Paris Saint-Germain – Sports Africa

Icardi, Neymar score to secure Pochettino first managerial trophy

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PARIS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) — Mauro Icardi and Neymar scored as Paris Saint-Germain beat rivals Marseille 2-1 to win an eighth consecutive Trophee des Champions on Wednesday, which also ended new coach Mauricio Pochettino’s 12-year wait for his first title as a coach.

The Argentine started his coaching career in 2009 with Spanish club Espanyol and it took him more than 500 games to finally win a trophy after having lost two finals with his former side Tottenham – in the 2015 League Cup and 2019 UEFA Champions League.

“After 10 days as a coach, three matches played and this final against our biggest rival, it’s very important to win,” said the 48-year-old, who replaced Germany’s Thomas Tuchel to take charge of the Ligue 1 giants earlier this month.

“I want to thank the players and [PSG president] Nasser [Al-Khelaifi] for the opportunity,” the former PSG defender and captain added. “But also Thomas Tuchel and his staff because we are here because they have won titles.”

Icardi put PSG ahead in the 39th minute, sliding in from close range before Neymar, on his return from an ankle injury, added the second from the spot.

“This is only the beginning. We believe that with time and work, we can install our ideas and that the progress will be good because of the quality we have. We have little time to train but my players deserve this trophy, the recognition and they have adapted quickly to my requirements,” Pochettino added.

The game was also PSG captain Marquinhos’s 300th with the capital side, and he hailed Pochettino as “an exceptional coach” after the win. “It’s a pleasure to be on the pitch, to be able to give you all so that you can win matches and trophies. That’s why I came to PSG,” the Brazilian defender said.

“There is a new coach with a new philosophy, it’s not always easy to change during the season but Pochettino is an exceptional coach.”

Marseille playmaker Dimitri Payet pulled one back in the 89th minute, and Florian Thauvin missed a late chance in injury-time as PSG held on to seal the victory. “We played well despite the defeat,” Thauvin said.

“Unfortunately we conceded a penalty which hurt us.” Both sides will continue their league campaign this weekend, with PSG travelling to Angers and Marseille hosting Nimes.

Pochettino celebrates first win with PSG, Lyon stays on top

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PARIS, Jan. 9 (Xinhua) — Mauricio Pochettino secured his first victory as Paris Saint-Germain coach after his team eased past Brest 3-0 at the Parc des Princes on Saturday, but Rudi Garcia’s Lyon maintained the lead at the top after a comeback 2-2 draw at Rennes.

PSG was held to a 1-1 stalemate at Saint-Etienne in Pochettino’s first game on Wednesday, but the capital side improved its morale back in Paris. Moise Kean’s 11th goal of the campaign in all competitions put PSG in front after 16 minutes, while substitutes Mauro Icardi and Pablo Sarabia added two in the final 10 minutes.

“We have still only had a few days working together and we have had two very difficult, very competitive games,” Pochettino said after the match.

“I am really satisfied with the effort put in by the players. It was an improved performance and an important victory,” the former Tottenham manager added.

The win also helped PSG cut Lyon’s lead on the table to only one point, with the latter having to overcome a 2-0 deficit to clinch a precious point at Rennes.

Clement Grenier and Benjamin Bourigeaud scored in each half to gift Rennes a 2-0 lead, but Lyon managed a fight-back in the closing period as Memphis Depay pulled one back in the 79th minute before setting up Jason Denayer’s equalizer only three minutes later.

“Our first half of the season has been of a really high standard,” said Lyon coach Garcia. “We need to keep it going. Our objective is to at least pull away from fourth place and then we will see where we are come the run-in.”

Elsewhere, third-placed Lille kept pace with the title race after a 1-0 win at Nimes thanks to Burak Yilmaz’s winning goal. The northern France club is level on points with PSG but behind on goal difference.

Pochettino’s PSG debut ends in draw, Lyon extend lead

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PARIS, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) — Mauricio Pochettino’s first match in charge of Paris Saint-Germain didn’t go as he expected, as the capital side were held 1-1 at Saint-Etienne on Wednesday, gifting Lyon a chance to extend their lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table to three points.

Lyon survived a late comeback from Lens to beat the newly-promoted team 3-2, taking their tally to 39 points. PSG are second ahead of Lille on goal difference, after the latter slipped up with a 2-1 home defeat to Angers.

