Dec. 3 (UPI) -- Brazilian striker Neymar Jr. scored twice to lead Paris Saint-Germain to a vital victory over Manchester United in the group stage of the 2020-21 UEFA Champions League.
The 3-1 win on Wednesday in Manchester, England, puts PSG, United and RB Leipzig in a three-way tie atop Group H as the tournament heads into the final round of group play prior to the knockout stage.
"It's a great win," PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes told the team website. "It's what we came here to get. It was our objective from the very beginning of our preparation.
"Mission accomplished, we are very happy. We knew how important it was to win [Wednesday]. It was down to us and we managed to ensure that our destiny remains in our own hands."
Neymar and fellow PSG forward Kylian Mbappe teamed up on the first score. Mbappe dribbled up the right flank before he did a give-and-go pass sequence with Neymar and received the ball back at the top of the box. Mbappe then ripped a shot, but it was deflected away by the defense.
Neymar then tracked down the rebound and used his first touch to blast a shot by Red Devils keeper David de Gea in the 6th minute.
Red Devils forward Marcus Rashford then scored an equalizer in the 32nd minute. Right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka sent Rashford a pass while he stood about 20 yards from the net during that play. Rashford then ripped a shot, which deflected off a defender and slipped by PSG keeper Keylor Navas to level the score.
The score remained tied through the halftime whistle before Marquinhos put PSG ahead in the 69th minute. Left back Abdou Diallo collected a pass in traffic after a PSG corner kick during that play. He then sent a pass to Marquinhos, who kicked a shot into the goal from point-blank range.
Neymar scored the final goal of the game in the first minute of stoppage game. PSG first raced out into transition before midfielder Rafinha received a short pass in the box. Rafinha drew several defenders before he found Neymar standing by himself about 6 yards from the goal. Neymar then used his first touch to send a shot into the empty net for PSG's third score.
"We should have been more clinical, of course, we know that," Red Devils manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said. "More quality with the finish and then you're celebrating. But that's football.
"It's always decided in the boxes with that quality. Sometimes it goes for you, sometimes against you and definitely [on Wednesday] it went against us. We didn't deserve to lose."
PSG faces Montpellier in a Ligue 1 match at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday in Montpellier, France, before another Champions League game against Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday in Paris.
Manchester United battles West Ham in the Premier League at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday in London. The Red Devils return to the Champions League group stage for a match against RB Leipzig on Tuesday in Leipzig, Germany.
