Paris Saint-Germain attacker Neymar criticises club after Champions League defeat at Borussia Dortmund

Brazilian blames over-cautious medical staff for his lack of match-fitness while manager Tuchel criticised for tactics in Germany

PSG manager Thomas Tuchel watches the Champions League last 16 first leg match against Borussia Dortmund from the touchline. AP Photo

Thomas Tuchel after PSG lose 2-1 to Borussia Dortmund in the first leg. EPA

Dortmund forward Erling Haaland is congratulated by teammates Giovanni Reyna and Raphael Guerreiro after giving his side the lead against PSG. AFP

Haaland celebrates with teammates at the end of the game. AFP

Haaland stretches to score the first goal. AFP

Paris Saint-Germain's French forward Kylian Mbappe had a tough night in Germany. AFP

PSG's Neymar (R) levels the scores at 1-1. EPA

Neymar celebrates after his goal. AFP

Dortmund's players pile on Erling Haaland after he restored their lead. AFP

Haaland has an incredible scoring record this season for Salzburg and now for Dortmund since his move. AFP

Haaland applauds as he leaves the pitch. AFP

Haaland celebrates after the whistle. AFP

Neymar puts his hands to his head during PSG's match against Borussia Dortmund. AFP

Thomas Tuchel shakes hands with his players after the end of the match. AFP

Thomas Tuchel (C-L) shakes hands with PSG goalkeeper Keylor Navas at the end of the match. AFP

The all-too familiar cracks are appearing in the walls at Paris Saint-Germain after their latest Champions league disappointment, that has left Neymar publicly criticising the club's medical staff and the tactics of manager Thomas Tuchel being questioned.

The French champions were beaten 2-1 at Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, after a Neymar goal was sandwiched between a double from teenage goal machine Erling Braut Haaland.

After the defeat in Germany, PSG's Brazilian attacker was critical of the club for not giving him time to get his sharpness back after injury ahead of the last-16 tie.

PSG, who have been knocked out at the same stage of Europe's elite club competition for the past three seasons, looked unusually ponderous, with Neymar a pale shadow of his brilliant self despite scoring PSG's only goal.

He was playing his first game in more than two weeks after being rested due to a minor rib injury.

"It's hard not to play for four games," he said. "Unfortunately, it was not my choice, it came from the club, the doctors, they're the ones who made the decision, one that I did not like.

"We've had a lot of discussions on that. I wanted to play, I was feeling well but the club were afraid, and in the end I'm the one suffering.

"It was very difficult to play a match like this, intense, 90 minutes without stopping. It is different. Had I been in better shape, I would certainly have played better.”

Tuchel, who has come come under attack for not bringing on strikers Edison Cavani or Mauro Icardi in the final stages despite being a goal down, said Neymar "lacked rhythm and competitive action".

Last week, PSG sports director Leonardo fumed at the "negativity" surrounding the club ahead of the tie. With Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, "two of the four best players in the world", in their ranks, PSG should not fear anyone, he said.

But while the pair combined for PSG's goal on Tuesday they were off the pace for most of the game and ended up being outshone by Norwegian 19-year-old Haaland, who netted a double to give Dortmund the advantage heading into the second leg in Paris on March 11.

The result also brought back memories of previous embarrassing exits for PSG, who have splashed out more than a billion euros (Dh3.4bn) on transfers since Qatar Sports Investment took over in 2011.

Last season, they won the first leg against Manchester United at Old Trafford 2-0 but then lost the Paris return leg 3-1. That followed on from their 6-1 humiliation at Camp Nou in 2017 that sealed their exit despite a resounding 4-0 home win against Barcelona.

Tuchel, who said they "played with too much fear," has drawn criticism for his unexpected 3-4-3 system, though centre-back Presnel Kimpembe said the manager was not at fault.

"The defeat has nothing to do with tactics," said Kimpembe. "We are the ones on the pitch."

Brazilian defender Marquinhos has called on PSG to produce "more intensity, more aggressiveness" in the second leg.

"I think we still had possession of the ball in the first half but we were not very intense and active in our game. We missed a lot of balls," he said.

"They tried to counter the mistakes we made and that's where they hurt. We conceded two goals on small details that made the difference with a striker [Haaland] who really has a sense of goal.

"By the return match ... It will take a mentality of winners. They have the lead and we have to produce good victory at home, be aggressive, solid ... because we know that it is important not to concede a goal at home.

"These are the things that are clear: [we need] more intensity, more aggressiveness in our counter-pressing because it was lacking today. It's the little details that make the difference and we will have to do better otherwise we will not succeed."