In the 22nd minute of the match, Manchester United had a free kick on the left side of the attacking third. Neymar, standing over the ball, adjusted his breathing, his eyes full of determination.
“Oh—!”
The Parc des Princes erupted in loud boos. Two years had passed, but some grievances still lingered.
Ignoring the distraction, Neymar took a run-up and struck the ball, which flew towards the top left corner of the goal.
Marquinhos had jumped as high as he could; his hair touched the ball, but it didn't alter its trajectory.
Donnarumma had covered the area of the goal outside the wall, and at this moment, his save was a bit too late.
Gao Nuo was right in front of the goal, his arms already spread wide, ready to cheer for his idol.
“Duang!!!”
As the sound rang out, the goal frame shook uncontrollably.
Looking at the ball that had bounced off the post, Neymar ruffled his messy hair and shook his head helplessly.
Gao Nuo awkwardly lowered his hands, a dejected expression on his face as he ran towards the center circle.
Zhang spoke first, “Eh! A very brilliant free kick, but unfortunately, a bit unlucky.”
Zhan Jun brought up another topic, “Neymar is being booed by the home fans; it seems their relationship is still tense. Two years ago, it was the Paris Saint-Germain fans’ abuse of Neymar that prompted his move to Manchester United. This is Neymar’s first time facing his old club.”
Zhang responded, “Eh, you can tell Neymar really wants to score today. Ever since his return from injury, his form hasn't been great. We'll see if he can get his revenge today.”
In the 28th minute of the match, Manuel Ugarte of Paris Saint-Germain intercepted Varane's long pass and passed the ball to Müller on the left.
Müller’s speed made a quick counter-attack difficult, so the seasoned German didn't dribble, instead passing the ball further forward.
Mbappé received the pass and performed Zidane's signature move, the Marseille turn.
During the turn, a light tap and pull with his left and right foot were all it took to get past Rice.
“One-two! Here!”
Gonçalves, following up on the right, waved for the ball.
Mbappé looked up at Pau Torres and Varane in front of him, feigned a pass, and then pulled the ball to his left with his right foot, attempting to slip through the gap between the two.
Before he could even pick up speed, Mbappé felt an impact from his left side, followed by a heavy fall to the ground.
“Beep beep beep!!!”
The Referee arrived, and seeing Varane shaking his finger, he unceremoniously issued a yellow card.
Gonçalves helped Mbappé up from the ground and said with some dissatisfaction, “Kylian, that ball was too forced. Pass the ball!”
Mbappé looked at his teammate's anxious expression, said nothing, but simply nodded, indicating he understood.
On the sidelines, Zidane's mind was racing, “The defense is brainless, the forwards are foolish. How am I supposed to win this match?”
In the 35th minute of the match, Neymar received a pass from his countryman and junior, Vanderson, and broke through along the touchline on the right.
Having previously had the ball dispossessed by Mendes's speed, the Brazil superstar's desire to dribble was ignited.
Facing the defense, Neymar feinted continuously with his left foot, his eyes fixed on Mendes's shoulder.
Seeing his opponent remain unmoved, he suddenly pushed the ball forward.
Mendes moved, quickly pulling back to create distance, preventing Neymar from changing direction left or right.
“A good choice, but unfortunately, incorrect.”
Neymar, who dribbled as easily as walking, stepped on the ball rolling forward, faked a pass, and even had time for a thought.
Mendes immediately shifted his weight, lunging forward and raising his foot to try and disrupt his opponent's pass.
“Wrong again, goodbye!”
Neymar's foot speed was even faster than his thoughts. His descending right foot pushed the ball to the right, followed by a burst of speed, completely getting past Mendes.
Dribbling to the byline, the young Mendes chased him down again.
Without further teasing his opponent, Neymar looked up at the penalty area and decisively crossed the ball.
In the Paris Saint-Germain penalty area, there was not only Gao Nuo but also Casemiro, who had pushed forward early.
As Neymar's teammate in two capacities, Casemiro anticipated his teammate's intentions.
Seeing the familiar dribbling move, Casemiro began to push forward.
Rice, beside him, moved towards the center, filling the space left by his teammate.
It was clear that this was an attacking routine Manchester United had practiced many times.
Rice was just a little surprised; given the situation, he thought Casemiro should have been more responsible for receiving the ball.
From his perspective, Neymar would not choose to break through directly; it was more likely he would choose to pass back.
The result was obvious: because of this unspoken understanding, Casemiro was already well-positioned in the penalty area.
Seeing Gao Nuo entangled with Mukiele and Kimpembe, Neymar's cross landed at the near post.
Casemiro headed the ball before Marquinhos could reach it.
The ball flew towards the goal with powerful force.
Just as the home fans held their breath.
Donnarumma's ruthless big hands brought this perfectly coordinated effort to an unfortunate end.
Erik ten Hag on the sidelines regrettably sat back down on the bench. If they had scored another goal in the first half, the balance of victory would have completely tilted towards Manchester United.
In the 43rd minute of the match, Mbappé's pressing in the attacking third brought down Rice. Luke Shaw cleverly took a quick free kick.
Rashford advanced at high speed along the sideline, with Bruno Fernandes hanging back not far away, ready to receive the ball.
Gao Nuo charged forward with his head down, drawing defenders.
Manchester United formed a 3-on-4 situation in the attacking third.
“Marcus! Pass the ball!”
Ignoring his captain's shout, Rashford wanted to dribble past his opponent.
Achraf Hakimi was faster, stronger, and more experienced than Mendes.
“Boom!”
With a low thud, Achraf Hakimi's slide tackle accurately found the ball.
Rashford, whose feet suddenly felt empty, braked hard, lost his balance, and fell to the ground, only able to watch his opponent dribble away.
Luke Shaw's defense was very active today, and he immediately rushed towards Achraf Hakimi.
Achraf Hakimi collided with Luke Shaw twice with his shoulder, yet still didn't lose possession, continuing to dribble to the byline.
He made a somewhat forced pass into the penalty area, and Achraf Hakimi was finally knocked down by Luke Shaw.
“Beep—” The whistle blew, Luke Shaw committed a foul.
A passionate moment in the football match unfolded.
Achraf Hakimi sprang up from the ground and butted heads with Luke Shaw. The two 181cm tall men refused to back down.
“You look like a big fat woman!”
“Oh really? Who was it that was lying down like a woman just now?”
The Referee arrived promptly, working with the linesman to separate the two.
“Listen, this is a match, and I will not allow this to happen again, or I won't hesitate to give you cards!”
“Didn't you see? This fatty knocked me down!”
“Do you want to try my muscles?”
Seeing the two about to butt heads again, the Referee's hand reached for his pocket.
“Enough, do I really need to pull out a card?”
The two were not foolish and immediately walked away from the Referee, though they continued to mumble something.
As Nübel collected Paris Saint-Germain's free kick, neither side managed to score in the remaining time of the first half.
The match entered halftime.
Zidane walked towards the player tunnel with a serious expression; a “storm” awaited the Paris Saint-Germain players.