In a shocking turn of events, Kylian Mbappe and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) faced severe criticism from L’Equipe, a prominent French sports newspaper, following their crushing 4-1 loss to Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The in-form Magpies, led by goals from Miguel Almiron, Dan Burn, and Sean Longstaff, dominated PSG with a commanding 3-0 lead at St James’ Park shortly after halftime. Lucas Hernandez managed to pull one back for the French champions in the 56th minute, but Fabian Schar sealed Newcastle’s triumph with a stunning long-range strike in added time.
L’Equipe did not mince words in its Thursday morning assessment, characterizing PSG’s performance as “disappointing and lacklustre.” The publication handed Kylian Mbappe a dismal two out of 10 in their match ratings, asserting that he “almost did not exist” during the dismal defeat, particularly highlighting his “very disappointing” first-half performance.
Randal Kolo Muani, Mbappe’s strike partner who recently joined PSG for £77 million from Eintracht Frankfurt, received an identical rating from L’Equipe. The newspaper argued that Muani was “untraceable and messy when he had rare ammunition.”
Even PSG’s captain, Marquinhos, did not escape criticism, receiving a two-point rating from L’Equipe. The publication emphasized Marquinhos’ plea to his teammates to “slow down the pace” early in the match, describing it as emblematic of PSG’s miserable performance.
L’Equipe spared no one in Luis Enrique’s camp, with no player receiving more than a six out of 10. Three additional stars in PSG’s starting lineup—Achraf Hakimi, Manuel Ugarte, and Goncalo Ramos—were handed scores of three. The PSG manager himself received a low rating, with L’Equipe labeling his decision to start four attackers at St James’ Park as audacious and criticizing his failure to adapt despite significant difficulties in midfield.
The newspaper concluded, dubbing the defeat as “one of the worst European evenings in PSG’s history” and expressing surprise that Enrique “didn’t change anything in his plans despite his team’s enormous difficulties in the midfield.”
While PSG faced scathing criticism, L’Equipe commended Newcastle’s efforts in dismantling the French champions. Bruno Guimaraes, a player familiar with clashes against PSG from his time at Lyon, earned an eight out of 10, while goal-scorers Almiron and Longstaff were awarded sevens for their outstanding contribution
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