Pochettino was confirmed PSG head coach only four days before their first match after the winter break.

The former Tottenham manager arrived the Parc des Princes with big ambitions but his start fell short of expectations.

Romain Hamouma opened the scoring for Saint-Etienne in the 19th minute after Idrissa Gueye lost the ball just outside the penalty area.

Moise Kean leveled just three minutes later when he swivelled and fired home from close range, but PSG could not find a winner.

“I’m disappointed. We are PSG and we wanted to win,” said Pochettino, who played for PSG as a central defender from 2001 to 2003.

“This is just the beginning, We have to get to know each other. It was difficult because the preparation was too short.”

The setback for the defending champions meant that Rudi Garcia’s Lyon, who led the standings at Christmas for the first time since 2008, strengthened their claim as the league’s pace-setters.

Memphis Depay hit a brace to take his season’s tally to 10, and Lucas Paqueta’s own goal put Lens 3-0 behind only seven minutes into the second half.

But Florian Sotoca’s goal in the 56th minute secured a glimmer of hope for Lens and Cheick Doucoure scored late on to give Lyon a scare.

“Everyone thought it was going to be an easy win for us, but I was worried this would be a difficult game,” Garcia said. “But our unbeaten run continues and I congratulate the players for that.”

Northern side Lille, who went into the day level on points with Lyon, dropped to third as Romain Thomas’s double in the opening ten minutes sewed up the victory for Angers.

Former Beijing Guo’an striker Burak Yilmaz pulled one back for the hosts before the break. Last year’s runner-up Marseille also stayed in the title race after notching a 3-1 home win over Montpellier.

Andre-Villas Boas’ side sit fifth, eight points off Lyon but with two games in hand.

Pochettino appointed as PSG head coach

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PARIS, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) — Former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has been hired as the head coach of Paris Saint-Germain, the French league giant announced on Saturday.

The Argentine, 48, who replaced Thomas Tuchel of Germany, penned a contract until June 2020, with the option of an extra year.

“We are very pleased to welcome Mauricio Pochettino as the first-team coach,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, the chairman of PSG. “The return of Mauricio fits perfectly with our ambitions and it will be another exciting chapter for the club and one I am positive the fans will enjoy.”

Pochettino played for PSG as a central defender between 2001 and 2003, scoring six goals in his 95 appearances.

“I am really happy and honored to become the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain,” said Pochettino after signing his contract.

“This club has always held a special place in my heart. I have wonderful memories, especially of the unique atmosphere of the Parc des Princes.

“I return to the club today with a lot of ambition and humility, and am eager to work with some of the world’s most talented players.”

After his retirement, Pochettino started his coaching career at Spanish club Espanyol in 2009, before moving to England to take the reins of Southampton between 2013 to 2014, and Tottenham from 2014 to 2019.

He established himself as one of the world’s elite coaches at the north London side where he led the team to its first Champions League final in 2019, only to lose to fellow Premier League team Liverpool in the showdown.

He was sacked five months later as the club only ranked 14th in the Premier League three months into the new season, and replaced by Jose Mourinho.

Similarly, Tuchel was dismissed by PSG only four months after he guided the capital-based club to its first Champions League final, where it was defeated by German champion Bayern Munich 1-0.

Tuchel’s final match in charge of PSG was a 4-0 win over Strasbourg on Dec. 23 before the winter break, leaving the Ligue 1 defending champion in third place on the table, one point off leader Lyon and second-placed Lille.

Pochettino will make his coaching debut for PSG on Jan. 6 when the side travel to Saint-Etienne in the league.

Neymar denies reports of 500-guest party

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) — Neymar has refuted widespread reports that he hosted a 500-person end of year party at his beachside mansion near Rio de Janeiro.

The 28-year-old Brazilian posted photos on social media showing preparations for what looked to be a small New Year’s Eve dinner and members of his direct family.

“A low-key dinner at home with social distancing. And it’s not for 500 people,” the Paris Saint-Germain forward said in comments accompanying the images.

Media reports said that Neymar had invited hundreds of guests to a multi-day party to usher in the new year at the house in Mangaratiba, in southeastern Brazil.

Neymar was given permission to fly back to his homeland after suffering an ankle injury last month. He is expected to rejoin his Paris Saint-Germain teammates next week.

