Nurnberg 1-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Tuchel's side struggle without Neymar

Neymar was missing as Paris Saint-Germain laboured to a friendly draw with German second-tier side Nurnberg.

Published : Jul 21, 2019 00:23 IST

PSG forward Neymar was missing in action for the second successive friendly.
PSG forward Neymar was missing in action for the second successive friendly.
lightbox-info

PSG forward Neymar was missing in action for the second successive friendly.

A below-par Paris Saint-Germain was held to a 1-1 friendly draw by Nurnberg at the Max-Morlock-Stadion on Saturday.

There was no place in the squad for Neymar, who continues to be linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 champion, with the club stating he was "training".

Thomas Tuchel's side failed to hit the heights of its 6-1 win against Dynamo Dresden on Tuesday and looked particularly frail at the back, although Kylian Mbappe did look typically threatening in attack.

Pablo Sarabia scored his first goal for the club following his move from Sevilla earlier this month to put the side ahead but Enrico Valentini equalised from the spot 19 minutes from time.

Nurnberg was denied an opener inside the first minute after Alphonse Areola raced off his line to block Mikael Ishak's effort.

The visitor grew into the game and twice came close shortly before the midway point of the first half. First, Mbappe's low shot was diverted onto the post by goalkeeper Christian Mathenia and then Jese dragged wide after a pull-back from the marauding Thomas Meunier.

Mbappe went close again 10 minutes before the interval, latching onto Marco Verratti's chipped free-kick and clipping the outside of Mathenia's right-hand upright.

The France international was the creator for Sarabia's opener two minutes before half-time, playing the ball through Lukas Muhl's legs and picking out the Spaniard, who sent a header past Mathenia.

The hosts should have drawn level a minute after the restart but half-time substitute Federico Palacios fired well over after powering through a sloppy PSG backline.

Following a raft of substitutions for both sides, Nurnberg equalised in the 71st minute when Valentini stroked home from the spot after new signing Abdou Diallo had handled in the area.

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment