During their 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night at Signal Iduna Park, Paris Saint-Germain had to keep an eye on the scoreboard. Furthermore, one expert believes the French giants must thank their former academy player, Mike Maignan.
PSG missed several scoring chances in the first half, while Dortmund scored first, and Newcastle took the lead against AC Milan. Nonetheless, the Ligue 1 side’s luck began to turn their way.
Warren Zaire-Emery scored the game-tying goal to level the score at 1-1 with Dortmund. Meanwhile, Christian Pulisic scored the equalizer against the Magpies. AC Milan would take the lead and win, which put PSG in the knockout stages.
Jonathan Johnson: PSG has to thank Mike Maignan for qualifying
The former PSG youth product made a crucial save to deny Newcastle from scoring another goal that would’ve been the final nail in the coffin for PSG’s hopes of advancing to the knockout stage. As a result, Maignan’s actions shouldn’t be forgotten, says CBS Sports reporter Jonathan Johnson.
Mike Maignan 😱 #UCL pic.twitter.com/LXVq79aDif
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) December 15, 2023
“It’s funny we’re talking about Maignan,” Johnson said on the recent episode of PSG Talking. “Actually, I’m sure most PSG fans are aware of it now, but he actually played a crucial role for PSG in this result.
“Because if he doesn’t make that phenomenal save in the second half when it’s 1-1 between Newcastle and Milan, perhaps Newcastle go on and win it, and had they done so, they would have finished above PSG. So Maignan [is] still a Milan player but also really doing PSG a solid.”
In recent weeks, Maignan’s name has been connected to the Ligue 1 side as contract talks between him and AC Milan have stalled. It will be interesting to see if the former Lille OSC player decides to return to Paris in the future.
