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French champions Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) welcomed Benfica to the Parc des Princes for their UEFA Champions League Group H clash on October 11. Having played out an entertaining 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture, the Parisians were gunning for maximum points on matchday four to secure passage to the last 16.
A gritty Benfica, however, kept PSG’s efforts at bay, restricting them to another 1-1 draw. Both goals came from the spot, with Kylian Mbappe converting for the French outfit while Joao Mario found the back of the net for the Portuguese team. Tuesday’s draw left PSG at the top of Group H, ahead of Benfica on goals scored.
In front of a packed Parc des Princes, Benfica made a promising start. They passed the ball better, pressed harder, and looked eager to get on the scoresheet. In the 19th minute, Achraf Hakimi handled the ball inside the PSG box, calling VAR into action. Although it was clearly a handball, a Benfica player was offside during the build-up.
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PSG, who struggled to create chances in the absence of Lionel Messi (calf injury), lodged their first effort on target in the 34th minute. Neymar brilliantly carved open a bit of space inside the Benfica box and squared it to Pablo Sarabia. The Spaniard, however, scuffed his goalbound effort, making for an easy save for visiting goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos.
Four minutes later, Antonio Silva brought down Juan Bernat in the box, compelling the referee to point to the spot. Mbappe stepped up to take it and confidently found the bottom corner. The goal marked Mbappe’s 31st in the UEFA Champions League for PSG, in 48 matches, making him the club’s leading scorer in the competition.
Seven minutes into the second half, Mbappe picked the ball on the left flank, charged forward, and dispatched a curling strike. His effort, although well hit, zipped narrowly wide of Benfica’s goal. Eight minutes later, Benfica won a penalty following a foul on Rafa Silva. Mario dispatched his penalty straight down the middle to pull the visitors back level.
Neither team pushed to break the deadlock in the next 30 minutes, settling for an underwhelming 1-1 draw in the end. Here are three PSG players who disappointed and a couple who stood out in Tuesday’s draw with Benfica:
Underperformed: Achraf Hakimi
Considered to be one of the best right-backs in the world, Hakimi produced a disappointing performance on Tuesday. He was often dispossessed and failed to make use of his breakneck pace. His link-up play was not great either.
Against Benfica, Hakimi lost possession seven times, succeeded in only one of four attempted dribbles, lost three ground duels and misplaced a cross.
Performed: Neymar
PSG’s most consistent performer of the 2022-23 campaign (11 goals and 9 assists in 15 matches) was not at his best on Tuesday. However, he was still the Parisians’ most creative player going forward. His tricks and silky movement created openings for his teammates. He also did an impressive job tracking back and linked up well with Mbappe.
At the Parc des Princes, Neymar made two key passes, completed four dribbles, and accurately delivered all four of his attempted long balls. Additionally, he won 11 ground duels, drew a staggering six fouls and made an interception.
Underperformed: Marco Verratti
Marco Verratti endured a mixed outing against Benfica on Tuesday. He had a hand in PSG’s goal, playing a delightful pass to Bernat, which led to the former Bayern Munich man winning the penalty. Unfortunately for him, his impactful first-half display was overshadowed by his silly second-half foul on Silva, which resulted in a penalty for Benfica.
In addition to conceding a penalty, Verratti also picked up a booking, meaning he will miss matchday five against Maccabi Haifa in a fortnight’s time. The Italian maestro also lost seven ground duels, ceded possession 12 times and was dribbled past on three occasions.
Performed: Kylian Mbappe
Amid rumors about his future at the club, Mbappe produced a noteworthy performance against Benfica on Tuesday night. Not only did he score a confident penalty in the first half, but he also looked the most likely to score the winner. In the 86th minute, the Frenchman scored from a stunning volleyed effort, but was ruled out for offside.
Against the Portuguese outfit, Mbappe made 23 accurate passes (88.5% accuracy), delivered two accurate long balls, won five ground duels, completed two dribbles and drew three fouls.
Underperformed: Pablo Sarabia
Deputizing for the great Messi is a daunting task, but very few might have expected Pablo Sarabia to struggle as profusely as he did on Tuesday. He was not on the same wavelength as Mbappe and Neymar, which made it rather easy for Benfica to deal with the PSG attacker. His distribution was poor, he lost possession cheaply at times and never looked like threatening Benfica’s goal.
On Tuesday, Sarabia made only seven accurate passes (77.8% accuracy), misplaced three of four attempted crosses, and ceded possession nine times. He also picked up a yellow card for catching Alex Grimaldo’s head with an unintentional high boot.
