MANCHESTER – Paris Saint-Germain took an enormous step towards the Champions League spherical of 16 by beating Brest 3-0 in a first-leg playoff match Tuesday.
Ousmane Dembélé scored twice and Vitinha transformed a penalty to place the French champion in management.
Having made exhausting work of the new-look league section of the event, it might take a serious upset within the second leg in Paris to disclaim PSG a spot within the subsequent spherical.
The Qatar-backed PSG is without doubt one of the wealthiest golf equipment on the planet, however was in peril of early elimination earlier than securing the lifeline of a playoff by ending fifteenth within the 36-team league.
It wasn’t the one European big to must face a playoff to advance.
Defending champion Actual Madrid and 2023 champion Manchester Metropolis have been going head-to-head within the largest conflict of the playoffs, with the primary leg on the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
That is the fourth yr in a row they’ve confronted one another within the Champions League, with the winner on the three earlier events happening to raise the trophy.
Metropolis heads into the primary leg in the course of a disappointing marketing campaign that has seen their Premier League title protection unravel. However Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti nonetheless believes his staff should overcome among the finest on the planet to advance to the spherical of 16.
“They’re among the finest groups in Europe they usually have the most effective supervisor (Pep Guardiola) on the market. It’s a nightmare making ready for video games towards him as a result of he at all times has concepts that make you assume,” Ancelotti mentioned. “I’m satisfied the staff that goes via from this tie will go on to win the competitors.”
Guardiola mentioned he didn’t know what to anticipate from his staff after a troubled season has left it in fifth place within the Premier League, 15 factors behind chief Liverpool.
“We’ve not been constant, when what’s outlined the staff during the last decade has been we’re an unbelievable machine each three days, in any other case we can not win six Premier Leagues in seven years or win the unbelievable trophies we’ve gained,” he mentioned. “Then I might really feel, sure, the staff is constant, we will do it. Now it’s like, I don’t know.”
Good 10
Dembélé’s double noticed him rating for a tenth recreation in a row, with 18 objectives throughout that streak.
It was from his shot that led to PSG’s Twenty first-minute penalty after Pierre Lees-Melou dealt with within the space. Vitinha transformed the spot kick.
After Brest striker Abdallah Sima headed a nook towards the submit, Dembélé acquired his first purpose within the forty fifth when he broke free down the precise and curled a shot contained in the submit.
His second got here within the 66th when he pounced on a free ball and burst into the penalty space to attain his twenty third purpose of the season.
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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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