Report: Paris Saint-Germain’s Neymar, Gianluigi Donnarumma clash after Champions League exit
Expectations were high for the Paris Saint-Germain superteam that boasts international stars Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar, so an early exit from the Champions League was always going to be tough to swallow.
But after PSG lost 3-1 to Real Madrid Wednesday to fall out of the round of 16 on an aggregate score of 3-2, Neymar, the Brazilian forward, and Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma reportedly clashed in the locker room and had to be separated by teammates.
According to ESPN, both players had a heated exchange at Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, with each blaming the other for the loss. ESPN reported they squared up to each other before they were separated.
PSG took a commanding 2-0 aggregate lead Wednesday, when Mbappé opened scoring against Real Madrid in the 39th minute.
But PSG collapsed in the middle of the second half, when Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema unleashed a hat trick in the span of 17 minutes that eventually pushed Madrid through to the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the most prestigious tournament in European football.
ESPN reported that Neymar confronted Donnarumma about a mistake that led to Benzema’s first goal, in the 61st minute, while Donnarumma responded that it was Neymar who had conceded possession that eventually led to Benzema’s second goal, in the 76th minute.