PSG vs. Real Madrid: Score and Reaction from 2015 Champions League Match

Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain shared the spoils during Wednesday's UEFA Champions League action, playing out a drab, goalless draw at the Parc des Princes. 

Neither team ever truly found any momentum, except for a short spell at the end of the first half, and with most of the action taking place in midfield, chances were few. The better opportunities fell to Real, but Kevin Trapp was on point when he needed to be.

As shared by BT Sport Football, it marked the first time in eight years Los Blancos have been involved in a 0-0 draw in the group stages of the Champions League.

As shared by the club's official Twitter account, Real were missing a host of star players, including forwards Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale. Instead, Jese Rodriguez and Lucas Vazquez were surprise starters:

French football journalist Jonathan Johnson thought things looked good for the hosts ahead of the opening whistle:

Likewise, PSG were missing one key starter, as David Luiz didn't make the French champions' bench.

Both teams started by feeling each other out, with the first couple of minutes passing without any major incidents.

Blaise Matuidi was in full control of the midfield battle but ran into trouble early for a clumsy challenge on Casemiro, and the France international knew he would have to be careful after receiving a yellow card after just nine minutes.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Sergio Ramos were involved in a minor altercation after the former came in very late with a tackle. Ramos tried to milk the foul initially before suddenly getting up and carrying on as if nothing happened, and the official decided against booking Ibrahimovic.

Sam Wallace of the Daily Telegraph was already getting excited over the battle that lied ahead:

The action on the pitch was lacking, however. Chances were few, with Real's defence doing a splendid job of containing Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani and Los Blancos' attackers showing a lack of creativity around the box.

Cristiano Ronaldo was seen limping after a collision off the ball, but fortunately for the visitors, the Portuguese superstar didn't require treatment.

It took 25 minutes for either goalkeeper to be really tested, with Jese firing a shot toward the near post that was easily covered by Trapp. The visitors gradually started to grow into the match while PSG could do nothing, and Ronaldo was the next to have a go after lovely work from Marcelo.

Per Johnson, the Brazilian full-back was one of the standouts during the first half:

Trapp produced a stunning save to deny Ronaldo the opener, and a deflected shot from Isco swerved just wide of the post. Real were suddenly living in the PSG half and pushing for a goal, but Trapp was on his game, rushing off his line to pluck the ball out of the sky before Ronaldo could get to it.

Somehow, Les Parisiens survived until half-time, but only barely. AS English were not impressed with what it was seeing:

PSG were hoping for better in the second half, and they nearly broke the deadlock after just two minutes. Cavani blasted a volley just wide of the goal of Keylor Navas, marking the first good touch the Uruguayan striker had inside the Madrid half.

The chance seemed to wake the home fans up, but unfortunately, it didn't lead to better play from the hosts.

The defences continued to dominate the match, and Matchbook.com wasn't enjoying the spectacle:

Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore were introduced for Les Parisiens in a desperate attempt to get some sort of attacking momentum going, but to no avail.

Meanwhile, Luke Modric came on for Isco, with Real also failing to produce any danger early in the second half.

It took until the 72nd minute for Los Blancos to threaten again, with Ronaldo flashing a shot just wide on the counter-attack.

La Liga blogger Rafael Hernandez thought it would have been a very different match had Real's star players not been absent:

PSG struggled beating the offside trap, losing out on countless chances because one of their players lost his focus. Ibrahimovic could have been isolated in front of Navas on one such occasion with eight minutes left to play, and the veteran striker was visibly frustrated when once again the flag was raised.

The most notable incident in the final minutes was a fan managing to get on the pitch in search of a hug from Ronaldo, and after 90 uninspiring minutes, the match ended 0-0.

Real will have to come up with a better performance to beat in-form Celta Vigo on Saturday, with both teams currently sharing the lead in La Liga. The Galicians have impressed early in 2015-16 with their potent, free-flowing attack, and they should present stiffer competition than an uninspired and out-of-form PSG squad.

Les Parisiens will host fourth-placed Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1, and given Les Verts' defensive miscues early in 2015-16, that match should provide their strikers with the perfect opportunity to rediscover their form.

Post-Match Reaction

Real manager Rafa Benitez was happy with the outcome of the match and the performance of his players, via AS English:

PSG colleague Laurent Blanc told RTL (h/t Get French Football News) he has no choice but to give Ibrahimovic, who looked visibly tired on Wednesday, such a heavy dose of minutes:

"

Laurent Blanc on playing Ibra: "Zlatan? I don't have a choice. When you have a squad, you know you have it for the whole season." (RTL)

— Get French Football (@GFN_France) October 21, 2015"

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