Draxler’s late goal secures first league win for PSG, Neymar banned for two games

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PARIS, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) — Julian Draxler’s header in stoppage time earned Paris Saint-Germain a precious 1-0 win over Metz at home on Wednesday, ending the Ligue 1 defending champions’ losing streak in the opening two games of the new season.

After losing the Champions League final 1-0 to German side Bayern Munich on August 23, PSG kicked off their league campaign with two straight 1-0 defeats – one at Lens followed by another at the Parc des Princes against Marseille, in which three players, including Neymar, were sent off for their involvement in an injury-time brawl.

The disciplinary commission of French Professional Football (LFP) on Wednesday announced the Brazilian striker would be banned for two games plus one suspended.

Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes received the same punishment while Layvin Kurzawa has to serve a six-match ban for kicking out at Marseille left-back Jordan Amavi.

Thomas Tuchel’s side welcomed back goalkeeper Keylor Navas, defender Marquinhos and forward Mauro Icardi after the trio were among seven players tested positive for COVID-19, but missed Kylian Mbappe, who is still in self-quarantine at home.

PSG controlled the ball with more than 70% possession and created a couple of chances on 20 attempts in Wednesday’s game, but they were all denied by Metz goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidjia until Angel Di Maria’s cross in stoppage time forced Oukidja to parry it to Draxler, who nodded it home for the winner.

“We had chances to score in the first half, but we missed all of our good chances,” Tuchel said.

“The situation was complicated so it was important to win tonight. It’s hard, we created some chances, but we’re not 100%.”

Abdou Diallo was sent off for a second yellow cards after 65 minutes and Juan Bernat limped off the pitch in the 85th minute, which forced Tuchel’s side to have to play with nine men for the last 10 minutes.

“The finish was impressive, playing with nine against 11. We showed an incredible mentality.

It was a deserved victory after a crazy match. I am very proud,” the German coach said.

PSG will travel to the southern coastal city of Nice for their next match on Sunday.

Five red cards shown as Marseille end 9-year winless run against PSG

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PARIS, Sept. 13 (Xinhua) — Marseille clinched their first victory against old rivals Paris Saint-Germain in nine years as Andre Villas Boas’ side beat PSG 1-0 on Sunday in a game which will be remembered by aggressive fouls and a late brawl.

Florian Thauvin’s close-range volley set up by Dimitri Payet in the 31st minute punished the defending champions to a two-game losing streak in the opening two weeks of the Ligue 1 campaign, the first time the capital-based club has lost its first two games in a season since 1984-1985.

But the stories of the toe-to-toe clash were far beyond the records. A brawl in stoppage time saw five players sent off, including PSG’s star Neymar, who has just come back from a COVID-19 quarantine.

The former Barca striker got a straight red for slapping on the back of Alvaro Gonzalez’s head.

Walking off the pitch, Neymar told officials that he did so because he had been racially abused and the angry Brazilian tweeted after the match that his “only regret” was not hitting Gonzalez in the face.

“Neymar told me that it was a racist insult. I didn’t hear anything on the field,” PSG coach Thomas Tuchel said. “Racism in life, in all domains, in sport, should not exist.”

However, Villas-Boas didn’t think Alvaro – who earlier accused Angel Di Maria of spitting at him – would have committed such a wrongdoing.

“There is no place for racism in football but I don’t think so,” Villas-Boas said, “We will look at it later.”

“Before that, we had a situation with a spit from Di Maria,” the Portuguese coach added.

The anarchy in injury time started with a tussle between Argentine pair Dario Benedetto of Marseille and Leandro Paredes of PSG, as the two players were both shown their second yellow cards and were sent off.

Meanwhile, PSG’s defender Layvin Kurzawa and his Marseille counterpart Jordan Amavi were also booked with direct red cards for a fight with each other in the disorder.

As a result, the game ended with eight men from PSG on the field, while Marseille had nine.

The rivalry between the two clubs is one of the biggest in Ligue 1, which is also related to the competition of the two cities, the biggest and second-biggest in the country.

The bad relationship got worse last month as PSG went all the way into the Champions League final, which previously was an honor exclusively belonging to Marseille.

Earlier in the day, Monaco beat Nantes 2-1 at home to move atop of the league standings on goal difference.

Neymar cleared of coronavirus and back in training

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PARIS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar on Friday declared that he was “super happy” to return to training which implied that he has recovered from coronavirus and moved out of isolation.

