October 25, (THEWILL) – Paris Saint-Germain, pummelled Maccabi Haifa, 7-2 to advance to the knockout stages of the UEFA Champions League as Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi scored a brace each to ease the Ligue 1 giants to victory.
It was a standout game for the front three of Les Bleus as Neymar also scored to assist Christophe Galtier’s team to secure a spot in the round of 16 with one game remaining.
A late Carlos Soler, goal and an own goal by Sean Goldberg, all added to give PSG a convincing victory at their home grounds at Parc des Princes, where they had not lost in 90 minutes since being defeated 2-1 by Manchester City, in the 2020/2021 UCL semifinals.
Maccabi’s two headers from Abdoulaye Seck were a mere consolation, and now that Group H elimination has been assured, their focus will turn to making it to the Europa League. Although PSG’s position in the knockout phase has been secured, the race for first place will continue into the last matchday because Benfica also won in the other group tie.
Next week, PSG will play Juventus in a game that will determine if they will finish on top of the group. Juve’s defeat to Benfica means that Haifa may be able to secure a spot in the Europa League if they can overcome Benfica on Wednesday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
