Read the full match report:
Well, that seemed like the most likely outcome: a decent game between two good teams, but conservatism seemed to win the day, and neither manager was really willing to take a risk and open the game up. But they’ll settle for a 0-0 draw, I reckon, and as I mentioned before, these two are certain qualify for the last 16 anyway. Ronaldo had the game’s best chance in the second half, but shot wide with his left foot. Cavani and Lucas Moura went close for PSG, but a draw was probably a fair result.
Thanks for reading. Goodbye.
Updated
Full-time: PSG 0-0 Real Madrid
That’s it!
90 min + 3: Panic in the Real defence! Pastore went down the left, crossed, Ibrahimovic headed back, but no one in navy blue could reach it. Real hack clear.
90 min + 2: Three minutes of stoppage time. PSG with one last heave, and Pastore goes down the left, but Navas is quickly out of his area to clear.
90 min + 1: An intruder on the pitch! He’s escorted off. It was all a bit tame.
90 min: Modric finds Cheryshev, who ignores Ronaldo and has a shot from a million yards. Predictably, it’s wide, and, predictably, Ronaldo is furious.
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89 min: Real have defended well. PSG are a bit short of ideas.
88 min: Aurier trips Casemiro, needlessly – Casemiro was in his own area and going nowhere – and the right-back kicks the ball away, for which he is booked.
86 min: Cheryshev, who came on for Jese some minutes back (sorry!), is yellow carded for a cynical trip as PSG looked to break.
85 min: Ooh, great ball in … but Thiago got a vital touch. Corner.
84 min: A gormless foul from Serge Aurier, who tried to rectify his earlier giveaway, but merely dived in against Ronaldo, who bought a foul by the touchline on the left. Chance from the set piece for Real.
82 min: It looked like it was going to fall to the Swede inside the penalty area, but he was just offside, and Real smothered him anyway. They’ve smothered well tonight.
81 min: PSG have made 519 passes to Real’s 368. But they don’t have anything to show for it yet. Can Ibrahimovic conjure something?
79 min: Ezequiel Lavezzi comes in for Marco Verratti, who on another day might have seen red for a succession of late fouls.
78 min: Yellow card for Lucas Vazquez for a push on Aurier.
Thirteen minutes left. Can someone win it? The answer is: “No.”
76 min: Chance for Lucas Moura! Matuidi again got free down the left – I’m not sure where Danilo was – and his cross was a good one, but Moura, despite getting up higher than Ramos, headed it over from eight yards. I think Cavani would have scored that.
74 min: That was a great example of Real’s counter-attacking thrust: they really swarmed all over PSG then, and had four players in the box when it fell to Ronaldo.
74 min: Oh, that was the chance for Ronaldo! Real broke at great speed, with Modric to the fore, and though PSG got back to stop the first wave, Marcelo found Ronaldo in the box, alone on the left-hand side, but he slashed his shot just wide! Huge chance, and Ronaldo probably knows he should have scored.
71 min: It’s been pretty good, this game, but you get the sense neither team really wants to lose: there’s been a lack of risk.
71 min: PSG try again with Pastore, and that’s a lovely one-two down the left, but the linesman – those pesky linesmen! – has his flag up for offside. It was the right call.
70 min: Isco est remplacé par Modric pour le Real.
69 min: Whew, that was risky from Verratti: Jese went at him down the left, and looked like he had the pace to go past, but Verratti, sliding in, just got there to stop the attack. Corner, but if he’d mistimed that it was penalty, and a second yellow.
67 min: Change for PSG: Cavani replaced by Pastore, and Lucas Moura comes in for Di Maria. So many classy South Americans here.
66 min: Di Maria stepped inside from the right flank, and used Aurier by not using him, but his shot was deflected safely into Navas’s hands. Pastore warming up, and Lucas Moura too.
64 min: Header from Ibrahimovic! Over the bar. Maxwell’s ball in, and Ibrahimovic got up above Ramos, but the header was too high. He was called for a push regardless.
63 min: Cavani, who’s definitely playing more centrally this half, is so close to releasing Di Maria, who would have been clear. PSG have stepped it up since the half.
62 min: Into the wall. Ho hum.
61 min: Now a yellow for Ramos for a crude lunge on Verratti, and then an angry Ramos gets close to the referee’s face, which is all very unbecoming. Free kick about 30 yards out, in a central position. Ibrahimovic is favourite for it, but it is quite far from the goal.
