Ajax vs. PSG: Winners and Losers from Champions League Game

Paris Saint-Germain’s away-day blues continued on Wednesday night as Ajax struck midway through the second half to start their Champions League campaign at the Amsterdam Arena with a surprise 1-1 draw.

After three away draws in Ligue 1, Laurent Blanc’s men were hopeful of ending their poor run when away from Paris. However, after taking a first half lead, a free-kick from Danish midfielder Lasse Schone was enough to earn Ajax a point.

Edinson Cavani hadn’t found the back of the net outside of Paris this season, so he would have been delighted when Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s shot was blocked straight into his path in the 14th minute.

Ajax failed to test Salvatore Sirigu in the Parisian net during the first half, but the Italian ‘keeper will be disappointed with the nature of the equaliser.

Sirigu got his hand to Schone’s curling free-kick, but could only help palm the ball into the net.

Blanc’s woes continue and PSG will rue the chances they had in the second half to increase the lead. It seems the malaise from their league form is the only part of PSG’s game that has travelled well.

Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s 1-1 draw against Ajax.

Winner: Frank De Boer

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

Out of the two managers, it is Frank de Boer that will come away from tonight’s game with a lot more positives than his French counterpart.

After a difficult first half, the former Dutch international made a change and brought on Niki Zimling to bring an increase of aggression and urgency to the Ajax midfield.

The outgoing Nick Viergever hadn’t played badly in the opening half, but the move was more about the energy Zimling added. That showed quickly in the second-half when the Danish midfielder flashed a shot just over the top of the bar.

That should have been a warning to Blanc and his men.

After the equaliser, Ajax was much the better side, pinning their French opponents back in their own half. In the end PSG were lucky to leave with a point.

Going into the next couple of games, De Boer will look for his side to take the spirit of the last 15 minutes into games against Apoel Nicosia and Barcelona. If they can do that, they might have a chance of fighting for second place.

Loser: Edinson Cavani

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Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani may have gotten himself on the score sheet, but that was about his only contribution to the game's events.

As part of a strike force that cost more than the whole of Ajax's starting XI, more is expected from Cavani and his teammates, but you can sense a malaise over the nature of former Napoli man’s performances.

He was lucky to get the goal. Lucas Moura did well to muscle Nicolai Boilesen off the ball before finding Ibrahimovic with the cut back. The Swede’s shot was blocked, but the rebound fell kindly to Cavani.

The striker did well with the finish, but his contributions to the match all but finished there. More is needed from Cavani, especially in the Champions League. This is the competition PSG bought him for.

Winner: Lasse Schone

Peter Dejong/Associated Press

It was an excellent night for Lasse Schone. His 74th minute free-kick had enough on it to beat Salvatore Sirigu and only minutes later he forced the Italian into a wonderful low save.

The Dane nearly won the game for the Dutch side, but individually he is on a fantastic run of form, and wasn’t about to let PSG come into his house and ruin it.

In all competitions, the Ajax talisman has now scored 10 goals in his last 17 appearances.

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Lasse Schöne has now scored ten goals in his last 17 appearances in all competitions for @AFCAjax. #UCL #goalmachine pic.twitter.com/K14MC1e2Ma

— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) September 17, 2014"

The Danish international may be 28 years old, but he is a shining light among a side full of young talent. After making his name lower down the Eredivisie with De Graafschap and NEC Nijmegen, Schone got his move to Ajax at 26, and he is currently one of their most influential players.

Winner: Marquinhos

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Marquinhos' scorecard may have been slightly marked down after it was his foul that gave Lasse Schone the chance to score the equaliser, but it shouldn't mask over his excellent performance on Wednesday night.

Perhaps Sirigu should have done better to stop the shot, keeping Marquinhos close to flawless, but it shouldn’t count against the young Brazilian defender.

It was another confident and stunning performance from the 20-year-old. He made two excellent challenges at the end of the first half that stifled good attacking chances for the hosts, and was easily one of PSG’s best performers on the night.

Playing beside his €50 million team-mate David Luiz, he is sooner or later going to give the Parisians a selection headache. With every game both play together, it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify the former Chelsea defenders price tag.

If Marquinhos continues to play to this excellent high standard, it is going to be difficult to drop him when club captain Thiago Silva returns to fitness.