New Delhi: Angel Di Maria was substituted around one-hour mark during Paris Saint-Germain’s loss to Nantes on Sunday. He was called off the pitch after news came that his home had been robbed with members of his family held hostage, Goal.com reported.
The Argentine was replaced by Leandro Paredes at Parc des Princes, after Nantes’ Randal Kolo had cancelled out Julian Draxler’s opening goal.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side slipped to a 2-1 defeat against Antoine Kombouare’s relegation-threatened Nantes thanks to Moses Simon’s winner. But their attention after the match was more on Di Maria’s well-being than the result of the match.
(Di Maria’s Family)
What happened ?
Di Maria was giving a solid performance and helping his team to take the lead back when suddenly sporting director Leonardo signalled communication to coach Pochettino on the sidelines.
The former Tottenham boss immediately withdrew the Argentine and went to the dressing room with the forward. He returned a few minutes later to oversee his side’s performance for the rest of the match.
The hosts were shaken by the news which made them struggle for the remainder of the game. And their concerns compounded at the end of proceedings after the disclosure that team-mate Marquinhos’ parents were also victimised by intruders at their house.
The is not the first time that Di Maria’s family suffered such a a property attack; his family were left traumatized once before by an incident during his time at Manchester United, which was one of the reasons for his departure from Old Trafford.
Pochettino’s comments
“It’s not an excuse but there was a drop in energy,” the Argentine stated after the match while reviewing his side’s performance. “We talked about things other than football after the game in the locker room.”
“The truth is that the first period we controlled the match, but after the equalizer, we had trouble and we were not strong enough to hang onto this match,” he added.
