PSG recently completed a pre-season tour in Japan, giving fans a first look at the Parisiens under new gaffer Christophe Galtier. The French outfit came up against 3 J-league sides and brushed them off quite comfortably.
The most convincing performance of the lot was certainly their display against Gamba Osaka, as they ran riot, eventually winning 6-2.
Japanese fans in attendance were in for a treat, as they witnessed PSG’s superstars take to the pitch, without having to switch continents. The French Champions were in the mood from the get-go, and by starting Neymar, Messi, Sergio Ramos etc, they were really flexing their muscles.
It didn’t take long for them to gain an advantage, which was doubled within 4 minutes by Neymar. Seeing as the Parisiens were pulling no punches, it’s safe to say they wanted to offer the opposition a taste of European Football.
Unfortunately, Neymar looked to have taken the notion too seriously, as he unnecessarily pulled out the oldest trick from the playbook, for which he earned plenty of flak online.
The Brazilian has shown a tendency to hit the deck on the slightest bit of contact, often accompanied by rampant rolls and plenty of wincing. Of course, this doesn’t mean every challenge the 30-year-old endures is feeble, but on certain occasions, Neymar simply has gone down too easily.
In the latest case, the forward made his way into the box before feigning a cross and executing a Cruyff turn, which essentially laid out opposition centre-back Genta Miura.
Despite having other options, Neymar instead flopped down onto the floor, using Miura’s lingering foot as a facade, and as his case for a penalty. The spot kick was indeed awarded and subsequently converted by the Brazilian, however, fans online didn’t take too kindly to his antics.
Upon closer inspection many found the contact to be non-existent, as Miura appeared to have pulled out before Neymar clattered onto the turf.
Brazilian publication Globo felt the same as well, and through a tweet, insinuated that perhaps ‘a ghost’ made contact with the PSG man.
This ended up drawing a response from Neymar himself, who insisted that it was indeed a penalty, he also called out the publication by belittling their knowledge of the game.
The Brazilian said, “Ghost? It’s a penalty! Bunch of people who never want to kick a ball and keep doing s**t”.
Who knew a pre-season game could get this messy?