After PSG’s spectacular 5-2 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16, French media outlets did not completely share the same interpretation of the Parisian performance. Between Le Parisien, L’Équipe and VIPSG, certain trends emerge, but several players clearly divide opinion.
Barcola and Dembélé generally impressed: Bradley Barcola earned almost unanimous praise after opening the scoring and showing strong attacking activity. L’Équipe gave him an 8, Le Parisien a 7.5, while VIPSG awarded him a 7. The same applies to Ousmane Dembélé, also on the scoresheet, rated 7 by L’Équipe, 6.5 by Le Parisien and 7 by VIPSG. However, Désiré Doué remained slightly behind with a 5 in both newspapers and a 5.5 from VIPSG.
Mixed Reviews for Midfield and Defense
In midfield, João Neves was one of the most consistent Paris players in the ratings. Le Parisien awarded him 7.5, L’Équipe 7 and VIPSG 6.5. Vitinha proved more divisive: solid according to Le Parisien (7) and VIPSG (7), but judged much more harshly by L’Équipe (5). Warren Zaïre-Emery received more modest scores, ranging between 5 and 6 depending on the outlet.
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It was mainly in defense where the differences appeared. L’Équipe dealt a heavy blow to Nuno Mendes with a 3, while Le Parisien gave him a 5 and VIPSG a 6. Marquinhos was also more criticized by the sports daily (4) than by Le Parisien (5) or VIPSG (6). Willian Pacho fared slightly better with a 6 from L’Équipe, compared with 5.5 from Le Parisien and 6 from VIPSG. Achraf Hakimi received fairly similar ratings overall, ranging from 6 to 6.5.
In goal, Safonov received rather average and consistent ratings: 5 from both L’Équipe and Le Parisien, and 6 from VIPSG. Finally, the substitutes were only rated by VIPSG, with Kvaratskhelia logically rewarded with an 8 after his decisive brace, while Kang-in Lee, Lucas Hernandez and Mayulu received scores between 5.5 and 6. Overall, while Barcola, Dembélé and João Neves emerged as the standout performers of the night, the Parisian defense remains the most debated line among the different editorial teams.
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