59 min: Verratti finds space about 30 yards from goal, and feeds Matuidi, who was whistled for offside, even though he probably wasn’t. Verratti could have had a shot, then: Real had backed off.
56 min: Sloppy play from Real, and PSG are in … but Cavani took too long, and his shot is blocked. Then Aurier has to be alert to stop Isco! It’s a corner, but that was really top defending.
55 min: This game has got much more open. Lucas Vazquez goes close, and then has another pop from the corner, but it’s over the bar.
52 min: Ooh, that was close! I just let out an involuntary yelp. Actually, it wasn’t that close: Ibrahimovic, in the wall, got a decisive deflection. Real can’t profit from the corner.
50 min: Verratti is booked for a two-footed lunge on Ronaldo, and even his finest pleading gesture can’t save him. Clear yellow, and this is a dangerous position for Real.
49 min: Chance for Cavani! He’s been anonymous all game, but that was Cavani at his best: Motta put a delicious teasing cross in from the left, and Cavani got in front of Varane, but his toe-poke flashed just wide. Good from the hosts.
47 min: Nicely done in midfield by Verratti and Motta, and then Ibrahimovic is tripped. I hope PSG show a bit more adventure in this half.
Second half begins
46 min: No changes. PSG get us under way.
Look who it is!
The original and best? Well, maybe not the best, but what a player this guy was. I guess he’s lost something by the time he signed for Real Madrid – various injuries had taken their toll – but still: 104 goals in 177 games, two La Liga titles, and that hat-trick against Man Utd in 2003. A phenomenon!
Half-time: PSG 0-0 Real Madrid
That’s what I like about the Champions League: they don’t feel the need to add pointless stoppage time. That’s the half, and Real will probably be happier: they created the game’s best chance, and have largely restricted PSG. No goals, though. See you shortly.
44 min: That’s more like it from PSG, pinging some imaginative passes around – but then Motta’s ball for Maxwell is too strong.
43 min: If Aurier holds his nerve, there’s space for him to attack when Marcelo advances. Definitely an area for PSG to exploit. Marquinhos is cautioned for pulling back Marcelo.
40 min: Casemiro with a lovely low strike: he didn’t try to hit it too hard, and Trapp has to go down and save. The corner is a waste, though.
39 min: Cavani, who sometimes looks so clumsy in possession, loses it, and Real are away. Jese drives at the defence; his shot is deflected wide. And then Maxwell has to hack clear from Marcelo’s low cross. PSG wobbling.
38 min: Thiago Silva, the PSG captain, looks disgruntled. Real are dominating.
37 min: A chance for Ronaldo. PSG gave it away, and Kroos fed Marcelo on the left. Marcelo’s ball in was accurate, but Ronaldo didn’t quite get the contact, headed it into the ground, and Trapp comfortable tipped round the post. But that’s a better header! From the corner, Ronaldo leapt like Javier Sotomayor, and Trapp had to save again! Real on top here.
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34 min: A double exclamation mark from the official PSG Twitter feed. I agree: possession is good!!
31' 53% de possession de balle pour le @PSG_inside !! #PSGREAL
— PSG Officiel (@PSG_inside) October 21, 2015
33 min: That’s the first time Serge Aurier has found himself in an advanced position, from Di Maria’s clever pass – but his cross was wasteful. He had time there, and PSG had numbers in the box. A shame.
31 min: Real are so good in transition: they just move so quickly through the gears when they win it back. I know Benitez is a vaguely comic figure, for reasons mainly to do with “facts”, but he remains a high-class defensive coach.
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29 min: Superb long pass from Ibrahimovic to find Matuidi, and PSG look to cause chaos, but Real have numbers back, and they just crowd the hosts out. PSG had four attackers there against seven Real defenders. Ditch the caution, Laurent!
27 min: Big save from Kevin Trapp! The game’s best moment. Ronaldo was looking menacing on the edge of the box, and he fed Kroos, who looked as though he was going to shoot, but instead slipped a lovely disguised pass into Jese, who shot across the goalie from about 15 years – and Trapp saved with his feet. Good goalkeeping, and Rihanna will be pleased.
24 min: So far, PSG have been reluctant to commit bodies into the penalty area when they attack. Di Maria just slung a cross in from the right, but Ibrahimovic was a lone attacker among a sea of white jerseys. One of the PSG trio needs to help out. Matuidi, I’m looking at you.
