Tuchel: Neymar's Red Card Came from a Human Reaction

Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from their UEFA Champions League defeat by Borussia Dortmund, to beat Bordeaux 4-3 on Sunday. However, the victory was marred by Neymar’s late sending off.

PSG secured the points after a chaotic win thanks to two goals from Marquinhos and one apiece for Edinson Cavani – his 200th in all competitions for the club – and Kylian Mbappe.

After losing 2-1 in Germany in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie in midweek, PSG’s defensive weaknesses were again exposed as South Korean international Hwang Ui-jo gave Bordeaux the lead at the Parc des Princes.

PSG turned it around thanks to goals by Cavani and Kylian Mbappe either side of a Marquinhos brace, but at the other end there was a bizarre goal credited to the Brazilian defender Pablo and a Ruben Pardo strike had the home side hanging on at the finish.

A richly entertaining encounter then concluded with Neymar being sent off in stoppage time for a second yellow card for grappling with Bordeaux’s Yacine Adli, leaving the world’s most expensive player facing a suspension.

However, Thomas Tuchel believed Neymar's reaction was a natural one given he felt the PSG player had been fouled beforehand by Bordeaux's Youssouf Sabaly.

It is another unwanted problem for coach  Tuchel, who are now 13 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 from Marseille after Andre Villas-Boas’s side were beaten 3-1 by Nantes on Saturday.

Neymar is now set to miss PSG's next Ligue 1 fixture at home to Dijon on Saturday.

"We have to talk about the whole situation," Tuchel said of Neymar's challenge in his post-match media conference.

"He is nervous and he reacts. It is human. He must not, but it is human. And the Bordeaux player does not even get a yellow card."

February 24, 2020