DBasia.news – Neymar was unable to score points when Paris-Saint Germain overthrew Atalanta with a score of 2-1 in the 2019-2020 Champions League quarter-finals, Thursday (13/8) AM. Even so, the Brazilian star turned out to be an inspiration for his teammates to advance to the semifinals.
From the start of the match, Neymar was the focus of PSG’s attack. Kylian Mbappe’s absence has made the former Barcelona player’s burden even heavier.
Neymar appeared burdened when he was unable to complete a golden opportunity when the game had only been running for three minutes. He had to face the Atalanta goalkeeper one on one, which made him hesitate and his shot went wide.
Neymar’s burden became heavier after PSG fell behind earlier than Atalanta. Mario Pasalic scored PSG’s goal in the 27th minute.
However, this did not shake Neymar’s mentality. He repeatedly took individual actions to score goals that troubled Atalanta’s defense.
PSG finally reversed the position with two goals at the end of the match. Neymar was instrumental in both goals.
He provided an assist for Marquinhos to equalize. Shortly thereafter, Mbappe’s key bait was passed on to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.
“We never give up, even in difficult circumstances. The desire that I have to win the Champions League existed long before this match, it has never been lost,” said Neymar after the match to RMC Sport.
Neymar also recorded 16 successful dribbles in this match. This amount is the most a player has made in one match in the Champions League this season.
Previously, this record was held by Lionel Messi and Lorenzo Insigne. Both players posted eleven successful dribbles.
Remarkably, Neymar now holds the record for most dribbles in one Champions League match for four consecutive seasons. The best previous record was made in the 2016-2017 quarter-finals when he posted 15 successful dribbles against Juventus.
This indicates that Neymar is not only good at tricking opponents. He used his strengths as a weapon to help his team win matches.
PSG certainly hopes that Neymar’s game will remain consistent in the upcoming semifinals. The wealthy French club will face either RB Leipzig or Atletico Madrid.