October 26 – Paris Saint-Germain clobbered Maccabi Haifa for seven in a resounding Champions League win to progress to the knockout stage.
Often a fractious club with heavily ‘mediatized’ fractures inside the dressing room as well as in the boardroom, PSG were on song against the Israelis, with all of Neymar, Messi and Mbappe, the famed frontline, scoring as PSG rallied to win in style and ensure their place in the last sixteen of the competition.
“The 4-3-3 system meant that the front three could be a little higher up the pitch and they had little more freedom in their movements thanks to the work of the midfield,” said PSG coach Galtier at a news conference after the match.
“It’s a privilege to have those players and to see them play like that, for each other. I saw the players enjoy themselves, and that’s very important.”
“I had to think about how fantastic our fantastic three players up front could express themselves as best as possible, and that the system could be very important.”
PSG have 11 points after five matches in the Champions League. They qualify for the round of 16 alongside Benfica, who defeated Juventus in the other group H match. The Italians, one of three ardent Super League rebels, exit the competition after another poor campaign.
Since the 2011 takeover by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), PSG have strived to win the European Cup, but they often fell in dramatic fashion in the knockout stages and when they did reach the final, in 2019, Bayern Munich proved too strong, 1-0.
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