French & English Media Disagree on Marcus Rashford After Aston Villa vs PSG
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Hal Fish
2 hours ago
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Marcus Rashford
Aston Villa have been knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, but not without putting up a valiant fight against Paris Saint-Germain.
The French side came into the second leg with a 3-1 home victory, and extended that lead to 5-1 thanks to goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes inside the first half an hour. However, the Villans would not give up easily and managed to pull one back through Youri Tielemans before the break.
Goals in the second half from John McGinn and Ezri Konsa made for a thrilling final 30 minutes, but Unai Emery’s men just could not get one more goal, which would have taken the game to extra time.
Marcus Rashford played a key role in the comeback, most notably picking up a brilliant assist to set up Konsa’s goal, Villa’s third on the night. That said, French media weren’t that impressed with the Englishman, offering mixed reviews on his efforts, despite local press being blown away by the winger.
French Media Not Impressed With Rashford’s Inconsistencies
90min’s French outlet were among those who felt he failed to consistently perform at a high level throughout the game, they handed Rashford a 6/10 for his efforts and said he was ‘lively but clumsy’, before praising his improved spell in the second half. In full, Quentin Gesp wrote:
“Preferred once again to Ollie Watkins, Marcus Rashford initially showed himself to be lively but clumsy. After losing the ball in the 8th minute, it was on a second loss that the Parisians found the opening. Found by Fabian Ruiz, Nuno Mendes sent Bradley Barcola alone on the counterattack, behind the advancing Matty Cash. The rest of the game ended up in the back of the Villans’ net. The English striker, although he brought danger from deep, generally lacked spontaneity in his choices. A frustrating first half for him but also for his supporters, who were somewhat annoyed at times. He also lacked success, as after this mix-up in the box, stopped by Donnarumma (52nd).
“But his second half was of a completely different nature. More direct, more precise, he brought the danger and creativity that the Villans needed. He forced the Italian goalkeeper into an exceptional save (57th). In the process, it was he who put the Villans in front after a great bridge and an exceptional assist for Konsa (58th).”
Maxifoot were also underwhelmed by his first-half showings, before accepting he improved later on the game. They consequently handed him a 6.5 player rating, with Damien Da Silva writing:
“Preferred to Watkins up front, the Aston Villa striker delivered a two-part performance. In his efforts, the Englishman was nevertheless impeccable and was interesting in his combinations, notably on Tielemans’ goal, but not very dangerous in the first half. After the break, the player on loan from Manchester United had a more interesting contribution. Checked by Donnarumma on a close-range shot then on a beautiful strike, he was the author of an enormous job for Konza’s goal.”
French sport outlet L’Equipe, who are notorious for their harsh player ratings, also handed Rashford a 6/10 for his efforts. Instead, they reserved their praise for McGinn, who was described as an “exemplary” player.
In contrast, English media outlets seemed to be far more impressed with the Englishman’s efforts. For example, in the Mirror, he was handed a 9/10 and praised for his ‘inspired’ second half. Birmingham World were just as kind, giving him another 9/10 mark. Journalist Charlie Haffenden added:
Assisted Konsa’s strike with an incredible dribble and perfect cutback – a deserved goal involvement as he looked so dangerous every time he dribbled at Marquinhos and Pacho and played a key role in creating space for his teammates. Denied a great goal by a brilliant Donnarumma save at the start of the second half. Involved in Tielemans’ goal as he held up the ball well on the edge of the box
Finally, Goal gave him an 8/10, and John Townley for BirminghamLive handed the same score, while noting: “Had a big chance to equalise shortly after half-time, but Donnarumma smothered it quickly. Came close again in the 57th minute with a drilled effort that forced another good save. Provided the cross that Konsa should have turned in to level the tie.”
It’s certainly interesting to see just how much more enthusiasm there was for Rashford’s display in English media, compared to the French outlets.
