Juventus 1-2 PSG: 5 Hits and Flops as Mbappe and Messi star in an important win | UEFA Champions League 2022-23

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defeated Juventus 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 2.

Juve entered this game on the back of two consecutive defeats in the competition against Maccabi Haifa and Benfica. Their chances of qualifying were zero as they could only make it to the Europa League regardless of the outcome.

The Parisians entered this game on the back of four wins and one draw from their last five games across competitions. They seem to have got their scoring form back, netting 14 goals in their last three games.

Both Massimiliano Allegri and Christophe Galtier fielded competitive lineups for this game.

PSG made a strong start to the game as they passed the ball with confidence and hounded Juventus players when they had the ball. They won the ball in the opponent's half and Lionel Messi played a pass to Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman displayed brilliant footwork to get into a position to shoot and unleashed a venomous strike that nestled in the bottom-right corner.

Juventus showed resilience as they dug their heels in and attempted to thwart PSG's advances. They tried to play from wide as Filip Kostic and Juan Cuadrado used their pace to their benefit. It worked well as they managed to unsettle the visitors' defense at times. Cuadrado provided a diving assist for Leonardo Bonucci to latch onto and score to make it 1-1 after 39 minutes.

The first period saw Juventus attempt 10 shots with just one on target, which they scored from. PSG, on the other hand, attempted three shots with two on target. The teams went into the break tied at 1-1.

PSG were quick out of the blocks for the second period and made a positive start. Galtier made a couple of changes shortly after the hour-mark as he brought Hugo Ekitike and Nuno Mendes into the action. The latter scored with his first forward run as Mbappe provided an assist for Mendes to make it 2-1.

Juventus had a big positive to celebrate as Federico Chiesa returned to action following a cruciate ligament injury that has kept him out since January. He put in a lovely display during his cameo, showing hunger a determination to win the game. But that was all the hosts could be happy about as PSG secured a crucial 2-1 win.

With that said, let's take a look at the five hits and flops from the game.

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#5. Hit - Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)

Bonucci had a good game in defense for the Old Lady and also netted an important goal to make it 1-1 just before half-time. He won one of his three duels and made one clearance and one tackle. He also played eight accurate long balls.

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#4. Flop - Carlos Soler (PSG)

Soler failed to get involved in the visitors' build-up play as much as he would have liked. He completed only 14 passes in nearly 70 minutes of action and won three of his seven duels.

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#3. Hit - Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Mbappe made a brilliant start to the contest and put his abilities on display as he scored a lovely goal in the 13th minute.

Lionel Messi played a delightful pass into the Frenchman's path, who dribbled past two players to create space and fire a shot into the goal. He also provided an assist for Nuno Mendes' late winner. He won six of his 12 duels and played three key passes and one accurate long ball.

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#2. Flop - Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG)

Donnarumma was partly at fault for Juventus being able to score an equalizer just before half-time. Juan Cuadrado played a headed cross into the box which Donnarumma felt he could reach. However, he severely misjudged the ball and his outstretched arm was of no use. Bonucci showed up at the far post to score to make it 1-1.

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#1. Hit - Nuno Mendes (PSG)

Nuno Mendes was the impact substitute for the Parsians as she came on in the second period and scored what proved to be the winner. He made a well-timed run into the final third and was played through by Mbappe. The Portuguese kept his nerve and calmly slotted past Wojciech Szczesny to make it 2-1.