Rashford silences Paris again
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was full of praise for his "excellent" Manchester United side on Tuesday after Marcus Rashford's late strike saw them win at Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
Nineteen months had passed since the remarkable 3-1 comeback victory that put United into the last eight and sealed Ole Gunnar Solskjær's ascent to the permanent job. And yet, until Bruno Fernandes's first-half penalty, the last goal PSG had conceded at home in the Champions League was scored by United themselves.
"The performance was good and we deserved to win it. It was a better performance than last time and it shows how we have developed," Solskjaer said following the 2-1 victory at the Parc des Princes.
Rashford's 87th-minute effort decided the encounter in United's favour after an Anthony Martial own goal had cancelled out Bruno Fernandes's opening goal from the penalty spot in the first half.
"You know when you go away from home against a team like this, against players like Neymar and Mbappe, top, top players in the world, that you will have to defend well and David will have to make a few saves. Sometimes you'll get in a foot race with Mbappe and you have to run with him and we know Axel's qualities, he's a top defender. It's his first game in 10 months or something which is testament to the quality he has."
The United boss also praised Rashford, whose dramatic last-gasp penalty at the same end had given them victory here in the last 16 in March 2019, joking that the striker "likes that side of the stadium".
De Gea, who was named man of the match after his fine display between the sticks, added: "We had good memories of this stadium from the last time we played here. It was amazing but today we showed again we are Manchester United. We can beat big teams like PSG, playing well and creating good chances. That's why we are Manchester United."
HUMILITY KEY FOR LAZIO, SAYS Inzaghi
There was little surprise elsewhere as an Alvaro Morata double gave Cristiano Ronaldo-less Juventus a 2-0 win over Dynamo Kyiv, while Lionel Messi became the first player to score in 16 consecutive Champions League campaigns when he netted from the spot in Barcelona's 5-1 win over Ferencvaros.
There was a spot of bother for manager Ronald Koeman, who could not wrap his head around Gerard Pique's red card that will rule him out of their next tie against Juventus, but Barcelona made another piece of history as Ansu Fati and Pedri became the first two players under the age of 18 to score in the same Champions League fixture.
Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund crashed to a 3-1 defeat to Lazio, Ciro Immobile -- a player they discarded in 2015 -- scoring one and creating another either side of an own goal. "I loved the humility with which we faced a truly strong opponent, because from the midfield up they have extraordinary players with immense potential," Simone Inzaghi told Sky Sport Italia. "We played a great game of collective sacrifice and then hurt them when we had the chances."
Immobile, who scored thrice in 24 appearances for Dortmund and was labelled the club;s worst signing ever by German media, answered his critics with a goal and assist and said afterwards: "I always said that I arrived in Dortmund at the wrong time of my career and of the team's generational shift. I don't want to say anything against critics, as I pay close attention to everything. I know when I deserve praise or criticism."
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