Midfielder João Neves was in the starting lineup for Paris Saint-Germain in their UEFA Champions League semifinal second leg match against Arsenal on Wednesday. The contest took place at Parc des Princes as PSG aimed to secure a spot in the competition final.
Neves was joined in the starting eleven by fellow Portuguese players Vitinha and Nuno Mendes. Forward Gonçalo Ramos began the match on the bench for the Paris side. PSG entered the second leg holding an advantage from the first match played at the Emirates stadium.
The young midfielder's appearance follows recent attention for his performance metrics. João Neves was recently highlighted by the Observatório do Futebol (CIES) in a ranking of Under-21 midfielders for progressive passes. This metric measures passes that significantly move the ball toward the opponent's goal by leaving several defenders behind.
The same CIES ranking also featured other Portuguese players performing well in this category. Rafael Luís of Benfica's B team and André Oliveira of FC Porto's B squad were recognized for their progressive passing statistics among players under 21 years old across 50 leagues who had played more than 900 minutes this season. More information on the CIES ranking is available here.
In the match against Arsenal, the early minutes saw the English team apply pressure and create scoring opportunities. PSG goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma made saves to keep the score level, including stops on shots from Martinelli and Odegaard. Arsenal also hit the post during an early attacking phase.
PSG's first attack came after approximately ten minutes, ending with a cross into the goalkeeper's hands. A yellow card was shown to Nuno Mendes later in the half for a foul. Details of the match can be reviewed here.
The winner of this semifinal will face Inter in the final. Inter secured their place by defeating Barcelona in the other semifinal match.