21 min: Varane is a wonderfully quick, clean defender, isn’t he? A Varane-Ramos defensive partnership the world’s best?
Not a great deal from Ibrahimovic so far, but he’s skulking around looking mean in his ponytail and goatee.
20 min: Pressure from Real, and Isco goes into the box again, but he can’t keep his footing. Was that a trip? No, I think he slipped. Real look confident so far.
Here’s Simon Kuper on Verratti:
If Marco Verratti had even any pace at all (or a shot) he'd be the world's best midfielder #PSGREAL
— Simon Kuper (@KuperSimon) October 21, 2015
19 min: Nicola Rizzoli played an advantage there, and Matuidi was arguably lucky: he tripped Isco, I think it was, but the ball ran loose to Kroos, so the ref waved play on. Kroos’s shot was blocked, but Matuidi is skating on thin ice.
17 min: This game has been decent, but no really clear chances so far. PSG have had more of the ball, but Real look sharp and pacy on the counter-attack.
16 min: Sergio Ramos is down, clutching his ankle after a tackle from Ibrahimovic. That was slightly naughty – he touched the ball but his studs were showing. No yellow card from the ref, and Ramos is back up. He’ll be OK.
14 min: Motta, who’s so upright and elegant, curls in a free kick, and Thiago is up, and free, but he can’t keep his header down. Who was picking him up?
12 min: Much better from Matuidi up the other end, moving away from a posse of defenders and working Navas with a good low shot. No alarms for the keeper, though.
Here’s Justin Dinka with an alternative view: “Remember when PSG knocked Chelsea out, at Stamford Bridge, in 2015, whilst playing with 10 men for 90 minutes? Blanc is such a bottler.”
Well, yes, I take your point. But that game in 2014! Plus, they’d have played Atletico in the semis. A great opportunity wasted, I feel. But that’s just my opinion!
9 min: Ronaldo with it – into the wall. Disappointing. But Matuidi has a problem now: can he make those important tackles amid the threat of red?
8 min: Yellow for Blaise Matuidi. Maxwell sold him slightly short, but Casemiro was quickly in to win it, and Matuidi just pulled him back. Real free kick about 30 yards out. I wonder who’ll take it?
6 min: A third try by Di Maria, but Kroos gets a head to it, and the danger is cleared. But then Di Maria finds Ibrahimovic alone in the box with a wonderful, 40-yard ball from right to left – but the Swede is offside. It was tight.
5 min: Corner to PSG, and the Parisian crowd is in good voice. Di Maria’s ball in doesn’t beat the first man, but then he has another go, and Varane is imperious. A third corner, though.
3 min: Real are very quick to fall back behind the ball when they lose it. Rafa won’t tolerate any sauntering back!
2 min: First attack of the match, and Real were nearly in there. Thiago Motta was casual in midfield, and Ronaldo slipped in Jese as Real broke, but Matuidi was back to clear the danger. Then Marcelo has a blam from distance, but it’s wide of Trapp’s left post. Good start by Real.
And we're off!
1 min: The Parc des Princes pitch looks beautiful, and nothing like the 1970s Baseball Ground. We’re away.
I’m slightly disappointed Javier Pastore isn’t in the starting XI tonight: he’s a lovely elegant footballer, with super vision and touch – but I guess Laurent Blanc feels he doesn’t fit quite as well into PSG’s formation for Champions League matches. Talking of Laurent Blanc, he’s got the be the ur-big game bottler, no? Remember when PSG beat Chelsea 3-1 in 2014, and then contrived to lose 2-0 at the Bridge? Chelsea just pumped long balls into the box in that second half, and Blanc cracked. They should have won the Champions League that year!
Prefer your football with a more Russian flavour? (“Nyet!”) Well, here we’ve got CSKA Moscow v Man Utd:
Zlatan Ibrahimovic turned 34 a couple of weeks ago, and is playing great, but still has never scored against Real Madrid in the Champions League in 390 minutes of play. Well, whatever happens tonight, the fact remains: he’s still a black belt in karate.
Just a word on Ronaldo, who at the weekend officially became Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer. And, even more exciting, he’s now the most followed footballer on Instagram, with 33.7 million followers. (Still less than Kylie Jenner, unfortunately.) But what a star the Portuguese is: his consistency and dedication and hard work is just so admirable. And for all the goals he’s scored in his career, this is the one I love the most:
The purity of the strike! And from such a long way out. Amazing.
