Low-cost Asensio upstages Neymar and Mbappe in Real win
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[February 15, 2018]
MADRID (Reuters) - Paris St
Germain spent 400 million euros ($498 million) on Neymar and Kylian
Mbappe last year but it was Real Madrid's bargain signing Marco
Asensio who stole the show when Real beat the Parisians 3-1 in
Wednesday's showcase Champions League last-16 first leg.
Spanish winger Asensio cost Real a mere 3.5 million euros from
Mallorca in 2014 and entered the game only in the 79th minute but
played a decisive role in Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo each scoring
late on to give the European champions the edge in the tie.
With less than three minutes on the pitch the 22-year-old tore into
the area from the left wing to find Cristiano Ronaldo, who bundled
the ball into the net off his knee to put Real ahead for the first
time in the 83rd minute.
The Spain international then flew down the left wing again to drill
the ball back for Marcelo to strike the third goal, requiring PSG to
win the second leg by at least two goals if they are to avoid an
embarrassing exit from the competition at the last-16 stage for a
second consecutive season.
PSG suffered a humiliating elimination from the tournament by
Barcelona last season after losing the second leg of their tie 6-1.
Their signing of Neymar from Barca for a world record 222 million
euros looked like a statement of intent to make their mark on this
season's competition.
The Brazilian has scored 28 times for PSG but was less effective in
their biggest game so far and picked up an early yellow card for
fouling Real defender Nacho Fernandez.
Mbappe will cost the Qatari-backed club 180 million euros when his
loan deal from AS Monaco expires in June. He forced the opening goal
scored by Adrien Rabiot.
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Real Madrid's Marco Asensio during the press conference
REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
He squandered a clear chance to restore his side's lead in the
second half, however, firing straight at Real goalkeeper Keylor
Navas after being played in by Neymar.
PSG coach Unai Emery said his side had been unfortunate and
criticized referee Gianluca Rocchi for awarding Real a penalty for
Giovani Lo Celso's shirt pull on Toni Kroos and not penalizing
Sergio Ramos when Rabiot's shot hit the Madrid captain's arm in the
area in the second half.
"We played with character but the late goals are hard for us to
take," Emery told reporters.
"We deserved a better result. You could say the game was decided by
the small details, the referee didn't help us. From the start of the
game he gave more decisions to Real. I don't think it was a penalty
(for Real) and then there's the Ramos handball. It's not the same
criteria."
(Reporting by Richard Martin; editing by Clare Lovell)
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