It was a very complicated morning in Paris. The premature elimination of PSG in the knockout stages of the Champions League had greatly heated the atmosphere on the eve of this afternoon’s match against Girondins de Bordeaux and the reception for the team could not have been more hostile. Both in the arrival of the players at the Parc des Princes, as well as in the warm-up and throughout the first half, the signs of affection were conspicuous by their absence.
Mauricio Pochettino’s pupils landed at the Parc des Princes at 11:30. In the fan zone where they usually pass, there was a deathly silence. Not a show of affection, not a single applause and just a shout of “Come on Neymar” from a, apparently, Brazilian fan who came to the stadium this morning to try to enjoy the quality of the former Barcelona player.
Subsequently, the silence turned into whistles inside the field. When the PSG players left to warm up, the Parisian fans did not stop whistling against everyone, except for Kylian Mbappé, who was the only one applauded by the PSG ultras at the moment in which the stadium’s loudspeaker announced the eleven made by Pochettino and that ended up proving them right, since the attacker opened the scoring with a house-brand goal.
One of the most notable players was, without a doubt, Neymar. When only two minutes of play had elapsed, the Parc des Princes dedicated strong insults to the Brazilian, who still does not know if he will continue next season in the French capital. Without going any further, in the 22nd minute, the CUP, PSG’s ultra group, celebrated as a goal a mistaken foul in the front by the midfielder, an unusual situation in European football.