Real Madrid are slightly short: no Bale, no Benzema, no Modric, no James. (Pronounced James. Zing!) Expect them to go 4-5-1, with Ronaldo the furthest forward in attack, and Jese to provide the support. PSG look more like 4-3-3, with Ibrahimovic, Di Maria and Cavani making up the troika.
Michael Cox makes a good point:
Looking forward to PSG v Real. Expecting PSG to dominate, but biggest difference between the teams is in goal, Navas far better than Trapp
— Michael Cox (@Zonal_Marking) October 21, 2015
Team news
PSG: Trapp, Aurier, Marquinhos, Thiago Silva, Maxwell, Verratti, Thiago Motta, Matuidi, Di Maria, Cavani, Ibrahimovic. Subs: Sirigu, Kurzawa, van der Wiel, Lucas Moura, Rabiot, Pastore, Lavezzi.
Real Madrid: Navas, Danilo, Sergio Ramos, Varane, Marcelo, Lucas, Casemiro, Kroos, Isco, Jese, Ronaldo. Subs: Casilla, Nacho, Kovacic, Modric, Cheryshev, Llorente, Borja Mayoral.
Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)
Hello and welcome
Like the Catholic church and the dance moves of Drake, the Champions League is no stranger to criticism. It isn’t perfect, and it has its knockers: it’s too plutocractic, too elitist, too boring, the cynics say. But there’s something to be said for seeing top-class European soccer on a humdrum Wednesday afternoon, and this should be a corker: it’s not every day you get to see PSG play Real Madrid at the Parc des Princes.
This is a tasty match between two seriously good sides, to whom the Champions League hasn’t always been kind. For all this pair’s wealth and glamour, they’ve been short on trophies – notwithstanding Real’s slightly fluky triumph against Atléti in 2014 – but just look at the quality on display! We’ve got Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic, of course, the two star attractions, but midfield quality and defensive excellence abound, too: Di Maria, Sergio Ramos, Thiago Silva, Kroos, Varane, and the little Italian Marco Verratti, who I just love to watch knit those passes together. Plus Keylor Navas, the Costa Rican who’s been stellar for a Real side that has discovered a new miserliness under Rafa Benitez.
This game shouldn’t have too much of an outcome on qualification: it’s fairly clear that Real and PSG will qualify ahead of Malmo and Shakhtar in Group A, but it’ll be nice to see their credentials, as they say: these two will expect to be there in the last four in April and May. Kick off’s at 7.45pm BST, 2.45pm ET. Stay tuned.
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Tim will be here shortly. In the meantime why not have a look at Martin Laurence’s preview of today’s match.
Along with Bayern Munich and Celta Vigo, two of the four remaining unbeaten sides in domestic action this season meet when Paris Saint-Germain host Real Madrid. With very little history between the two sides, this will be a rare chance to see the Galácticos come up against their French equivalents. Indeed, the last player to score a winner in this fixture was George Weah in 1994, while David Ginola was on the scoresheet in both legs of a Uefa Cup quarter-final between the two sides the previous season.
Heading into the game, it is difficult to separate the two teams – their record in the group thus far is near identical – but one might just give the edge to the hosts, who have won four on the bounce in the league. Rafa Benítez’s side won comfortably at the weekend but prior to a routine 3-0 victory over Levante they had drawn twice and failed to win by more than a solitary goal in four La Liga matches.
Cristiano Ronaldo’s tally of six goals in the league is actually somewhat misleading in terms of his overall form. He has failed to score in six of his eight La Liga appearances, having smashed five past Espanyol, but with a further five goals in the Champions League he remains Real Madrid’s main threat.
Meanwhile, it’s intriguing to see that Keylor Navas has become on the success stories of the season under Benítez. The Costa Rica goalkeeper looked set to be used as a makeweight in a deal for David de Gea over the summer but he has shone since the transfer’s collapse, conceding just twice – he has made as many penalty saves this season (two) – to ensure Madrid boast the best defensive record in Europe.
One transfer that did go through from Old Trafford over the summer was that of Ángel Di María. His return to face his former club will be among the most interesting aspects of Wednesday’s encounter. The 27-year-old missed out at the weekend but should be fit. Di María has already said he would never celebrate against the club that let him leave for Manchester last summer. With three goals and three assists in eight appearances for PSG this season, he might have to put that resolve to the test.
