It was not easy by any means, but Paris Saint-Germain secured a much-needed 1-0 home win over RB Leipzig in their return UEFA Champions League group stage fixture.
FIN DE MATCH !
Le Paris Saint-Germain s'impose 1-0 face au @DieRotenBullen !!! đź’Ş#PSGRBL pic.twitter.com/e4syEIMSQe
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) November 24, 2020
PSG took the lead early on via a Neymar penalty goal, which was his first Champions League goal of the season. PSG was awarded the penalty attempt after Angel Di Maria was fouled in the box.
From there, it seemed as if PSG was content with holding off the 1-0 lead. PSG was not aggressively pressing RB Leipzig, and did it not push to dominate possession over the remainder of the half.
PSG finished the first half with a strikingly low 37.2 percent of possession, which was the club’s lowest such figure in this competition in three years.
37.2 % – Paris have registered their worst possession at HT in the Champions League since September 2017 v Bayern Munich (33.8 %). Tactic ? pic.twitter.com/xwN1HGSp1U
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 24, 2020
The second half was more of the same for PSG. RB Leipzig dominated possession, while PSG recorded a mere one total shot on target. Tuchel’s side continued to drop back and also remained conservative in its play, as the side seemed to only have its sights on creating goal-scoring chances via quick transitions upfield. Tuchel’s decision to sub off Di Maria for Rafinha in the second half made it clear that the club aimed to finish off the game by simply defending.
In the end, PSG held on for the 1-0 win. As mentioned, it was far from an effortless performance, but the club did take home all three points with the win.
PSG now sits at a points tie with Leipzig in Champions League Group H but is just above the German side due to the goal difference tiebreaker.
PSG still has a long way to go before it can clinch a spot in this season’s Champions League knockout stage, but this result was a positive step in the right direction for the club.
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