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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Jack Watson

PSG vs Manchester United LIVE: Marcus Rashford scores late controversial penalty on stunning night

Marcus Rashford scored a last-gap penalty awarded after a Video Assistant Referee intervention as Manchester United stunned Paris St Germain 3-1 away to reach the Champions League quarter-finals on away goals on Wednesday.

Never in Europe's premium club competition had a team progressed after a 2-0 home defeat but Rashford's stoppage-time penalty made sure Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side advanced in the most dramatic fashion.

The visitors, severely depleted by injuries, went ahead twice in the first half through Romelu Lukaku but Juan Bernat equalised for the French champions in between.

PSG were advancing to the last eight 3-2 on aggregate before referee Damir Skomina awarded United a penalty for a Presnel Kimpembe handball after a lengthy delay for the VAR review and Rashford lashed home the spot-kick to level the tie at 3-3 and send United through on away goals.

On the 106 occasions in Europe's premium club competition a team had lost the first leg 2-0 at home -- it happened 106 times -- managed to qualify for the following round.

PSG had only lost two of their last 50 European games at the Parc des Princes.

Solskjaer, who had half of this starters missing the game through suspension, illness or injury, had said his team needed to score the opening goal to make it happen.

It could not have started better for the visitors, who went ahead after Lukaku intercepted a backpass from Thilo Kehrer, rounded Gianluigi Buffon and slid the ball into the empty net.

But PSG confiscated the ball and the equaliser seemed unevitable. It came in the 12th minute, when Bernat latched onto a Mbappe cross to restore parity.

The hosts continued to toy with their opponents with Bernat and Angel Di Maria both coming close as United were left chasing the ball around.

But on their second chance, United took the advantage again.

Buffon let a fierce Marcus Rashford shot bounce off his chest in the path of Lukaku, who poked the rebound home in the 30th.

PSG continued to impose their possessive pattern on the game after the break and Angel Di Maria had a goal disallowed for offside after collecting a slick through ball from Mbappe.

United threatened on the break but Tuchel's side were more compact and composed than before the interval.

Julian Draxler suffered a possible muscle injury and was replaced by Leandro Paredes int he 70th minute.

PSG had a sword of Damocles above their heads but two years after being stunned 6-1 at Barcelona after a 4-0 home win in the last-16 tie, this time held their overall advantage.

Mbappe slipped in front of David De Gea as he seemed en route to score at the end of a counter attack with Bernat firing the abandoned ball onto the post in the 85th.

Re-live all the action: 

Good evening! After Ajax’s stunning victory in the Bernabeu last night, can Manchester United produce a famous fightback of their own to overturn PSG’s lead in their Champions League tie? Probably not, realistically, given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s exhaustive injury list and the two away goals United must score as a minimum in Paris, but as the manager vowed yesterday, if United are knocked out they will go down swinging. Here’s a look at the potential line-ups:
Team news
 
Manchester United XI: De Gea, Young, Bailly, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Pereira, Rashford, Lukaku
Bench: Romero, Dalot, Rojo, Garner, Gomes, Chong, Greenwood
 
Tactical switch!!!
 
What a time for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to make his first tactical switch! Three at the back for Manchester United for the first time under the caretaker manager.
 
Young bench
 
It's worth mentioning that two of Manchester United's substitutes are too young to buy a pint in England...unless, of course, it's with a meal in a tidy cuntry pub. Think The Inbetweeners...
 
PSG team!
 
Here's how the hosts start: Buffon, Kehrer, Silva, Kimpembe, Bernat, Marquinhos, Verratti, Alves, Draxler, Di Maria, Mbappe.
 
Et le bench: Areola, Paredes, Cavani, Meunier, Choupo-Moting, Kurzawa, Dagba.
 
Is anyone else still coming to terms that Cavani and Choupo-Moting are sharing a bench? As if 2019 was not weird enough.
 
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
 
So, what's changed in personal since these two met three weeks ago?
 
First things first, Paul Pogba is suspended after that somewhat daft red card late in the 2-0 defeat at Old Trafford. He's replaced by Fred, remember him? 
 
Herrera and Matic, who were the other two in central midfield, are out of the picture with injuries, so McTominay and Pereira carry the torch in the middle tonight.
 
Smalling slots in to make a back five while Rashford and Lukaku lead the line.
 
 
As for PSG, don't fix what ain't broke, right?
 
Thomas Tuchel names an unchanged side from their win in Manchester but welcomes to the bench Cavani and Meunier, who were injured for the first leg. 
The preview
 
Miguel Delaney said it might take a tactical masterplan for Manchester United to overturn their 2-0 deficit from the first leg. So, is a five-man defence the answer?
 
