Nasser Al-Khelaifi believes Neymar and Kylian Mbappe ‘will never leave’ PSG following Wednesday’s comeback quarter-final win over Atalanta.
Dreams of a first Champions League title for Paris Saint-Germain continue after a sensational comeback 2-1 victory against Atalanta, with Neymar and Mbappe playing prominent roles.
One look at Neymar in front of the goal in Lisbon may have suggested otherwise, though. His finishing was poor, having missed a few sitters during the match. But to his credit, the Brazilian was brilliant in everything else.
He never gave up and became decisive in the end by creating Marquinhos’ goal to cancel out Mario Pasalic’s opener. His sublime pass then allowed Mbappe to set-up Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting’s 93rd-minute winner. It was perhaps his most defining performance in a PSG jersey yet.
Mbappe, on the other hand, deservedly won plaudits for his brilliant return from injury. He replaced Pablo Sarabia in the final half-hour and bagged a crucial assist.
“Ney, with Kylian, is one of the best players in the world,” PSG president Al-Khelaifi told RMC Sport.
“He’s in the top three.
“Neymar was the man of the match, he was great. He and Kylian will never leave. They’ll stay with PSG.”
The Parisians, who won a domestic quadruple for this season, have progressed to the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 1995.
Al-Khelaifi added: “We’re going to celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we’ll be thinking about the semis.
“We have to change the mentality of the players, the team and the media because everyone doubts PSG.
“This is a special day for us, I’m very proud of the players and the staff. It wasn’t easy after the league was suspended.”
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