Zlatan Ibrahimovic set another record as Paris Saint-Germain finished their Champions League pool phase on a positive note in beating Shakhtar Donetsk 2-0 at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday.Brazilian Lucas Moura broke the deadlock on 57 minutes before record goalscorer Ibrahimovic set the seal on their group A victory with the second four minutes from time. But with Real Madrid thumping Malmo 8-0 in Spain, PSG finished three points behind in second and risk a tough draw in the last 16 where the likes of champions Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City lurk. “The draw will be important and like all the other second-place finishers we want to avoid the two favourites for the competition (Barca and Bayern),” said PSG coach Laurent Blanc. “The group phase has been very good and maybe what gave me most satisfaction was the match we produced at Real Madrid, despite the defeat.” The main bonus for Paris was seeing Ibrahimovic break another record, becoming the club’s top goalscorer of all time in European competitions, eclipsing Liberian great George Weah with his 17th strike. . That ensured a party atmosphere in the French capital despite Ibrahimovic’s finish from Lucas’s pass more dribbling into the net rather than bursting it. It had otherwise been an insipid performance from the French champions, whose qualification for the last 16 as group runners-up had already been assured two weeks ago with a 5-0 win at Malmo. The fans were briefly awakened by Lucas’s rasping drive just before the hour mark to open the scoring. What will most be occupying the minds of PSG supporters now, though, is Monday’s knock-out stage draw in Nyon, Switzerland. By AFP |
