A draw at Nantes but a new record for Paris!
Against a united Nantes side, the club from the capital had to settle for a draw but broke the unbeaten away record across Europe's top five leagues. A look back at a hard-fought match on the banks of the Loire!
After their 2–1 win over Le Havre AC on Saturday, Paris Saint-Germain followed up with a trip to Loire-Atlantique for their rescheduled Matchday 29 fixture in Ligue 1. They were up against a Nantes side on a mission to secure top-flight survival (14th place, 30 points). The two teams had drawn 1–1 in their first encounter this season, with Achraf Hakimi and Matthis Abline scoring the goals. Looking for a better result, Luis Enrique chose to start Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal, behind an all-Brazilian central defensive duo: captain Marquinhos and Lucas Beraldo. Nuno Mendes and Warren Zaïre-Emery were deployed as full-backs, while Fabian Ruiz, Vitinha, and João Neves made up the midfield. Up front, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Lee Kang-In supported Ousmane Dembélé, who led the attack.
A relatively quiet start to the match, with a few chances at both ends of the pitch. Paris and their opponent each managed just one shot in the first 20 minutes. However, our Rouge et Bleu dictated the pace, dominating possession (75%). A long-range effort from Ousmane Dembélé and a good run down the flank by João Neves showed intent, but Paris Saint-Germain struggled to break down a compact Nantes defence. No hesitation from Vitinha though, who unleashed a stunning volley to open the scoring for the visitors (0–1, 33'). Lee Kang-In provided the assist, his sixth in Ligue 1 this season. The French champions saw out the first half calmly and headed to the dressing room with a one-goal lead.
The second half played out much like the first: Paris dominated, but still couldn’t find the breakthrough and find a second goal. Nantes began to push forward, and Castelletto tried his luck with a shot on target in the 60th minute. Gianluigi Donnarumma stretched out to tip the defender’s effort wide with his fingertips. Substituted on in the 63rd minute, the young duo of Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué nearly made an impact with a clever piece of link-up that earned a corner. FC Nantes kept pressing in the second half and eventually found an equaliser with a thunderous strike from Douglas Augusto—unstoppable for our goalkeeper (1–1, 83'). In stoppage time, Désiré Doué whipped in a cross for Gonçalo Ramos, who had also come off the bench. His header struck the post. The match ended in a 1–1 draw at La Beaujoire.
With this result, Paris Saint-Germain extended their unbeaten away run in Ligue 1 to 39 matche. The longest streak in the history of Europe’s top five leagues.
Next up: a clash at the Parc des Princes this Friday as Les Parisiens host OGC Nice for Matchday 31 of Ligue 1. Kick-off is at 20:45 at the Porte d’Auteuil!