Christophe Galtier, the manager of Paris Saint-Germain, had a long list of alibis for the hard questions he faced after another disappointing night in Europe. PSG had been unfortunate with so many senior players absent at key times, Galtier said in rainy Bavaria. The French champions’ back line, in particular, had been repeatedly disrupted.
PSG had just lost 2-0 to Bayern Munich, a result that took the aggregate score from their Champions League tie to 3-0 in Bayern’s favour, sending the German club striding into the quarter-finals.
For the second year in succession, PSG have failed to pass the first knockout barrier in the most esteemed club tournament. They have now accumulated 11 seasons on the trot fielding one of the most expensively assembled sides in the competition and their return is just one final, lost to Bayern in 2020, and a series of dispiriting exits.
“We are disappointed,” said Galtier, “I know how important the Champions League is to PSG. There is a huge expectation, and we shouldn’t underplay that. The big regret is that we weren’t able to do battle with all our best resources over these two legs.”
Galtier had been without Neymar, who will miss the rest of the season recovering from ankle surgery, for the Munich leg, and without Kylian Mbappe, because of injury, for the first hour or so of the first leg.
Presnel Kimpembe, the France international central defender, was also ruled out on Wednesday, as was, with 36 minutes on the clock, captain Marquinhos. When Marquinhos went off feeling discomfort below his ribs, he was replaced by Nordi Mukiele in a back three that already had Danilo, nominally a midfielder, on the right-hand side.
Mukiele then got injured, and for the second half - when Bayern scored through Eric Choupo-Moting and, late on, Serge Gnabry – 17-year-old El Chadaille Bitshiabu made his European debut for PSG in the fierce cauldron of Munich’s Allianz Arena in a team obliged to chase two goals and risk exposing their defence.
These are legitimate excuses, but they in turn pose their own questions about how PSG focus their recruitment. Galtier made use of Warren Zaire-Emery, who turned 17 on Wednesday, in both legs, and while the midfielder is a thrilling prospect for the future, he might wonder if, at a club that makes so many statement signings in attack, he will have room to grow
PSG made Neymar football’s most expensive transfer, at €222 million, in 2017. They committed a record-breaking contract to Mbappe last year. They united Lionel Messi with those two when Messi, against his desires, was told by Barcelona he had to leave Camp Nou in 2021.
Among the painful ironies of the defeat by Bayern is that it was strikes from Kingsley Coman – a product of PSG’s youth system but allowed to depart at 18 – in the first leg, and Choupo-Moting – who played a major part in pushing PSG to their only Champions League final during his two-year spell there – that drove Bayern past Mbappe, Messi, Sergio Ramos, Gigio Donarumma, Marco Verratti and company.
For all their champion calibre – Messi and Ramos have eight European Cups between them, Mbappe a World Cup; Donnarumma and Verrati were part of Italy’s Euro 2020 gold-medal side – PSG failed, as Galtier said, “to capitalise when we were at our best”.
In Munich, Vitinha had a fine opportunity to level the aggregate score in the tie, thanks to a goalkeeping error from Bayern’s Yann Sommer. Vitinha’s shot was just weak enough to allow Matthijs De Ligt to reach out and clear it off the goal-line.
After that, Mbappe was adequately policed by his compatriot Dayot Upamecano and by Josip Stanisic, and Messi kept quiet. If Galtier is justified in pointing out some key missing parts over the course of the tie, so would Julian Nagelsmann, Bayern’s coach.
Stanisic played because Lucas Hernandez is injured and his fellow French World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard was suspended. Sommer is in for the injured Manuel Neuer. Sadio Mane was deemed fit enough only to come on in the second half.
And Bayern still racked up a three-goal winning margin, inflicting on PSG a fifth last-16 phase exit in seven seasons. In the previous four, Real Madrid (twice), Barcelona and Manchester United had trailed in the ties before exposing a brittleness in their opponents. This time, PSG never really got started.
Galtier, their third manager in as many years, must fear his term in charge may be over before he can start again, in September, on trying to lift the gloom that follows PSG through the competition they most covet.
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20S23%20ULTRA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.8%22%20edge%20quad-HD%2B%20dynamic%20Amoled%202X%2C%20Infinity-O%2C%203088%20x%201440%2C%20500ppi%2C%20HDR10%2B%2C%20120Hz%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204nm%20Qualcomm%20Snapdragon%208%20Gen%202%2C%2064-bit%20octa-core%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F12GB%20RAM%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20128%2F256%2F512GB%2F1TB%20(only%20128GB%20has%20an%208GB%20RAM%20option)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPlatform%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Android%2013%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMain%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20quad%2012MP%20ultra-wide%20f%2F2.2%20%2B%20200MP%20wide%20f%2F1.7%20%2B%2010MP%20telephoto%20f%2F4.9%20%2B%2010MP%20telephoto%202.4%3B%203x%2F10x%20optical%20zoom%2C%20Space%20Zoom%20up%20to%20100x%3B%20auto%20HDR%2C%20expert%20RAW%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208K%4024%2F30fps%2C%204K%4060fps%2C%20full-HD%4060fps%2C%20HD%4030fps%2C%20full-HD%20super%20slo-mo%40960fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFront%20camera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2012MP%20f%2F2.2%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205000mAh%2C%20fast%20wireless%20charging%202.0%2C%20Wireless%20PowerShare%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205G%2C%20Wi-Fi%2C%20Bluetooth%205.2%2C%20NFC%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20USB-C%3B%20built-in%20Galaxy%20S%20Pen%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESIM%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20single%20nano%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20eSIM%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20nano%20%2B%20eSIM%20%2F%20nano%20%2B%20nano%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20cream%2C%20green%2C%20lavender%2C%20phantom%20black%3B%20online%20exclusives%3A%20graphite%2C%20lime%2C%20red%2C%20sky%20blue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh4%2C949%20for%20256GB%2C%20Dh5%2C449%20for%20512GB%2C%20Dh6%2C449%20for%201TB%3B%20128GB%20unavailable%20in%20the%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
