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The Red Bulls were badly exposed in Lisbon on Tuesday, with their promising centre-back a rare source of inspiration on a bleak night
Unfortunately for RB Leipzig, there would be no fairytale ending to what was developing into a fascinating Champions League story.
Following Die Roten Bullen’s defeat of Atletico Madrid last week, neutrals were starting to jump on the Julian Nagelsmann train, hoping the 33-year-old coach could become the youngest manager to win the continent’s most sought-after trophy. That 2-1 success over Los Colchoneros didn’t quite portray the German side’s dominance for large periods of the encounter, where they outplayed and outthought their Spanish opponents.
Their attacking verve and fearlessness on the ball suggested Paris Saint-Germain would be uncomfortable in Lisbon in the first semi-final of the revamped tournament. Having needed a late, late fightback vs Atalanta, the fresher Bundesliga side fancied their chances pre-match of causing another upset against Thomas Tuchel’s troops.
Nevertheless, prognosticators had another thing coming with the Parisians in no mood to hand out favours, running riot at Estadio da Luz to win 3-0. In truth, it could have been more had Neymar, yet again, not been profligate with an early chance and the woodwork not denied him from a clever free-kick in the final 15 minutes of the opening half.
In a showing inundated with errors, especially in defence, Dayot Upamecano probably left the pitch with his head held high after giving as good as he got on a chastening evening for most of his teammates.
Reaction on @GoalAfrica to Upamecano’s incredible night vs Atletico Madrid. The 21-year-old’s performance in Lisbon embodied RB Leipzig’s qualities and strength of character.https://t.co/UyCIfF502H
— Seye Omidiora (@theReal_SeyE) August 14, 2020
This isn’t to suggest the 21-year-old of Bissau-Guinean descent matched the high level from last week’s defeat of Atletico, however, the exciting youngster arguably gave the most encouraging showing of any player on the losing side.
Critics will claim this isn’t saying much, owing to the underwhelming displays of many on the Leipzig team, but it said a lot that the talented centre-back still gave a six-or-seven-out-of-10 performance when many of his colleagues were way below average.
Of course, there were shaky moments, too: he was ball-watching in the fifth minute when Kylian Mbappe played Neymar through on goal only for the Brazilian magician to hit the post, lost Juan Bernat in the build-up to PSG’s third and lost Mbappe in the 70th minute from an Angel Di Maria cross which the Frenchman headed just wide.
Still, there were good facets in the match despite the relentless pressure Leipzig faced for the entire game. The young defender made several important tackles to stop dangerous attacks and read the game well from time to time to prevent precarious situations from resulting in his side conceding.
Upamecano made four tackles, only Nordi Mukiele with five outdid his defensive partner, and won six of seven ground duels, an 86 percent success rate. Only Di Maria (won all six ground duels) had a better percentage from both sides, indicating the France youth international was winning his 50-50’s assuredly.
44 of 51 passes found its intended target, while four of six attempted long passes were accurate. His line-breaking passing helped Leipzig get forward on occasion despite their all-round struggles on the day. Before Tuesday, the central defender had played the highest volume of passes into the final third for the German outfit and was ninth in the entire competition. Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was the only centre-half to have played a higher volume.
On a night where goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi was culpable for the first, Mukiele at fault for the second and Lukas Klostermann nearly gifting Mbappe a goal, Upamecano mostly gave a decent account of himself during a difficult outing for himself and his colleagues.
While a new contract signed recently means the promising defender may be off the market this summer, a reported reduced release clause believed to kick in next summer means the top sides in the big five European leagues could still steal Leipzig’s prized asset away in 12 months.
With the dearth of quality central defenders at many of these sides, steady progress for the 21-year-old could see him secure a big move after 2020/21 provided he maintains this current upward trajectory.
Leipzig’s magical run is finally over. However, for Upamecano, there’s a feeling this prospect will be turning out for one of Europe’s esteemed clubs in the near future. Watch this space!
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