Real Madrid 1-0 Psg: 5 Things We Learned As Nacho's Goal Seals Qualification

Real Madrid 1-0 Psg: 5 Things We Learned As Nacho's Goal Seals Qualification

Real Madrid 1-0 Psg: 5 Things We Learned As Nacho's Goal Seals Qualification

Real Madrid sealed their qualification from
Champions League Group A with a 1-0 win
over Paris Saint-Germain at the Bernabeu.
A first-half goal from substitute Nacho sealed
a tie where the visitors had looked by far the
most likely to score.
Adrien Rabiot hit the post and Zlatan
Ibrahimovic went close for the Parisians, but
Rafael Benitez's side have the best defence
anywhere in Europe this season and held on
for a crucial victory.
Once more though the Spanish giants will be
counting the cost of injuries, with Marcelo
taken off after just 33 minutes.
But it took only two minutes for his
replacement, Nacho, to volley home from a
tight angle after Toni Kroos' shot had been
saved by Kevin Trapp.
But what did we learn? Ed Malyon was at the
Bernabeu...

Out-galacticoed
Real Madrid's injury crisis and the continuing
investment in Paris Saint-Germain's squad
meant that, for the second match running
between these sides, the Ligue 1 outfit
arguably looked to have a better team on
paper.
It wasn't quite as cut and dried as in Paris ,
when Luka Modric and Sergio Ramos were out,
but the upshot is that both sides had strong
XIs out and this would be Real Madrid's
toughest game at the Bernabeu so far this
season - Las Palmas , Levante, Malaga ,
Granada, Shakhtar Donetsk and Real Betis the
previous visitors.
That said, for all PSG's star quality they were
very poor at the Parc des Princes and should
have been beaten by a very understrength
Madrid.

A young Real Madrid side shocked everyone
by getting the better of PSG in Paris but it
was roles reversed in Spain.
Led by the energy of Blaise Matuidi from
midfield and directed by Thiago Motta, the
Parisians created by far the best of the early
chances, including one for the France man
and another for Ibrahimovic.
Blaise of glory: Matuidi in action with Isco
In Cavani, Di Maria and the Matuidi twins -
there must be two of them because they were
everywhere - they had plenty of willing runners
to get around Zlatan and Real Madrid
struggled to get a foothold in the first half.
At the break, Keylor Navas had touched the
ball more times than ANY of the Madrid front
three. That tells you much of the story.
A young Real Madrid side shocked everyone
by getting the better of PSG in Paris but it
was roles reversed in Spain.
Led by the energy of Blaise Matuidi from
midfield and directed by Thiago Motta, the
Parisians created by far the best of the early
chances, including one for the France man
and another for Ibrahimovic.
Blaise of glory: Matuidi in action with Isco
In Cavani, Di Maria and the Matuidi twins -
there must be two of them because they were
everywhere - they had plenty of willing runners
to get around Zlatan and Real Madrid
struggled to get a foothold in the first half.
At the break, Keylor Navas had touched the
ball more times than ANY of the Madrid front
three. That tells you much of the story.