Paris Saint-Germain coach Thomas Tuchel was at a loss as to why his side failed to get hither game going as they fell 2-1 at home to Manchester United in their UEFA Champions League Matchday 1 clash at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.
Having scored ten goals and conceded just one in their last two Ligue 1 Uber Eats outings, Paris Saint-Germain had every reason for confidence heading into their Champions League campaign opener at home to Man U on Tuesday.
Their world-class front three of Angel Di Maria, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé were all fit and ready to go, as was the central defensive pairing of Presnel Kimpembe and Abdou Diallo... but the visitors pressed hard and effectively stopped PSG from getting their game going in the opening term.
'A big surprise'
Although PSG hogged possession, Manchester United took the lead thanks to a Bruno Fernandes penalty - re-taken after Keylor Navas was minimally off his line to save the first attempt (23', pen.) - following Anthony Martial's going down in the area.
"We were missing everything in the first half, that's obvious: intensity, aggression, we weren't compact, we didn't play with confidence," said Tuchel. "Quite honestly, I don't know why, because in recent games it was good, very good. Our preparation was good. The match against Nîmes was good, training was good. It was a big surprise."
Tuchel rang the changes at half-time, bringing centre-forward Moise Kean on for midfielder Idrissa Gueye, and PSG's renews forward impetus was rewarded when Martial Martial mistimed his leap and nodded a Neymar corner into his own net (55', o.g.).
'Up to us to improve'
An excellent Keylor Navas kept PSG on track for a draw when he dropped smartly to deny Marcus Rashford's low drive (69'), but the England striker - played in by second-half substitute Paul Pogba - swayed the match when he crashed another low shot off the inside of the bar three minutes from time (87').
"We tried everything in the second half," said a mystified Tuchel. "We got it back to 1-1, and we had chances to perhaps score a second, and in the end, it's tough to lose. Clearly, it's up to us to improve."
PSG's next outing comes at home to Ligue 1 Uber Eats's bottom club Dijon on Saturday, while their chance to register the first points of their European campaign will be away to Besiktas on Wednesday 28 October.
