PSG without Neymar, Mbappe goes down 1-2 to Inter Milan in pre-season friendly

Vitinha gave PSG the lead early in the second half but goals from Sebastiano Esposito and Stefano Sensi in the final 10 minutes gave the UCL runner-up the win.

Published : Aug 01, 2023 18:11 IST , Tokyo, Japan - 3 MINS READ

Inter Milan’s Sebastiano Esposito celebrates after scoring the equaliser against PSG in a pre-season friendly.
Inter Milan’s Sebastiano Esposito celebrates after scoring the equaliser against PSG in a pre-season friendly. | Photo Credit: AP
infoIcon

Inter Milan’s Sebastiano Esposito celebrates after scoring the equaliser against PSG in a pre-season friendly. | Photo Credit: AP

Inter Milan scored twice late in the second half to come from behind and beat Paris Saint-Germain 2-1 in a pre-season friendly in Tokyo on Tuesday.

Vitinha gave PSG the lead early in the second half but goals from Sebastiano Esposito and Stefano Sensi in the final 10 minutes gave the Champions League runner-up the win.

Neymar was among PSG’s substitutes but did not come off the bench. The Brazilian has not played since injuring his right ankle in February and undergoing surgery the following month.

It was the final game of PSG’s visit to Japan, which has been overshadowed by the omission of superstar striker Kylian Mbappe. Mbappe was left out of the squad on the eve of PSG’s departure, casting doubt on his future at the French champion.

Hernandez, who joined from Bayern Munich this summer, said the team are still finding their feet under Enrique.

“We’re not worried,” said the 2018 World Cup winner, “It’s true that in football the most important thing is the result, but we know that at the moment we’re adapting to a new coach who asks a lot of us.”

“We played well in the first half and started the second half well, but after that we have to be solid and try to maintain the result, because in the end that’s the most important thing,” he added.

Hernandez ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the ninth minute of France’s opening World Cup match against Australia in Qatar in November.

He said he was returning to full fitness “little by little”. My knee is reacting very well -- it doesn’t heat up, doesn’t swell,” he said, “I have done a lot of work since my injury and I will be at 200 percent at the start of the league.”

PSG drew 0-0 with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr in its opening game in Japan, before going down 3-2 to J-League side Cerezo Osaka. It will now travel to South Korea to take on K-League side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors.

PSG begins the new French league campaign at home to Lorient on August 12. It dominated the opening stages and was unlucky when Marco Asensio hit the post and watched the rebound fly straight into the arms of Inter goalkeeper Filip Stankovic.

Achraf Hakimi smashed a free-kick over the bar soon after, before Hakan Calhanoglu tested PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with Inter’s first chance of the match.

Vitinha went close with a shot early in the second half but he made no mistake five minutes later. The Portuguese midfielder found himself in space on the edge of the box and let fly with a shot that gave Stankovic no chance.

Substitute Esposito pulled one back when he drilled the ball past Donnarumma in the 81st minute. Sensi then completed the turnaround two minutes later, calmly slotting home at the back post after another dangerous Inter attack.

Vitinha had a chance to equalise with the last action of the match but sent his free-kick high over the bar.

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