The first Champions League semifinal is today, at 3 pm EST. We’ll be chatting here, just like we were for all the quarterfinal matches. One thing to consider: among semifinalists, Leipzig have created the highest proportion of their expected goals from set pieces, while PSG have allowed the highest proportion of their xG from set pieces. See you in an hour!
Honest q for you guys: Do you feel a particular way about either a team owned by an energy drink or the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar? Depressed? Don't care? Refuse to watch (weird if you're here)?
Congrats to Ryan for HIS victory. Not much else to say here; PSG, with Neymar, Di Maria, and Mbappe all playing, are always gonna be better than just about everyone they play. RBL were unlucky not to grab one, but none of the good chances came until the game was way out of reach. Final xG count: 3.38 to 1.29. I wrote this piece (https://www.espn.com/soccer/uefa-champions-league/story/4052884/psg-to-win-the-champions-league-neymarmbappe-and-co-compare-closest-to-past-10-winners) a couple months ago about how PSG look like a CL champion -- control the pitch and tempo, dominate shots, rarely give up good chances -- and nothing about the past two matches suggests otherwise.
Two subs ... and Neymar, Kimpembe, and Mbappe are all still out there lol. There might be some fitness argument to this, I guess? Maybe extra game-time is important before Sunday after all their time off? Probably not, though!
I'm ready to trade one of my kidneys if that ensures that the club backed by a nation famous for human rights abuse suffers like all those people that have suffered under this Qatar regime.
RB Leipzig, more than anything else to me I think, really drives home the differences in sports culture between the US and Europe. Is there any doubt that they would be venerated as a forward thinking, smart, advanced team in the US? The Astros (pre-cheating scandal) of European football.
PSG winning this tournament or not will not in any way stop Qatar from abusing human rights but a part of me hopes that they never win this tournament. I mean the curse of Bambino lasted for almost a century and no one was killed in that process. PSG's failures should at least for a millenium.
Neymar feels a lot like Dwyane Wade to me (Cavs fan here, so I had blind hatred for Heat players.) Hate him while he’s playing and then when he retires I’ll look back and realize that actually he was amazing and one of my favorite players ever
If Neymar played baseball, he'd set the record for "most times a guy had a 99-mph fastball thrown directly at his throat".
People talk about PSG's wealth of talent, but RBL have the best player in the world, Tyler Adams, sitting on the bench.
These RBL counters would look a lot more dangerous with, say, I don't know, an insanely fast, world-class goalscorer.
Twenty minutes in, it's, uh, 1.83 xg for PSG and 0.09 for RBL.
More trivia than anything, but Kimpembe has completed 70 out of 70 passes in the first half.
Sorry for the delay. That touch from Neymar on the goal briefly disassociated my spirit from my corporeal form. I'm back!
That's a goal, folks. Nagelsmann's suit was a way-too-aggro heat-check. We should've expected this.
HT Update:
xG: 2.39 PSG, 0.57 RBL
Shots (on target): 7 (3) PSG, 5 (1) RBL
Attacking-third passes: 48 PSG, 20 RBL
Penalty-area passes: 6 PSG, 4 RBL
Neymar is a gift.
Honest q for you guys: Do you feel a particular way about either a team owned by an energy drink or the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar? Depressed? Don't care? Refuse to watch (weird if you're here)?
When Di Maria does his heart celebration I pretend he's directing it at me
Congrats to Ryan for HIS victory. Not much else to say here; PSG, with Neymar, Di Maria, and Mbappe all playing, are always gonna be better than just about everyone they play. RBL were unlucky not to grab one, but none of the good chances came until the game was way out of reach. Final xG count: 3.38 to 1.29. I wrote this piece (https://www.espn.com/soccer/uefa-champions-league/story/4052884/psg-to-win-the-champions-league-neymarmbappe-and-co-compare-closest-to-past-10-winners) a couple months ago about how PSG look like a CL champion -- control the pitch and tempo, dominate shots, rarely give up good chances -- and nothing about the past two matches suggests otherwise.
Two subs ... and Neymar, Kimpembe, and Mbappe are all still out there lol. There might be some fitness argument to this, I guess? Maybe extra game-time is important before Sunday after all their time off? Probably not, though!
That Paredes volley overwhelmed me with nostalgia. You don't see guys try those shots too much anymore.
Let's see how PSG hold up when the other team has the best player on the field for once.
Nkunku off at half. Woof. Really rough two games for him in the After-Werner Era.
You know the game is over when the commentators starting mentioning Istanbul as soon as the score is 3-0.
I'm ready to trade one of my kidneys if that ensures that the club backed by a nation famous for human rights abuse suffers like all those people that have suffered under this Qatar regime.
if we blow this i will never watch soccer again
remember when our manager was unai emery lmfaooooooooooo
wearing my kimpembe jersey if anybody was wondering
Rewatched the Ringer 2018 World Cup videos :,( just to remember what life was like...great job!
i put my animal crossing character in a full psg kit
changing my first name to Marquinhos
Who's your man of the match? Again, don't just give me a name; give me a reason.
Tuchel hasn't made a sub yet. Bizarre.
Go back and read the intro to this chat. I'm an idiot.
lmfao NEYMAR
RB Leipzig, more than anything else to me I think, really drives home the differences in sports culture between the US and Europe. Is there any doubt that they would be venerated as a forward thinking, smart, advanced team in the US? The Astros (pre-cheating scandal) of European football.
RB +320
Can't wait to see Messi in the Di Maria spot
Is franco gonna do a watch along for the europa league final
What was that tuchel talk at the end?
TYLER ADAMS SUPER SUB HYPE TRAIN! GET ON BOARD
Tired: Upamecano OR Kimpembe
Wired: start em together
Barca and Man U just cried a little watching that goal
upamecano is so fuckin good, chelsea need to buy him
I'M SO HAPPY!!
Finally mbappe comes off
i cried when united got that penalty last year
get neymar and mbappe off the pitch ffs
Unless Tuchel wants the same boot that he is wearing, for Mbappe, take him off the field
LMAO GET FUCKED
Neymar saving his goals for the final = BOSS move.
PSG winning this tournament or not will not in any way stop Qatar from abusing human rights but a part of me hopes that they never win this tournament. I mean the curse of Bambino lasted for almost a century and no one was killed in that process. PSG's failures should at least for a millenium.
Bayern vs PSG might be the best final in terms of the high quality of both teams since Barca Man U
Neymar and Mbappé legit might be the best two attacking players in the world
Please don't bottle this Bayern, that'd be a phenomenal final
What a disgusting pass from Neymar
LETS FUCKIN GOOOOOO I LOVE THIS CLUB
Neymar feels a lot like Dwyane Wade to me (Cavs fan here, so I had blind hatred for Heat players.) Hate him while he’s playing and then when he retires I’ll look back and realize that actually he was amazing and one of my favorite players ever