Choupo-Moting: Neymar gives his man-of-the-match award to PSG hero

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar has handed his man-of-the-match award against Atalanta to Eric Choupo-Moting while manager Thomas Tuchel and Ander Herrera have praised the striker.

Choupo-Moting came off the bench to make an impactful 11-minute cameo appearance and inspired the Parisians to a 2-1 comeback victory over the Black and Blues in the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday.

With Atalanta leading 1-0, through Mario Pasalic’s 27th-minute effort, the Cameroon international was introduced for Mauro Icardi and made a key contribution.

The forward lofted the ball to Neymar which the Brazilian controlled and then set up Marquinhos to equalize in the 90th minute.

Choupo-Moting then scored the match-winning goal, tapping home from close range after receiving a timely assist from Kylian Mbappe.

Neymar, who was highly impressed with the contribution of the 31-year-old, then gave his man-of-the-match award to the African star.

Choupo-Moting, whose contract with the Parisians is expiring soon, has been hailed by his teammate Ander Herrera.

“Choupo played an incredible 10 minutes. I absolutely want to talk about him,” Herrera told RMC Sport.

“He’s going to finish his contract but he’s there, he’s ready to help, he always does training as if it was the last training of his life. “

PSG manager Tuchel also lauded the telling effect of the Cameroon international in the encounter and revealed he never doubted the ability of the striker.

“It was a great opportunity for him tonight to be with us, I had confidence in him, it was his time to do great things. He was exceptional,” Tuchel said.

“I know he’s a good player, who can come in and make a difference. He’s strong in the one-on-one and tonight he brought good energy.”

A post shared by Choupo-Moting (@mr.choupo) on Aug 12, 2020 at 3:21pm PDT

Choupo-Moting secured a shock move to PSG in the summer of 2018 following the relegation of Stoke City from the Premier League.

The forward has made 31 league appearances for the French champions and this season he has featured in 18 games across all competitions.

Choupo-Moting’s two-year deal with the Parisians ended in June but the Parisians handed him a contract extension to enable him to complete the campaign with the club.

The forward is currently Cameroon captain and has 15 goals in 55 appearances for the Indomitable Lions since he switched his allegiance to the West Africans from Germany.

Choupo-Moting, who has won two Ligue 1 titles and one Coupe de France trophy with the Parisians, will hope to help PSG win the Champions League.