Paris Saint-Germain manager Thomas Tuchel moved to shield Neymar and Kylian Mbappe from criticism in the wake of his team’s loss to Bayern Munich in Sunday’s Champions League final.
The two superstars – signed for a combined €402 million – failed to score in PSG’s final three matches of the tournament. Though he played an instrumental role as a creator and facilitator, Neymar, in particular, spurned a host of excellent chances to find the net from the quarterfinals onward.
The pair racked up 23 shots without scoring during the mini-tournament in Lisbon, and both players had golden first-half opportunities thwarted by Manuel Neuer on Sunday. But Tuchel was quick to come to their defense.
“Neymar has had a great tournament, he cannot do everything,” the German bench boss told reporters after the final.
The Brazilian recorded assists in both the quarterfinals and semifinals while completing a record-tying 16 dribbles in the former contest.
Mbappe, meanwhile, recovered just in time to participate in the decisive matches after suffering a nasty ankle injury in July. The Frenchman started the final two games of the tournament after only being fit enough to come off the bench in his side’s quarterfinal win over Atalanta – a match in which he set up the winning goal in stoppage time.
“Mbappe, it’s a miracle that he was with us,” Tuchel noted.
Marquinhos echoed those sentiments after Sunday’s slim 1-0 loss, choosing to focus on the accomplishment of reaching the showpiece match for the first time in club history.
“We’re a team, it’s not any individual’s fault,” the versatile Brazilian said. “We have to be proud of our team.”
