Paris Saint-Germain continue to lead the way after beating Brest 2-0 in the 21st round of Ligue 1. We look back at the first match at the Parc in 2022!
In the middle of a busy January, Paris Saint-Germain returned to the Parc des Princes for the visit of Stade Brestois. A first in their home ground in 2022, with the firm intention to build on their unbeaten home record to consolidate their position at the top of the table! Despite being without several players, Mauricio Pochettino had Angel Di Maria back in his line-up, lining up in the front line alongside Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi.
Between two teams who always love to play, we were expecting to see some entertainment this Saturday evening against Michel Der Zakarian's men. And there was no shortage of it! From the start of the game, the 22 players took advantage of every space to keep the goalkeepers on their toes, especially Marco Bizot, who had to remain solid in the face of chances from Angel Di Maria, Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi. But it was on the other side of the pitch that the most beautiful Parisian action took place... And it came from Gigio Donnarumma! The Italian keeper made a splendid save from Cardona (9'), setting the tone for the rest of the game. The two sides, focused on attacking, were ready to go at each other blow for blow.
In the cold of the capital, the thermostat went up a notch, the Parisians putting the Bretons in a pressure cooker where skills were mixed with the daring of the midfield. It was the hyperactive Gini Wijnaldum who sent a wonderful pass to Kylian Mbappé for the opening goal. The world champion's sudden shot at the near post left two defenders and the Brest goalkeeper stunned (1-0, 32').
With Wijnaldum missing after the break, the coach sent Danilo on to continue to pin the Bretons back. It was the unbelievable Marco Verratti who not only ran the show in the midfield but also tried to find the back of the net, hitting Bizot's post with an astute point-blank shot (48'). In a strong spell in the game, our Red and Blue made the breakthrough with a splendid move involving the two fullbacks of the day! Nuno Mendes' cross from the left found Thilo Kehrer, who scored his second goal in two matches (2-0, 53').
After a pleasant first half, the Parisians were still eager to enjoy themselves, as shown by the rain of chances that fell on the capital! Marquinhos, Icardi and Mbappé made the Breton keeper, who had no less than 7 shots on target to deal with in the second half alone, without Paris having to suffer a single one! With the game in control, Mauricio Pochettino had the luxury of dictating the game and made a tactical change with the introduction of Sergio Ramos and Xavi Simons.
At the end of a very serious collective performance, Paris Saint-Germain continues its excellent run at the Parc des Princes and consolidates first place in the table, making it a satisfactory first home game of 2022. Our Parisians will return to their home ground in eight days' time, for the visit of Stade de Reims.