Paris Saint-Germain vs Atletico Madrid. International Champions Cup.
Singapore National StadiumAttendance22,007.
Tuesday 31 July 2018 08:12, UK
Paris Saint-Germain threw away a two-goal lead but struck in the last minute of injury-time to beat Atletico Madrid 3-2.
Teenage forward Virgiliu Postolachi scored PSG's stunning 93rd-minute winner in Singapore against the stoic Atletico defence.
Both teams fielded experimental line-ups in the final match of their excursions in Asia, as PSG gave goalkeeper Kevin Trapp and midfielder Angel Di Maria their first outings since returning from the World Cup in Russia.
There was a lively start in front of a modest crowd at the Singapore National Stadium and Di Maria was soon involved when he drew a smart diving save from Antonio Adan in the fifth minute with a well-struck free-kick.
Atletico countered with two great chances of their own as Trapp used his feet to first deny Angel Correa before Kevin Gameiro hoisted a shot over the PSG crossbar after he raced clear from the halfway line.
The Ligue 1 side settled and began to dominate with Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot pulling the strings in central midfield, but they were unable to find the decisive final pass.
Their persistence paid off in the 32nd minute, however, when midfielder Christopher Nkunku, who impressed against Arsenal on Thursday, prodded home from close range after Layvin Kurzawa's goal-bound effort was deflected into his path.
Stirred into action after falling behind, Atletico should have equalised when they fashioned an opening for Luciano Vietto, whose shot flew past Trapp but was cleared off the line by a sprawling Kevin Rimane.
New PSG coach Thomas Tuchel shuffled his pack at half-time, making 10 changes to his starting line-up, and was soon forced into another when defender Alex Georgen injured his knee within seconds of coming on.
The substitutions transformed the game into a wide-open affair as chances were spurned at both ends, particularly by PSG forwards Timothy Weah and Moussa Diaby, until the latter doubled the French side's lead after 71 minutes.
Spain youth international Victor Mollejo hauled Atletico back into the contest in the 76th minute, the forward needing two attempts to beat Trapp following a goal-mouth scramble from a corner.
They poured forward in search of an equaliser and coach Diego Simeone was left punching the air in delight when PSG's Antoine Bernede deflected Borja Garces' shot past a stranded Trapp to level the scores after 86 minutes.
The match appeared destined for a penalty shootout until Postolachi, a product of PSG's youth academy, settled matters with a brilliant curling strike in the final minute of stoppage time.
