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PARIS (Reuters) – Manchester United kicked off their Champions League campaign in emphatic flair when Marcus Rashford’s late goal earned them a 2-1 victory at Paris St Germain on Tuesday, giving the champions French their first defeat at home in the group stage in 16 years.
Rashford scored with three minutes remaining, 18 months after scoring the decisive goal in a 3-1 win over PSG that sent United to the quarter-finals after a 2-0 home loss in the first leg.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United took the lead in the Group H match with a double penalty from Bruno Fernandes in the first half before Anthony Martial’s own goal after the break gave PSG the equalizer, only for Rashford He will close the victory with a precise low shot.
It was PSG’s first defeat in the Champions League group stage at the Parc des Princes in 25 games, having last lost 3-1 to CSKA Moscow in 2004.
Thomas Tuchel’s team was nothing like the one that reached the final of last season’s competition, lacking energy in an empty Parc des Princes.
Paul Pogba surprisingly started on the United bench, while Marquinhos was not included in PSG’s starting XI as he did not recover in time from a groin injury he suffered in Brazil.
He was replaced by Abdou Diallo, who fouled Anthony Martial in the area, handing the visitors a penalty that was converted by Fernandes on his second attempt.
Keylor Navas had saved the first shot from point of view, but it had to be repeated after the goalkeeper was judged to have run off his goal line.
It was a bad start for PSG, who had two chances through Angel Di Maria and Layvin Kurzawa, but they lacked aggression.
Fernandes came close to doubling United’s tally six minutes before halftime with a powerful right-hand shot that Navas went around the post.
Kylian Mbappé smashed through the defense before firing into the upper right corner, but United goalkeeper David de Gea reached out to deflect the ball three minutes into the second half.
Seven minutes later, Martial headed a Neymar corner into his own goal, giving PSG an unexpected draw.
The locals, who were also left without the injured Mauro Icardi and Marco Verratti, began to look for spaces in the defense of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men but could not capitalize.
The visitors pushed harder in the final stages and deservedly regained the lead when Rashford beat Navas with a low, diagonal shot into the bottom corner from inside the area.
United host RB Leipzig, who beat Basaksehir 2-0, while PSG travel to Istanbul to face the Turkish side.
(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris and Toby Davis)
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