October 23, 2019
Fideo picked up the ball from Marquinhos at exactly halfway on the pitch and dribbled forward. He and Mbappé communicated without words and the Frenchman immediately took off towards goal and Di Maria knew exactly what to do next. With his left foot, Di Maria curled a pass just beyond the defender and perfectly in front of Mbappé for the easy goal. It was almost like Di Maria had the ball on a string.
In the absence of Neymar Jr., Di Maria has carried the creative responsibilities for PSG and has made the most of his minutes. In the Champions League, he has two goals and four assists in three games. In Ligue 1, Di Maria has scored four goals and recorded two assists in 10 appearances.
If PSG can ever have a fully fit squad, it will be interesting to see what Thomas Tuchel does with Di Maria with Neymar, Icardi, Mbappé, Pablo Sarabia, and Edinson Cavani all craving minutes. Right now, you have to say that Di Maria has more than earned his playing time in the biggest matches for PSG.
Want more PSG? Visit the PSG Talk Podcast Network page and subscribe to PSG Talking, The 1970, and 24th & Parc.
