Paris St-Germain ran a 5 – 1 riot on Istanbul Basaksehir on Wednesday night to clinch top spot in Group H and thus, made progress to the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
The match began 14 minutes in, after the game was originally started on Tuesday and then postponed following allegations of racism against the fourth official.
Neymar who had scored twice against the Turkish side surrendered an opportunity to bag a hat-trick from the Penalty spot after he handed Kylian Mbappe the chance to end his Champions League scoring drought.
Paris Saint-Germain head coach Thomas Tuchel applauded the gesture from the Brazilian saying the move would do wonders for Mbappe’s confidence.
“It’s a great gesture,” Tuchel said in his post-game press conference. “He gave that ball away that would’ve been a hat-trick.
“It is also not usual for Ney to score three goals in the same game. He gave the ball to Kylian to end his long streak without scoring in the Champions League.
“Neymar’s heart is very big. He always thinks of his team-mates. He knows very well how important it is for forwards and for Kylian to score.”
Basaksehir had walked off the pitch on Tuesday after an official made a racial remark towards Pierre Webo and were then followed in solidarity by PSG’s players.
Tuchel said he was proud of his players for their actions on Tuesday.
“They made a strong decision, they showed solidarity with the opponent,” Tuchel added. “They had a lot of courage. In the locker room, it was clear that they wanted to show that reaction.
“They are adults, they know what they are doing. I didn’t understand the whole situation, I didn’t hear the words on the pitch, but in the dressing room everything was very clear to us. It was necessary that we show this solidarity.”
