The Champions League returns tomorrow as the group stage kicks off with two marquee games that’ll garner attention across the globe: at 12:55 p.m. ET, Inter Milan and Tottenham do battle at the San Siro, and that’s followed by a 3:00 p.m. ET classic between Liverpool and PSG at Anfield. That’s one helluva first day.
There was no Neymar, no Kylian Mbappé — not even a Tim Weah. But Paris Saint-Germain still had no problem securing three points on Friday, and this impressive Julian Draxler goal vs Saint-Etienne (and an assist) showed the German is still one of the top playmakers in the world, even if he struggles to crack PSG’s starting lineup.
The collaboration between Paris Saint-Germain and the Jordan Brand drops tomorrow (Sept. 14), and we now have our first official glimpse at the entire collection. The offerings include two special edition kits that will be worn by PSG exclusively in the Champions League, a couple Air Jordan sneakers, Phantom and Mercurial boots with Jumpman and Swoosh branding and the entire gambit of lifestyle clothing (jackets, shorts, tees, parkas, pants, etc.).
His tattoos sit on the surface, superficial representations of the inner thoughts of a man praised and vilified in near equal measure.
For the outside world, the tattoos are the only insight into the mind of someone who has reached the pinnacle of his craft by the age of 26.
For the world of “Inked,” they are so much more.
When 18-year-old phenom Timothy Weah takes the pitch on Friday for the USMNT’s headline friendly against Brazil at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, it’s likely that he’ll see three of his Paris Saint-Germain club teammates opposing him. With 90 caps to his name, Neymar is the most experienced of Brazil’s PSG bunch, but Thiago Silva (who’ll captain the side) isn’t far behind on 76, and defender Marquinhos has already represented the Seleção 27 times at the tender age of 24.
PSG defeated Nimes 4-2 in an action-packed Ligue 1 encounter Saturday that saw Neymar open the scoring and celebrate in front of a sign at Stade des Costières that called him a crybaby. The Brazilian, who’ll be representing the Seleção in friendlies on U.S. soil next week, was substituted off in the 91st minute having taken his total to four goals in four league games following the World Cup.
Admittedly, we’re getting tired of all these Kylian Mbappé goals. But this Mbappe goal vs Nimes was something special.
After scoring three goals in his first two appearances with Paris Saint-Germain this season, it wasn’t really a surprise to see the 19-year-old Frenchman score again on Saturday. What was surprising was the immense quality with which the goal was taken.
And his red card soon after.
The Champions League group stage draw on Thursday was excruciatingly boring. The matches it presented to us won’t be — at least not in Group C.
The 2018-19 Champions League group stages feature some tasty matchups with a couple of thrilling groups and one shockingly easy group.
Here are the groups:
Neymar unveiled a fresh new celebration on Saturday. Scoring the third goal for PSG against Angers in a 3-1 win, he showed off some writing on an unusually large wristband.
Neymar is typically sporting a band of tape around his right wrist, but today his Nike-emblazoned band was more reminiscent of a college quarterback with a list of plays written on it. But it wasn’t to remember any set-piece plays, but to honor a dear family member.
Kylian Mbappé is unplayable right now.
After helping France win the World Cup over the summer, he scored two goals in his first match back with PSG last week. He added another goal and an assist on Saturday against Angers, helping the defending champion to a 3-1 victory.