PSG win 2-0 win at Troyes ahead of Real Madrid clash

PARIS (Reuters) - Angel Di Maria and Christopher Nkunku scored second half goals as Paris St Germain warmed up for Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid with a 2-0 win at Troyes on Saturday.

PSG win 2-0 win at Troyes ahead of Real Madrid clash

(Reuters)





Without Neymar, who had a successful operation on a foot injury in Brazil on Saturday, PSG also rested strikers Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe ahead of the crucial second leg of their las-16 tie when they will try to overturn a 3-1 deficit.

Leaders PSG, who hold a comfortable 14-point advantage over second-placed Monaco with 74 points from 28 matches, struggled to break down a side haunted by relegation who defended deep and whose goalkeeper Erwin Zelazny made a string of saves.

Di Maria broke the deadlock when he chipped over the advancing Zelazny two minutes into the second half, which was played in a downpour.

The Argentine was replaced by Dani Alves 10 minutes later as coach Unai Emery looked to keep key players fresh for Tuesday.

Nkunku added the second goal in the 77th minute from a cross by Alves with complaints by Troyes coach Jean-Louis Garcia so vociferous and insistent that he was sent to the stands in the 80th.

A minute later, Timothy Weah, son of 1995 world player of the year George Weah, now president of Liberia, was given his Ligue 1 debut by PSG – 8,312 days after his father’s last match for the club in May 1995, according to the sports daily L’Equipe.

Weah might have scored but his late effort was parried by Zelazny. Alves netted the rebound but it was ruled offside.

Neymar had surgery on a foot and ankle injury he suffered last weekend against Olympique de Marseille, which sparked fears he might not be fit for the World Cup in Russia.

"The post-op rehabilitation will begin immediately with the presence of a PSG physiotherapist," the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) said.

"He will be re-evaluated in around six weeks in order to specify a possible date when he can return to training."





(Reporting by Rex Gowar, editing by Pritha Sarkar)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world