Paris St G 0 vs 0 Real Madrid

Champions League - Group A at Parc des Princes

Date: 21/10/2015 KO: 19:45 Ref: Att: 46,858

PSG	0 0	R Madrid
	FT (HT: 0-0)

Paris Saint-Germain 0-0 Real Madrid: All square in the French capital

Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid played out a disappointing goalless draw at the Parc des Princes as both sides remain unbeaten in Group A.

Neither team deserved to take all three points on a night of few chances in the French capital, with young Real forward Jese having the best opening of the first half, only for the Spaniard's close-range shot to be well saved by Kevin Trapp in the PSG goal.

Madrid frontman Cristiano Ronaldo had a brace of first-half headers that tested Trapp, while the closest the Ligue 1 champions came to scoring was when Uruguay international Edinson Cavani toe-poked Thiago Motta's left-wing cross inches past the post early in the second half.

Thereafter PSG boss Laurent Blanc and his Real counterpart Rafa Benitez both appeared to settle for a point apiece that keeps their sides at the top of the standings ahead of the return meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu in a fortnight's time.

PSG 0-0 Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo and Zlatan Ibrahimovic fail to produce moment of magic as star-studded clash ends goalless

• PSG and Real Madrid played out a goalless draw at the Parc de Princes in the Champions League on Wednesday  
• The point leaves the two sides tied on seven points at the top of Group A at the halfway point of the group stage
• Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani came close to scoring but the tie ended goalless despite attacking talent

Cristiano Ronaldo endured a frustrating night at the Parc des Princes and didn’t hang around for pleasantries at full-time as Real Madrid were held to a goalless draw by PSG.

Ronaldo failed to add to his record Champions League goals tally and disappeared straight down the tunnel on the final whistle. To cap a miserable night in the Paris rain a spectator broke through the cordon of security stewards late in the second half and made a beeline for Real Madrid’s all-time top scorer.

The pitch invader never made it – blocked by three stewards – and it was that sort of night with defences on top from the first kick until the last. 

MATCH FACTS, MATCH ZONE AND GROUP TABLE

PSG XI: Trapp; Aurier, Thiago Silva, Marquinhos, Maxwell; Verratti (Lavezzi 80), Thiago Motta, Matuidi; Di Maria (Pastore 66), Ibrahimovic, Cavani (Moura 66)

Subs not used: Kurzawa, Van der Wiel, Rabiot, Sirigu

Booked: Matuidi, Verratti, Aurier

REAL MADRID XI: Navas; Danilo, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Marcelo; Lucas Vazquez, Toni Kroos, Casemiro, Isco; Jese (Cheryshev 73), Ronaldo (Modric 69)

Subs not used: Nacho, Kiko Casilla, Kovacic, Marcos Llorente, Borja Mayoral

Booked: Ramos, Vazquez, Cheryshev

Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

All the early intensity came from Real Madrid, although it was a PSG player who first went into the referee’s book. Blaise Matuidi brought down Casemiro on the edge of the area and was shown the yellow before Ronaldo’s free-kick hit the wall.

The Frenchmen was soon in action at the other end with a vicious shot that went through a crowd of players. Keylor Navas did well to get down and block the shot but it was the last thing he had to deal with for a while as Real enjoyed a long spell of pressure.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic left his boot in on Sergio Ramos as the two gladiators battled for supremacy in the opening exchanges. The big man was duly dumped on the turf by Ramos’ central defensive partner Raphael Varane moments later and that set the tone for a miserable night for him.

On this showing the man who has never won the European Cup, and surely now never will, looks ready to leave the Champions League stage at the end of the season and finish his career in a lesser league.  

For Madrid Toni Kroos pulled a shot just wide and then with Madrid’s next move he shaped to shoot but instead slipped the ball through for Jese whose shot was saved by Kevin Trapp. 

For PSG Di Maria was full of energy against his old team but was running down too many Paris cul-de-sacs and the home side were missing the poise and vision of Javier Pastore – the recently recovered Argentine had started on the bench.

Ten minutes before the break Ronaldo had his first chance when he got his head to a Marcelo cross but as he nodded the ball down Trapp was able to send it out for a corner. From the kick Ronaldo rose again this time to head over Trap’s bar.

Marcelo had a superb opening 45 minutes and he jinked his way to the byline just before half-time but somehow neither Ronaldo nor Casemiro could finish. Casemiro then shot from all of 35 yards out and Trapp had to get down smartly to his right to push the ball away for another corner. Real deserved a first-half lead but PSG made it to half-time on level terms. 

The second half started with the home side’s best chance of the game. Motta crossed from the left and Edinson Cavani met the centre with a volley that went just wide of Navas’ goal. 

Real almost responded by taking the lead from a Ronaldo free-kick. He has only scored twice from his last 88 attempts – and that became two from 89 with a fierce shot that was headed away for a corner. Ronaldo had won the kick after being fouled by Marco Verrati who was booked.

Marcelo then gave the ball straight to Cavani but Ramos blocked his shot brilliantly as defences stayed on top. When PSG’s best free-kick chance came after Ramos had fouled Verratti, and been booked, it was Ibrahimovic who took responsibility but his kick, like performance was predictable and ineffective hit straigth at the wall.

It was the cue for a double change although the Swede stayed on and got new strike partners with Lucas Moura and Pastore replacing Cavani, and Di Maria who had disappointed against his former club.

Luka Modric then came on for Isco. The Croatian had come back ahead of time from injury could he unlock PSG’s defence? He almost did with his first contribution playing Danillo down the right, the full-back worked the ball across to Marcelo who found Ronaldo but he pulled his shot across the face of Trapp’s goal to leave the game goalless and the points shared.