“I spoke to Neymar at half-time” – PSG coach reveals what he told Brazil superstar to play effectively alongside Mbappe during French Cup win
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Christophe Galtier has disclosed that he asked Neymar to be calmer to combine more effectively with his strike-partner Kylian Mbappe in their French Cup victory.
Ligue 1 holders PSG took on sixth-division side Pays de Cassel in the French Cup Round of 32 on Monday night (22 January). The Parisians ran circles around their lowly rivals, cruising to a convincing 7-0 victory. Mbappe emerged as the standout player of the game, scoring a whopping five goals and providing an assist. Mbappe’s devastating performance against Pays de Cassel made him the first player in PSG history to score five goals in a competitive game.
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️ @KMbappe https://t.co/Ew0zgnDQgu
The Parisians were 4-0 up by the end of the first half, but Galtier still thought his team could do with some fine-tuning. Revealing what he told the no. 10 during the half-time interval, Galtier said (via RMC Sport):
“I spoke to Neymar at half-time to make sure he would be calmer in the second half. It was important that they could play together with Kylian. They combined a lot, looked for each other a lot. They achieved some interesting things.”
He also revealed why he chose to keep the Frenchman and the Brazilian on the pitch for the entire 90 minutes.
“I felt they needed to play and replay together,” Galtier added.
Apart from Mbappe, Carlos Soler and Neymar also got on the scoresheet in the Parisians’ impressive win in the French Cup.
Neymar put in an impressive shift in PSG’s emphatic win over Pays de Cassel
While Kylian Mbappe deservedly captured all the headlines with his five-star display against Pays de Cassel, Neymar, too, impressed onlookers with his performance. Operating in the hole, the Brazilian carved the defense open time and time again with his slick passes, providing two assists.
In the 56th minute, the Brazilian found his French strike partner with a delightful ball over the top of the defense. The no. 7 made no mistake in burying the opportunity. Eight minutes later, the former Barcelona ace tip-toed his way into the box down the left and played an unselfish pass to Carlos Soler, who applied a backheel finish.
We won’t see a player like Neymar for a very long time…
https://t.co/OrqZGb33G3
The Brazil international also scored a goal in the 33rd minute, opening up a sliver of space close to the near post and finding the net with the help of a deflection.