Porto vs Roma
 
PSG vs Manchester United is not the only show in town, there's another finely poised Champions League tie several hundred miles south-west. 
 
Roma won at their gaff thanks to Italian teenager Nicolo Zaniolo's double, but Adrian Lopez scored that all-important away goal for Porto to give them a good chance of going through if they can get a positive result at home tonight.
 
Porto XI: Casillas; Felipe, Eder Militao, Pepe, Alex Telles; Danilo, Herrera; Otavio, Corona, Tiquinho; Marega
 
Bench: Vaná, Maxi, Hernâni, Brahimi, Adrián, Fernando Andrade, Óliver Torres
 
AS Roma XI: Olsen; Juan Jesus, Manolas, Marcano; Karsdorp, Nzonzi, De Rossi, Kolarov; Zaniolo, Dzeko, Perotti
 
Bench: Fuzato, Mirante, Santon, Florenzi, Cristante, Pellegrini, Schick, El Shaarawy
 
Mission improbable
 
While it is not an impossible task overturning a first leg defeat at home in the Champions League, just look at Ajax's achievement last night against Real Madrid, it is a rare occurance.
 
​Solskjaer calls on side to make history
 
Manchester United face a tough task tonight given the previous 106 teams that won 2-0 away in the first leg of the premier European competition have gone through.

"Of course, everyone knows that we can do it, we have done it - and the results in Champions League in the last few years," Solskjaer said in his pre-match press conference.

"I don't want to call it strange, but last year Juventus lost 3-0 at home against Real Madrid and suddenly they were 3-0 up after 90 minutes against Madrid away.

"The year before that, PSG against Barcelona. We all remember those results. So, there are so many examples of teams who can change results like this.

"Also, as a club, we've done it so many times. The players have been fantastic away from home, beaten Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham, which has given us the belief we can do this as well."

"It's a difficult task but we can do it," Solskjaer added.

"Obviously we need the first goal and we need to stay in the game. If there's half an hour left and there's one goal in it, anything can happen. But we need a good plan, it needs to be put in place and we need to perform on the night because they are a team full of quality."

Neville offers advice to United youngsters
 
"You can't enjoy it because it's too important."
 
Anyone else just here for Mbappe?
 

The key battles

Surely Kylian Mbappe vs Victor Lindelof and Chris Smalling has one winner?

The PSG lads seem up for it
 
Solskjaer: We need the first goal
 
The Manchester United manager has been talking about their approach on BT Sport.
 
On their chances: "We go into the game positive and knowing the players that are starting are internationals. We have players that are fresh and we have to look at the positives.
 
On his tactical switch: "When you go to places like this you need to make sure you stay in the game, we have to defend to make it diffficult to score We need the first goal. We can't give them the first goal or the tie will be over.
 
On calling upon his youngsters: "If we have to, or we need goals, we hae Chong, Angel or Mason, he might be the likely one."
 
Porto vs Roma
 
Porto manager Sergio Conceicao​: “The collective is what counts. Our confidence is from our day-to-day work, not from any individual player. We need to be effective in attack, but also in defence. There’s no need for a battle-cry: the game is in our hands."
 
 
Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco​: "“We need to focus on the collective and not on individuals,” he said. “The selection decisions will be made based on a lot of factors. It’s vital that we go out there with players who are clear-headed, focused and ready to show what the real Roma is like.”​
 
What an elite name Eusebio Di Francesco is, by the way.
 
 
ANTHEM TIME!
 
Seriously, does that Champions League anthem ever get old?
 
It's bucketing it doen at the Parc des Princes, almost as if we've never left Manchester, and there is a real 'big ocassion' feel about tonight's tie.
 
Kick-off is just a couple of minutes away and you can follow all the action right here, as well as updates from Porto vs Roma and all the tepid banter that comes with it.
 
KICK OFF
We're off!
 
Manchester United get us underway!
 
"I wish them well" says former Liverpool man Steve McManaman...
GOAL!
GOAL!!!
 
PSG 0-1 Manchester United (2-1)
 
LUKAKU!!!
 
What. A. Start!
 
1:54 after the start and Manchester United take a lead on the night! Kehrer provides a wayward pass without a great deal of awareness and inadvertently sets Lukaku through on goal. The forward powers his way past Silva's weak tackle and goes round Buffon to convert from a tight angle. GAME ON!
 
5: The PSG response.
 
PSG respond in the way they really would have wanted to start this game. They are working the ball from left to right and back again to stretch this Manchester United team. 
 
After a passage of play they get thier opening on the left flank and a low cross just whizzes past Mbappe in front of goal.

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