The 28-year-old striker was one of seven players in the PSG squad who had tested positive recently. The other infected players include Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Angel Di Maria, Leandro Paredes, Keylor Navas and Marquinhos.

“I went back to training, supper happy #CORONAOUT,” the Brazilian posted on his Twitter account.

The absence of these key players had weakened Thomas Tuchel’s side significantly as the Ligue 1 defending champions launched their title defence with a shocking 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Lens on Thursday.

The shorthanded German coach had to field several youngsters like 18-year-old league debutants Kays Ruiz-Atil and Arnaud Kalimuendo and 20-year-old goalkeeper Marcin Bulka in the starting line-up in Wednesday’s match.

PSG on Friday also announced to have signed right back Alessandro Florenzi on a one-year loan from Italian Serie A club Roma, adding that they have a purchase option when the loan ends next summer.

Tuchel’s team will face a busy schedule in the coming week with a clash against last season’s runners-up Marseille on Sunday, followed by Metz at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

PSG sign Italian full-back Florenzi on loan

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PARIS, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — Paris Saint-Germain on Friday announced the signing of right back Alessandro Florenzi on a one-year loan deal from Italian Serie A club Roma.

The French Ligue 1 defending champions added that the deal included a purchase option when the loan ends next summer.

The 29-year-old Italian international is the first newcomer at Parc des Princess during this transfer window, which will be a relief for Thomas Tuchel’s side who are severly effected by the coronavirus pandemic as seven players in the first team squad, including Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Mauro Icardi, had tested positive recently.

Florenzi started his football career in Roma’s youth teams and turned pro in 2011. He spent almost all his career at the Serie A side where he scored 28 goals and provided 32 assists in 280 appearances.

He has also been capped 36 times for the Italian national team. “I’m really proud and happy to become a Paris Saint-Germain player.

They’re one of the major clubs in Europe today, confirmed by their run to the Champions League final last month,” said Florenzi to PSG’s official website.

“We have extraordinary challenges ahead of us this season, and it will be a pleasure and an honour to face them alongside my new teammates, who are among the best players in the world,” he added.

The Champions League finalists kicked off their league title defence on Thursday with a shock 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Lens, in a game which Tuchel fielded several young players such as 18-year-old league debutants Kays Ruiz-Atil and Arnaud Kalimuendo and 20-year-old goalkeeper Marcin Bulka, who was just making his second appearance for the first team.

PSG will face a busy schedule in the coming week with a clash against last season’s runners-up Marseille on Sunday, followed by Metz at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

Virus-hit PSG kick off title defence with shock defeat at Lens

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PARIS, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain opened their Ligue 1 title defence with a shock 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Lens.

The absence of some key players, including Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Mauro Icardi, Andel Di Maria and Keylor Navas who have all tested positive for coronavirus, reduced Thomas Tuchel’s choices for his starting line-up.

As a result, several youngsters and new signings were brought into the squad to fill the places. 18-year-olds Kays Ruiz-Atil and Arnaud Kalimuendo made their first team debuts in attack while between the posts was 20-year-old Marcin Bulka, who was making just his second appearance.

Cameroon international Ignatius Ganago capitalized on a mistake from the unlucky Bulka in the 57th minute, when PSG’s third-choice goalkeeper slid a weak pass towards Marci Verratti which was intercepted by Ganago and the former Nice striker calmly pulled the trigger to send the 3,800 home fans into ecstasy.”

I’m very happy. It feels good to open my account and I hope to score many more,” said the 21-year-old Ganago, who arrived in Lens this summer.

“Even without Neymar or Mbappe Paris have a very good team. We were solid, we were compact, we all worked together and it paid off in the end.”

Before the game, PSG hadn’t lost in Lens since 2009, and hadn’t lost the opening game of a Ligue 1 season since 2011.

Tuchel’s side dominated possession, 78.1% to Lens’ 21.9%, but failed to create good chances as they recorded just one shot on target during the game.

“I don’t think we could have done any better tonight,” Tuchel told Canal, “I was happy with the first half we had. We controlled the game completely, and we had possession.” “We struggled to create scoring chances today. No opportunities? Yes, I agree. But we have a small group, and we are missing the players who make the difference.”

The pressure for the German coach and his PSG team may grow in the coming week as they face a busy schedule with a clash against last season’s runners-up Marseille on Sunday and followed by Metz at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday.

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