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Neymar WALKED out of the Parc des Princes before the end of PSG’s win over Strasbourg after he was sent off for diving… as manager Christophe Galtier admits the Brazilian had ‘ANGER in him’ on his post-Copa del Rey return World
Neymar stormed out of the Parc des Princes after being sent off for diving during Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Strasbourg.
The Brazilian went down very easily in the penalty area in the 62nd minute to collect his second yellow card in as many minutes.
And Neymar didn’t bother to stick around to watch Kylian Mbappe seal PSG to a last-gasp 2-1 win from the penalty spot.
Neymar angrily reproaches referee Clement Turpin after being sent off for diving
The replays confirmed that there was no contact between the defender and Neymar in the area.
‘Neymar left the stadium before the game was over. You have to understand his frustration. He needed to vent his anger,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier later told Canal Sport.
The PSG manager suggested that Neymar will no longer be punished for leaving the field early, but that he will be suspended for the next trip to Lens on New Year’s Day.
Lens are PSG’s closest rival at the top of the Ligue 1 table, albeit eight points behind with one game to go.
Neymar had played in Brazil’s run to the World Cup quarterfinals, where they were eliminated on penalties by Croatia.
He received his fifth red card for PSG following the 62nd minute dive of the Ligue 1 clash.
The Brazilian went toe to toe with referee Turpin after seeing a second yellow card
After a short break, he returned to action for PSG on Wednesday night and things were going well after he set up Marquinhos to open the scoring after 14 minutes.
But after Marquinhos scored his own net to make it 1-1, referee Clement Turpin booked Neymar just after the hour mark for a foul.
Then seconds later, when Neymar intercepted a pass from Kylian Mbappe into the Strasbourg box, he tried to fake contact with defender Alexander Dijku, and replays clearly showed there was none.
Turpin didn’t hesitate long, signaling a Strasbourg free kick and handing Neymar a second yellow card for simulation.
Neymar distraught as he walked off the pitch and didn’t take long before leaving
Neymar protested to the official, along with his teammates, before walking off the field and apparently out of the stadium altogether.
Galtier added: ‘Neymar alternated the game between ups and downs. I can understand why he was angry, he really wanted to play the next two games.
‘From what I can understand from the simulation, he deserves the yellow.
Minutes before he suffers a bad foul and his first yellow is very serious compared to the number of fouls Ney suffers.
PSG manager Christophe Galtier expresses his solidarity with Neymar, saying he had a lot of ‘anger’
‘Strasbourg is a team that plays well, but also gives a lot of strength and power. There was a lot of impact in this match.
I regret that overcommitment has not been penalized more harshly for certain players. It could have generated a bit of frustration for Ney.
Ultimately, it didn’t cost PSG too much, as Mbappé earned a penalty when Gerzino Nyamsi brought him down in stoppage time. Mbappe duly converted to earn PSG three points in his own post-World Cup return to action.