On Tuesday evening, the UEFA Champions League entered its quarterfinal stage. The first day of the tournament already featured two intriguing matches.
At "Old Trafford" stadium near Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's lifeless statue, "Manchester United" hosted Paris "Saint-Germain" footballers. Playing as if at home in front of their fans, the Paris team outperformed the hosts in the second half and celebrated a 2-0 victory.
"Man Utd" started the match aggressively - without Neymar and Edinson Cavani, the PSG players felt the pressure from their opponents on their side of the field, but handled it confidently and later took control.
In the first half, there were not many dangerous episodes created. The match referee was not willing to tolerate any fouls right from the start and showed five yellow cards within the first 34 minutes.
In the second half, the "Man Utd" team started in a very sluggish mood - Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial could no longer continue the game due to injuries.
In the second half of the match, PSG players completely dominated the opponent's field and gained an advantage in the 53rd minute. Presnel Kimpembe, left unmarked in the penalty area, scored after Angel Di Maria's corner kick.
Seven minutes later, the "Red Devils" team suffered another blow - once again, with a great pass, Angel Di Maria created a perfect opportunity for Kylian Mbappe, who accurately shot from a few meters away and increased the team's lead to two goals.
PSG had the chance to punish their opponents at least a few more times after these goals, but then David de Gea showcased his mastery in goal.
"Man Utd" did not manage to score a goal themselves and were forced to end the match with ten men, as Paul Pogba received his second yellow card.
In other matches, "Roma" also celebrated a victory. Eusebio Di Francesco's players outperformed "Porto" with a score of 2:1 and gained an advantage before the second leg.
Both goals for the winners were scored by Nicolo Zaniolo, who has become a true leader for the team this season. In the 79th minute, Adrian scored a crucial goal for "Porto".
The second leg matches between these four teams will take place on March 6.
Results:
"Man Utd" 0 - 2 PSG
53' [0 - 1] P. Kimpembe
60' [0 - 2] K. Mbappe
"Roma" 2 - 1 "Porto"
70' [1 - 0] N. Zaniolo
76' [2 - 0] N. Zaniolo
79' [2 - 1] Adrian
