PSG vs Atletico Madrid live updates: Champions League confirmed ...

17 days ago
PSG back in control

Normal service resumed here as PSG pen their opponents in.

Can't quite believe Atletico Madrid hit back so quickly, with their first hint of a chance, but two quick goals really ignite this game.

Atletico Madrid - Figure 1
Photo The Athletic

Rodrigo De Paul is directing the effort from midfield, he's extremely vocal when it comes to organising the defensive block and ensuring that Simeone and Molina shuffle across quickly to double up on the dangerous Barcola.

How Molina smacked the visitors level

22' PSG 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Nahuel Molina will be disappointed with his part in the opening goal for PSG, as he gave Clement Lenglet a bit of an unsympathetic pass before he was robbed in a very dangerous position.

But he showed his attacking prowess there. After Oblak parried away a stinging shot, it was a nice passing triangle, clever movement, from the away side, before the ball - admittedly fortuitously - fell back into Molina's path.

It was a lovely finish on the half-volley, too, on his weaker left foot. A striker would have been proud of that!

Atletico Madrid - Figure 2
Photo The Athletic

He roars in delight.

Atletico are ruthless with their first chance

But that is classic Atletico Madrid, isn't it.

Their first meaningful attack of the game, and after a series of deflections, the ball falls to Nahuel Molina, who smashes home!

GOAL GIVEN! Molina redeems himself!

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19' PSG 1-1 Atletico Madrid

Honestly, on first glance, I thought it might have struck Molina on the arm, accidentally.

But VAR had a good look at it and clearly decided he couldn't do anything about it, given the ball deflected off Pacho onto Molina's body from close range.

Szymon Marciniak points to the centre circle and Atletico, against the run of play, are level!

The ball is in the net! But there's a VAR check...

17' PSG 1-0 Atletico Madrid

Now, have Atletico equalised immediately?

Atletico Madrid - Figure 3
Photo The Athletic

A ball into the box came off Willian Pacho, who rather turned his back on it, and the ball hit Nahuel Molina and bounced fortuitously into his path.

The Argentine rattled home a powerful finish across the goalkeeper and into the top-left corner.

Lovely strike. But was it handball? There's a check...

PSG get their just reward

It had been coming...

PSG have dominated the opening 15 minutes, and while Atletico have looked generally quite solid in their narrow 4-4-2 without the ball, they've made a few mistakes with the ball at their feet.

Pablo Barrios made a poor, blind pass just moments before PSG's opener, before Conor Gallagher and then Molina were caught there.

How Zaire-Emery stunned Atletico early on

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16' PSG 1-0 Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid - Figure 4
Photo The Athletic

Goodness gracious, what a disaster of a goal to concede from the visitors.

Atletico, normally so stout and dogged defensively, gave the ball away really sloppily with a careless pass across their own penalty area from Nahuel Molina to Clement Lenglet.

Lenglet took way too long to spot the danger, but he was put in trouble by Molina, frankly, and Ousmane Dembele snapped into a (fair) tackle to win the ball and nudge it sideways to Warren Zaire-Emery.

The brilliant 18-year-old simply strolled into the box, took a touch, and as goalkeeper Jan Oblak went down too early, Zaire-Emery simply chipped it deftly into the net.

GOAL! Paris Saint-Germain are ahead!

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14' PSG 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Warren Zaire-Emery has the ball in the net and PSG lead! What a horrible goal to concede for Atletico.

Atletico Madrid - Figure 5
Photo The Athletic
Hakimi is in... but his cross is poor

11' PSG 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Out of almost nothing, a lofted ball down the right finds gallivanting full-back Achraf Hakimi, with Javi Galan out of position.

Gallagher sprints back in vain, Hakimi has time to measure a cross, but overcooks it badly and Barcola at the back post has no chance of getting his head on it.

Wasteful.

Atletico trying to push upfield

10' PSG 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone is quite animated on the touchline and you can see why. His Atletico side have largely been camped in their own half so far in this match,

But via Giuliano Simeone, his son, in that hybrid right wing-back/right midfield role and Conor Gallagher, they press urgently and force the ball back to goalkeeper Donnarumma.

That's better.

How are Atletico set up?

Atletico Madrid - Figure 6
Photo The Athletic

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Taken a moment to work out Atletico Madrid's approach but they're settling into a 4-4-2 without the ball, with Giuliano Simeone happy to make that a back five when they're under pressure.

PSG are leaving Barcola extremely wide on the left, while Hakimi is pushing on from full-back on the opposite side, a ball that's been on a number of times for the hosts to get in behind down that flank.

Brilliant start from PSG!

2' PSG 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Goodness me.

PSG start like a house on fire and twice Nuno Mendes raps forward crisp passes. The first sees play switched from winger to winger, Barcola on the left to Dembele on the right, who is tackled by Javi Galan but swings in a cross.

Headed away, but PSG come again, Gallagher makes a mess of a clearance and Achraf Hakimi fires it goalwards... it whistles narrowly wide.

Atletico Madrid - Figure 7
Photo The Athletic

Warning signs!

A moving tribute

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Before kick-off, we just had a minute's applause for the flood victims in Valencia — a banner reading "your pain is our courage, province of Valencia", in Spanish, was unfurled in the home end.

KICK-OFF: PSG 0-0 Atletico Madrid

Referee Szymon Marciniak, of Poland, is in charge tonight. He refereed the World Cup final.

He blows his whistle and we are up and running in Paris!

Here we go.

The players are out on the pitch!

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That famous Champions League anthem ringing around the Parc des Princes.

Handshakes incoming.

Moments away from kick-off.

How will Atletico line up?

Diego Simeone has a few options for his shape today.

Atleti could play a back three/five with Giuliano Simeone at right wing-back and Javi Galan on the opposite side, Nahuel Molina at right centre-back, and Conor Gallagher in a three-man midfield.

Atletico Madrid - Figure 8
Photo The Athletic

Or it could be a straight Sean Dyche-esque 4-4-2, with Galan and Molina at full-back, Simeone at right midfield, Gallagher on the left and a flat two centre-halves, centre midfielders and central forwards.

Maybe a hybrid of both is incoming! We'll let you know.

PSG in snazzy training jackets

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It does seem like those jackets they wear while warming up are getting more and more fashionable these days.

Griezmann and Witsel getting ready

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Two hirsute gentlemen.

Less than 10 minutes until kick-off!

Team news reminder

Missed our earlier announcement? Here's how the two teams line up.

PSG (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Hakimi, Marquinhos, Pacho, Mendes; Neves, Zaire-Emery, Vitinha; Dembele, Asensio, Barcola.

Atletico (4-4-2): Oblak; Molina, Witsel, Lenglet, Galan; Simeone, De Paul, Barrios, Gallagher; Griezmann, Alvarez.

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