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Nacho scored the only goal of the game as Real Madrid qualified for the last 16 and took a giant step towards qualifying as the winners of Group A.
The defender had only been on the field for two minutes, but scored with a smart volley after PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp had completely misjudged the flight of the ball.
Laurent Blanc’s side will feel aggrieved to come away from the game with nothing as Edinson Cavani missed two guilt-edged chances and Angel Di Maria hit the crossbar late on.
Substitute Adrien Rabiot also struck the post as Madrid were below-par, but did enough to secure the victory.
It means that Madrid top the group with 10 points and have opened up a three point lead over tonight’s opponents with a trip to Shakhtar and home game against Malmo to finish.
So who impressed at the Bernabeu? We take a look at the individual performances…
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratingsShow all 6 1 /6Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings REAL MADRID Keylor Navas: 6 out of 10 Despite PSG’s first half dominance, he was not forced to make a real save. Fortunate to see Rabiot’s strike hit a post when he looked beaten. Danilo: 6 out of 10 Did not get forward as much as he would have liked as PSG dictated the pace of the game for large parts, but was rarely called on in defence as the majority of attacks came down the other flank. Raphael Varane: 6 out of 10 Allowed Cavani to get the wrong side of him from Maxwell’s whipped cross in the first-half and was lucky to see the Argentine mistime his jump. Otherwise solid and continuing to mature at this level. Sergio Ramos: 7 out of 10 Made an excellent acrobatic clearance in the second-half to deny another good cross in from Maxwell with Ibrahimovic lurking in behind. Dealt well with the pacey Parisian front two.
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings REAL MADRID Marcelo: 5 out of 10 Struggled at times to deal with the pace of Serge Aurier down the Madrid left, before picking up a knock that forced him to come off just after the half-hour mark. Luka Modric: 6 out of 10 Not the most impressive performance from the diminutive Croatian as he struggled to create much. As ever though, he rarely gave the ball away and continues to be a massive asset for this Madrid side. Casemiro: 5 out of 10 Struggled slightly with the pace of the game and was lucky to escape a booking after a late challenge on Thiago Motta. Looked hurried on the ball and didn’t offer much of an attacking threat. Toni Kroos: 7 out of 10 Grew into the game in the second period as the home side began to find their rhythm and control more of the game. Had a fierce shot well saved in the 80th minute.
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings REAL MADRID Jese: 6 out of 10 Looked lively in the opening exchanges but struggled to get in behind the PSG back four and was withdrawn just past the hour mark. An exciting prospect but not at his best this evening. Cristiano Ronaldo: 6 out of 10 Was largely a passenger as he seemed isolated without the assistance of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale in attack. Failed to call the opposition goalkeeper into action – it’s not often you can say that. Isco: 7 out of 10 Took a little while to get into the game but was Madrid’s most attacking threat going forward as the game wore on. He was twice denied by smart stops from Trapp. BEST OFF THE BENCH - Nacho: 7 out of 10 Made an instant impact after scoring within two minutes of coming off the bench. He took full advantage of Trapp’s misjudgement by perfectly volleying into the bottom-corner from a tight angle.
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings PSG Kevin Trapp: 5 out of 10 Horribly misjudged the flight of the ball for the Madrid goal which ultimately cost his side the game. Made a couple of smart stops to try and atone for his error, but will be extremely disappointed with the goal. Serge Aurier: 7 out of 10 A useful attacking outlet down the wing, with his pace troubling Marcelo in the opening half-hour. Was not hampered by Madrid’s front three and was unlucky with a few crosses that came to nothing. Thiago Silva: 6 out of 10 Comfortably dealt with the limited attacking Madrid threat in the first half and supressed the rather anonymous Ronaldo. Very unfortunate to see Kroos’ shot loop up off him into Nacho’s path for the goal. David Luiz: 6 out of 10 Looked a lot more solid than at times in his Chelsea career, but was booked for a blatant foul on Isco after the break. His partnership with Silva continues to develop.
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings PSG Maxwell: 7 out of 10 The former Barcelona man looked useful down the left-hand side and whipped in a stunning ball in the 40th minute that should have been converted by Cavani. Marco Verratti: N/A Was forced off in the 16th minute with an injury after an innocuous challenge on Cristiano Ronaldo and replaced by Adrien Rabiot. Thiago Motta: 7 out of 10 Defensively sound and his partnership with Matuidi in midfield looks very effective. Assured on the ball and is a big part of this PSG side even at the age of 33. Angel Di Maria: 7 out of 10 A willing runner on his return to the Bernabeu and played a stunning through ball to put Cavani one-on-one with Navas, but the Argentine couldn’t provide the finish. Almost found a late equaliser when his brilliant free-kick struck the bar with Navas well beaten.
Real Madrid 1 PSG 0 player ratings PSG ATTACK Blaise Matuidi: 7 out of 10 Broke up play well and prevented Modric and Kroos from dictating the game in the first-half. He tired slightly after the break and was replaced by Lucas Moura. Zlatan Ibrahimovic: 6 out of 10 The Swede was keen to get on the ball and was unlucky to twice strike wide in the first-half. Did not have as much of an impact after the break though. Edinson Cavani: 5 out of 10 Had a poor night in front of goal and will feel that he really should’ve scored at least once. He failed to connect with Maxwell’s glorious cross in the 40th minute, before missing a huge chance after Di Maria put him through five minutes later. BEST OFF THE BENCH - Adrien Rabiot: 6 out of 10 Desperately unlucky to strike a post from 20 yards after a sweet left-footed volley had Navas beaten. Came on and looked assured after replacing Verratti after just 16 minutes.
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