- PSG suffered a second defeat of Champions League campaign on Wednesday
- Substitute Angel Correa scored with last kick of the game for Atletico Madrid
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! , available wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes every Monday and Thursday
French champions PSG face a battle to automatically qualify from the Champions League group phase following a dramatic late defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Luis Enrique’s side fell to 25th in the standings – outside the positions required to even participate in a play-off – after their second defeat in the competition this term.
Substitute Angel Correa scored with the last kick of the game to snatch a 2-1 victory for Diego Simeone‘s side in the French capital on Wednesday night. They too came into the tie needing a result to kickstart their campaign.
The home side had taken the lead with Warren Zaire-Emery’s opener but his effort was cancelled out just four minutes later by Nahuel Molina, as the tie looked to be petering towards a stalemate.
PSG failed to convert a number promising chances throughout the night and were ultimately made to pay for their profligacy when Correa struck late on.
Substitute Angel Correa scored with the last kick of the game to snatch victory for Atletico Madrid
The Spanish giants claimed their second win in the competition this season in dramatic fashion
PSG lie outside the qualification places in the Champions League group phase after four matchdays
The 2021 finallist have four points from their first four games and their remaining fixtures do not inspire great optimism that progression to the next round can be achieved.
The side next travel to Germany to take on Bayer Munich, who squeezed past Benfica on Wednesday, before fixtures against RB Salzburg, Manchester City and Stuttgart in the final matchday.
The Parc des Princes clash was also notable for the pre-match unfurling by PSG fans at one end of the stadium of a huge banner in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
‘War on the pitch but peace in the world,’ read the banner, which also featured a Lebanese flag. The display could lead to disciplinary action from UEFA.
PSG sit comfortably atop the Ligue standings but their performances in Europe will doubt alarm many within the club. The revamped Champions League group phase sees the top eight teams qualify for the last-16, while those finishing in positions nine to 24 must win a two-legged play-off in order to advance.
Unfortunately for Enrique’s men, their upcoming opponents are all sweating over their future inclusion in the competition and will do doubt field their strongest teams to ensure progression.
Bayern, for example, are currently 17th in the standings, while Man City are 10th after their shock 4-1 defeat at Sporting CP on Tuesday.
