PSG 5-1 Istanbul Basaksehir: Player ratings as Neymar steals the show | UEFA Champions League 2020-21
PSG thrashed Istanbul Basakehir 5-1 to advance to the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 as Group H winners. The hosts outclassed the Turkish side in all departments on Wednesday.
Neymar opened the scoring for PSG, as he curled one from outside the box. Moving on, he doubled PSG's advantage as he converted Kylian Mbappe's pass. The Frenchman too opened his account for the night, as he slotted one in from the penalty spot on the brink of half-time.
The second half saw PSG rooting for more goals. They scored two more, with Mbappe and Neymar scoring another goal each. Meanwhile, Mehmet Topal got the only consolation goal for his side.
Here's how each player fared for PSG in their well-deserved victory.
PSG Player Ratings
Keylor Navas- 7/10
Keylor Navas was excellent for PSG every time he was called upon. He made some decent saves early on after the restart to deny the visitors. Although the Costa Rican failed to register a clean sheet, he was solid for his side between the sticks.
Alessandro Florenzi- 7/10
Alessandro Florenzi cut a confused figure until the half-time break. But he stepped up in the second half following a formation change from Thomas Tuchel. The Italian looked compact defensively and offered a channel wide every time he advanced high up the pitch.
Marquinhos- 7.5/10
Marquinhos was rock solid at the back for his side. The Brazilian won four duels, recovered possession for his side 10 times and made two clearances. He was able to read the game well as he successfully foiled any incoming threats with ease.
Danilo Pereira- 7/10
Danilo Pereira was compact at the back for the Parisians, who were hardly troubled by the visitors apart from the opening spell just after the restart. He made six recoveries, won six duels, made four clearances and won a tackle for his side throughout the night.
Presnel Kimpembe- 7/10
Presnel Kimpembe put in a composed performance in defense for PSG. The Frenchman was spraying passes all around the pitch as he organized play from the back. He combined well with the midfielders to ease the progression upfront.
Mitchel Bakker- 7/10
Mitchel Bakker was solid offensively as well as defensively. He was a threat every time he went high up the pitch. Bakker even scored a goal, but it was ruled out for offside. The wing-back even hit the woodwork once with his effort.
Leandro Paredes- 8/10
Leandro Paredes orchestrated play for the hosts. The Argentine maintained the tempo of the game. He completed the most number of passes (100) in the game, as he kept hold of the center of the pitch. Paredes completely bossed the midfield as he won eight duels, made three recoveries, completed two dribbles and made two interceptions.
Rafinha- 7/10
Rafinha had a decent outing. The Brazilian was doing just fine before the half-time, but he was substituted in the second half as Tuchel reverted back to 4-3-3. Rafinha combined well with Paredes and Marco Verratti during his stay on the pitch.
Marco Verratti- 8.5/10
Marco Verratti was in the groove against Istanbul Basaksehir. The Italian assisted Neymar for PSG's opener of the night. Moreover, he, alongside Paredes, asserted dominance over the visitors in the center of the park. Verratti's transitioning from defense to attack gave the Turkish side no time to re-group as PSG looked deadly on every break.
Kylian Mbappe- 9/10
Kylian Mbappe was electric for the Parisians upfront as he scored a brace. He opened his account at the cusp of half-time as he dispatched one from the spot for PSG's third of the night.
The Frenchman scored his second in the 62nd minute. He capped off a beautiful team move to slot one in after receiving a selfless assist from Angel di Maria. Additionally, he set-up Neymar's second of the night.
Neymar Jr- 9.5/10
Neymar Jr. was Paris Saint-Germain's man of the night. The Brazilian scored a hat-trick to demolish the visitors. He scored two worldly goals from outside the box to wrap up the group stage in style.
His rampant attacks on the Istanbul Basaksehir's backline yielded no response. Neymar won 14 duels, completed five dribbles and was the most fouled player of the night.
Substitutes
Angel Di Maria- 8.5/10
Angel di Maria was excellent off the bench. The Argentine provided a brace of assists to set-up one for Neymar and Mbappe each. He combined well with Neymar and Mbappe upfront, as the trio became too much for the Turkish side to handle.
Thilo Kehrer- 6/10
Thilo Kehrer did not have much to do as PSG were already cruising by the time he made an appearance.
Timothee Pembele- 6/10
Timothy Pembele did not have any substantial impact on the game as most of the action unfolded on the opposite end of the pitch.
Idrissa Gueye- 6.5/10
Idrissa Gueye's introduction saw PSG ramp up their attempts to score even after scoring five. He re-energized the midfield and won the ball back on quite a few occasions to spurn up chances for his side upfront.
Abdou Diallo- N/A
Came on too late to earn a rating.