Following their disappointing loss to Newcastle United in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain redeemed themselves by securing a 3-1 triumph over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
After suffering a devastating defeat in the Champions League against Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain managed to redeem themselves by securing a 3-1 victory over Rennes in Ligue 1 on Sunday. Meanwhile, the match between Montpellier and Clermont came to an abrupt halt due to an incident where a firecracker was hurled at the opposing goalkeeper, Mory Diaw. PSG’s previous loss against Newcastle had cast doubts on their performance and chances in Europe this season, but their triumph against Rennes demonstrated a resurgence of form. Despite historically struggling at this particular venue, PSG’s win propelled them to third place in the standings, trailing leaders Monaco by only two points.
Coach Luis Enrique asserted that our happiness is consistently tied to our victories; however, I also experienced contentment following the defeat at Newcastle.
After giving up on his experiment with playing four forwards, the returning midfielder Vitinha scored the opening goal with a spectacular arcing strike into the top corner from an assist by Ousmane Dembele just after 30 minutes of play.
In just four minutes, Achraf Hakimi capitalized on Warren Zaire-Emery’s unmarked cross and headed the ball into the net, extending their lead to 2-0.
Rennes found a lifeline in the 56th minute when Amine Gouiri nodded home from close range. However, their hopes were short-lived as PSG swiftly responded with another goal just two minutes later. Randal Kolo Muani redeemed himself after being benched by converting Hakimi’s precise low delivery at the near post.
Despite Kolo Muani’s efforts, his goal was disallowed due to an offside infringement, and Kylian Mbappe’s impressive run past the goalkeeper ended in frustration as he inexplicably shot over the crossbar.
“He might not have scored today, but he has been performing at a really high level since the start of the season,” Luis Enrique said of Mbappe.
It’s somewhat unusual when Kylian doesn’t find the net, but it’s just a minor detail.
Consequences await Montpellier.
In Montpellier, as the match approached its end and entered stoppage time, television footage revealed a firecracker landing dangerously close to Clermont goalkeeper Diaw’s feet before detonating with a deafening noise.
Diaw, visibly shocked, fell to the ground and had to receive medical assistance before being transported out on a stretcher. As a result of this incident, the game was temporarily suspended and ultimately canceled after a crisis meeting took place.
At the Stade de la Mosson, referee Florent Batta shared with reporters that after examining the Clermont goalkeeper, it was determined by a certified doctor that he was unfit to resume play. Consequently, this led to an immediate and permanent halt of the match.
Montpellier had a comfortable 4-2 lead and were on the verge of securing their first victory at home this season. However, everything changed after the incident, putting them in jeopardy of facing severe consequences, including the possibility of replaying the game without their supporters.
The arrest of the alleged culprit was confirmed by a representative from the police department during their conversation with AFP.
According to the club, Diaw was cleared to travel back to Clermont with his teammates following the game and is scheduled for additional tests on Monday.
Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin openly acknowledged his feelings of disgust, disappointment, and sadness, stressing that the actions of an individual had the potential to harm the entire team.
Lyon remains without a victory
In their inaugural triumph with coach Gennaro Gattuso at the helm, Marseille emerged victorious with a resounding 3-0 win against Le Havre. The goals were a combination of an own goal and exceptional strikes from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ismaila Sarr.
Before the first half ended, Rassoul Ndiaye received a second yellow card and Le Havre’s team was reduced to 10 players.
Lens continued their impressive form after defeating Arsenal in the midweek Champions League clash by staging a remarkable comeback to salvage a 1-1 draw against Lille in the intense northern derby held at their home ground.
Lille took the lead thanks to Benjamin Andre, but Lens quickly responded with an equalizer from Deiver Machado, maintaining their unbeaten streak of five games.
Despite leading by two goals, Lyon’s ongoing struggle continues as they fail to clinch a win this season, settling for a 3-3 draw against Lorient.
Eli Junior Kroupi provided Lorient with the initial advantage, however, Ernest Nuamah swiftly leveled the score in the 21st minute, followed by Alexandre Lacazette propelling Lyon into the lead just a minute later.
Before the first half ended, Lacazette converted a penalty to give Lyon a 3-1 lead. However, Lorient displayed resilience in the second half as Kroupi found the back of the net once again, followed by Darlin Yongwa’s equalizer.
Following a 3-1 triumph over Reims, Monaco now sit one point ahead of Nice at the top of the table. On the other hand, Nice continued their undefeated run this season with a narrow 1-0 win against Metz.
Similar to PSG, Brest find themselves just two points away from the top position following a 1-1 draw against Toulouse.