Rio Ferdinand compares Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to former England maverick after ‘nasty’ moment against Aston Villa
Rio Ferdinand has likened Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to former England winger Chris Waddle after his recent heroics against Aston Villa. The Georgian winger scored Paris Saint-Germain’s second goal of the night as they recorded a 3-1 victory over the Villains in their Champions League quarter-final first leg. GettyKhvicha Kvaratskhelia has hit the ground running since joining PSG in January[/caption] Kvaratskhelia put the Parisians in front for the first time in the match after Desire Doue’s stunning 39th-minute equaliser had cancelled out Morgan Rogers‘ opener minutes earlier. And the 24-year-old’s strike was another moment of individual brilliance, as he humiliated Axel Disasi to net on 49 minutes. Deputising at right-back after he replaced Matty Cash at half-time, Disasi immediately found himself in the thick of it when Kvaratskhelia drove at him on the left-hand side The Georgia star then fooled the defender with a superb ball roll, before firing a left-footed effort into the roof of the net. It was a goal which earned plenty of plaudits, not least from Manchester United great Ferdinand, who compared Kvaratskhelia’s ability to former England wideman Waddle. Known for his dribbling skills, the ex-Newcastle and Tottenham star enjoyed a spell at PSG‘s rivals Marseille between 1989 and 1992. Breaking down Kvaratskhelia’s goal on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: “Kvaratskhelia is owning the situation and the roll was just nasty. “Other than laying him out on the floor, he eliminates him beautifully. It’s the silkiness. “This is Waddle reincarnated, this is the only place he can score that goal.” With Kvaratskhelia and full-back Nuno Mendes tormenting Disasi on the left wing, Ferdinand claimed the Frenchman would probably have wanted to be substituted. GettyKvaratskhelia left Axel Disasi in his wake as he fired the ball into the net on his weaker left foot[/caption] GettyChris Waddle lifted the French league title on three occasions during his time with Marseille[/caption] View Tweet: https://twitter.com/tntsports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw On the winger, he continued: “He made Disasi look like a centre back playing out of position at right back. “In the first ten minutes [of him coming on], I looked at Disasi and was thinking: ‘If he could ask to come off right now, he wouldn’t be far off doing it’. “It’s so difficult. They were flying down that side consistently all the time and making it really difficult for him.” The lethal left-sided partnership proved to be Villa‘s undoing again later on, as Mendes scored in the 92nd-minute to give PSG a two-goal cushion heading into the second leg. And after impressing against Liverpool in the previous round, the French champions’ latest display at the Parc des Princes left Ferdinand convinced of their Champions League credentials. He said: “They played with an authority there of a team that have won this tournament many times before, but they haven’t. 2008 Champions League winner Rio Ferdinand liked what he saw from PSGGetty “It looks like a team that know how to get the best out of each individual player and really, really dominate opposition players man-to-man but also as a collective. “I have them as favourites right now, the way I see it. The way I saw them manhandle Liverpool over two legs and the way I’ve seen them dominate this game here. “They absolutely took this tie away from Aston Villa in terms of performance and authority. “They’re going into the next game as absolute favourites.” While PSG now have a week to recover before they head to Villa Park to defend their lead next Tuesday, Unai Emery’s side must now regroup in time for a league clash with Southampton on Saturday.
Rio Ferdinand has likened Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to former England winger Chris Waddle after his recent heroics against Aston Villa.
The Georgian winger scored Paris Saint-Germain’s second goal of the night as they recorded a 3-1 victory over the Villains in their Champions League quarter-final first leg.
Kvaratskhelia put the Parisians in front for the first time in the match after Desire Doue’s stunning 39th-minute equaliser had cancelled out Morgan Rogers‘ opener minutes earlier.
And the 24-year-old’s strike was another moment of individual brilliance, as he humiliated Axel Disasi to net on 49 minutes.
Deputising at right-back after he replaced Matty Cash at half-time, Disasi immediately found himself in the thick of it when Kvaratskhelia drove at him on the left-hand side
The Georgia star then fooled the defender with a superb ball roll, before firing a left-footed effort into the roof of the net.
It was a goal which earned plenty of plaudits, not least from Manchester United great Ferdinand, who compared Kvaratskhelia’s ability to former England wideman Waddle.
Known for his dribbling skills, the ex-Newcastle and Tottenham star enjoyed a spell at PSG‘s rivals Marseille between 1989 and 1992.
Breaking down Kvaratskhelia’s goal on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: “Kvaratskhelia is owning the situation and the roll was just nasty.
“Other than laying him out on the floor, he eliminates him beautifully. It’s the silkiness.
“This is Waddle reincarnated, this is the only place he can score that goal.”
With Kvaratskhelia and full-back Nuno Mendes tormenting Disasi on the left wing, Ferdinand claimed the Frenchman would probably have wanted to be substituted.
On the winger, he continued: “He made Disasi look like a centre back playing out of position at right back.
“In the first ten minutes [of him coming on], I looked at Disasi and was thinking: ‘If he could ask to come off right now, he wouldn’t be far off doing it’.
“It’s so difficult. They were flying down that side consistently all the time and making it really difficult for him.”
The lethal left-sided partnership proved to be Villa‘s undoing again later on, as Mendes scored in the 92nd-minute to give PSG a two-goal cushion heading into the second leg.
And after impressing against Liverpool in the previous round, the French champions’ latest display at the Parc des Princes left Ferdinand convinced of their Champions League credentials.
He said: “They played with an authority there of a team that have won this tournament many times before, but they haven’t.
“It looks like a team that know how to get the best out of each individual player and really, really dominate opposition players man-to-man but also as a collective.
“I have them as favourites right now, the way I see it. The way I saw them manhandle Liverpool over two legs and the way I’ve seen them dominate this game here.
“They absolutely took this tie away from Aston Villa in terms of performance and authority.
“They’re going into the next game as absolute favourites.”
While PSG now have a week to recover before they head to Villa Park to defend their lead next Tuesday, Unai Emery’s side must now regroup in time for a league clash with Southampton on Saturday.
