excitement in the parisian air we're at the [ __ ] pass here in the french capital
i'm derek ray and my commentary partner as always is stuart robson
and on the menu today is live action from liga it's paris saint-germain up against knott
well thanks derek as always the scene is set two good teams a great playing surface
and a vibrant atmosphere has all the ingredients for a really exciting game
the presence of lionel messi in the starting eleven should be a warning to opposing
defenders well he's such a natural finisher he has everything a good goal scorer needs
composure technique and awareness he will certainly need to be tightly marked today
introducing the paris saint-germain starters kailon navas gets the northern goal sergio
ramos plays alongside marquinhos in central defence kellyanne mbappe starts with angel
di maria on the flanks and beginning the game up front today as lionel messi
the starting lineup then for naught well although we have it down as a 4-5-1 it's
actually more likely to be a 4-2-3-1 they play with two holding midfield
players a number 10 and two wingers the system has a nice balance to it
and so the match is underway
ramos
now with akimi jorginho
they're off and running
well as the replay shows us this is the way to beat tight marking
just look how he turns with the ball that's a fantastic goal you have to say
and the ball moving again what sort of response will we see from them now
pedro and room now out on the wing
it needs an accurate cross
tremendous block
ludovic blas
an attack full of promise
moving the ball nicely trying to carve out the equalizer
and the referee has decided to award the free kick to psg
di maria
onto herrera
oh surely oh and he didn't miss by very much yeah he adjusted his body so well
there it's a great piece of skill and it probably deserved the goal
by naldum
attacking possibilities for psg dimaria
crossing opportunity
well he reacts so quickly there that's a great save
playing it in not away completely and in the back of the net for psg that lead extended to two now
well here it is again and if you are going to clear the ball you have to
get height and distance on it to give your defense time to readjust and they don't do
that to poor clearance and suddenly the ball's in the back of the net
so two nail now
now psg moving the ball forward what can they do from here
well they're going to be very cross with themselves because that was a wasted opportunity
well he hasn't quite had the impact on attack that we were expecting stuart
well derek he has to impose himself on this game he's been far too quiet so far
if they are to get back into this he needs to make something happen and start getting some shots away
blas
castelletto that always looked likely to run through to the keeper
well as the stats confirm psg have had the lion's share of possession and they've made
good use of it they really have played some good attacking football and they look like scoring more
now delivering that deep cross strong hand on that one
relentless high pressing and add a play for a paddy sagerman throwing
a chance to whip it in the clearance wasn't decisive what's an important piece of defending
and that is that for the first half here in the french capital
well you tend to expect football of a very high standard from lionel messi
and that's exactly what he's delivering stuart well i thought he had a very good first half
and key to that was his movement time and time again he got in behind the opposition
and he was a real threat throughout the game into the second half here at the back de brass
girotto
a lovely ball from veracie and it goes a three goal cushion this is astonishing
well here's the goal again and it's a great ball to put him through
good vision to set up the chance and then through on goal and just goes for power
and smashes it past the keeper there's no stopping that what a great finish
this is looking rather comfortable for them three nil
really effective shielding under pressure
girotto blas
a bit of running room now on the wing
messy
and here's herrera and now passing it through a goal and i'll tell you what
on this sort of form very few would lay a glove on them
well here it is again the through ball is absolutely inch perfect
and there's certainly no doubt about the finish he really hits it with power and accuracy
nothing the keeper can do about that
and as they restart the game it's fair to say
the golf and quality between the two sides has been huge
and that'll be the goalkeeper's ball
plenty of running room in the wide position as an effective clearance
ludovic blast
will it be keeper getting the touch
well threat over for now
ander herrera
20 minutes to go in this one he could pick out a teammate now they couldn't
take advantage of the opportunity has eyes for goal putting his body on the line
akimi and cutting inside oh it's not really wide so unlucky
is
and over it comes well as a defender that will suit you down to the ground
ten minutes to go then
lovely bowl over the top
that's great goalkeeping well what a save that is he was so alert there
and there's the delivery
and the body in the way can't get the shot through
and the referee sees that as a foul free kick given
couldn't grab hold of it and it goes at the second time of asking
and the keeper feels hung out to dry
well here we can see it again normally i'm the first to point the finger at
a goalkeeper but i think it's a good initial save i'm not sure he could have
done much more just a bit unfortunate really that it dropped to an opponent
not too much defending going on in the grand scheme of things for one
psg couldn't kick the referee spotted the infringement and
it will be a free kick in a position of genuine menace
way out this and a goal to seal the hat-trick
a master class at finishing just can't stop him today
well this has everything as you can see it goes over the wall starts outside the
post and then comes back in what a strike that is
a glut of girls 5-1 it is and the referee is going to add on three minutes
successfully cut out
and that will be all three points for psg that's the good news for their fans around the world
your assessment well derek it was a very assured performance wasn't it particularly impressed
with their play going forward really lively and almost cutting through at will at times
the result never much in doubt if i'm honest