Held by a solid Reims side, Paris maintain their unbeaten run in Ligue 1

Match reports

Just three days after their impressive 4-2 victory over Manchester City in the Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain returned to the Parc des Princes for Matchday 19 of Ligue 1 against Stade de Reims. To face a Reims side that has often troubled the Les Parisiens in recent seasons, Luis Enrique fielded a central defensive pairing of Lucas Hernandez and Lucas Beraldo to shield goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, who wore the captain's armband for the evening.

At full-back, Warren Zaïre-Emery started on the right, while Nuno Mendes continued on the opposite flank. In midfield, Fabián Ruiz was flanked by Désiré Doué and Lee Kang-In. In attack, Ousmane Dembélé and the newly signed Khvicha Kvaratskhelia—making his much-anticipated debut on the left wing—supported Gonçalo Ramos as the central striker.

The hosts quickly took control of the match against a side from Champagne that looked to transition quickly whenever possible. However, the visitors relied on a very compact defensive block to disrupt the flow of a PSG team that had to work hard to create spaces. The first spark came from Ousmane Dembélé, who, after a brilliant switch of play from Nuno Mendes, surged down the right wing and tested Yehvann Diouf’s reflexes with a powerful shot (14'). A few minutes later, Désiré Doué attempted a low strike from 20 metres out, but his effort narrowly missed the target (22'). With patience, the Rouge et Bleu began finding gaps in the Reims defence, creating opportunities and earning a series of corners.

Gonçalo Ramos managed to rise above the defence, but his header lacked the force needed to trouble the goalkeeper (29'). As Paris pushed forward in search of a breakthrough, they inevitably left themselves exposed, requiring an exceptional save from Gigio Donnarumma to deny Keito Nakamura (30'). For the first time in the match, the visitors began to respond to Paris’ dominance, which brought the game to life. The club from the capital then took advantage of the rare spaces left by their opponents, only for Reims to be saved at the last moment—first by their goalkeeper and then by the post—following a driven shot from Gonçalo Ramos (31'). Lacking a touch of luck, Les Parisiens hit the woodwork for the 13th time this Ligue 1 season, more than any other team.

It took wasn't until the start of the second half that Paris finally capitalised on their dominance, and as has often been the case in recent weeks, the breakthrough came from Ousmane Dembélé. Found by Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the right side of the box, the number 10 curled a shot that, after a deflection off the unlucky Cédric Kipré, found its way past the Reims goalkeeper (1-0, 47').

The opening goal forced the visitors to push forward, and it was Marshall Munetsi who created danger in the Parisian box. His cutback found Keito Nakamura, who made no mistake in levelling the score (1-1, 57'). The hosts had to go back to the drawing board, but the challenge was daunting against a Reims side reinvigorated by their equaliser.

Entering the final quarter-hour, Les Parisiens found themselves struggling for solutions, even with the introduction of Bradley Barcola and Senny Mayulu onto the pitch. Once again, patience was key to unsettling Luka Elsner’s side, whose game plan was being executed to perfection. As the minutes ticked by, Paris’ pressure began to mount again, but Yehvann Diouf denied Nuno Mendes from giving the club from the capital the lead (86'). When the Reims goalkeeper wasn’t called into action, his defence stepped up, this time blocking a close-range effort from Senny Mayulu (88').

Valiant until the end, the Champagne side bent but did not break in the final moments, and despite largely controlling the game, Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a draw. The Rouge et Bleu now hold a 10-point lead over their second-placed rivals, Marseille, at the top of the table. Attention now turns to the Champions League, with the decisive final match of the group stage set to take place at VfB Stuttgart’s ground on Wednesday. This crucial European showdown kicks off at 21:00 at the Arena Stuttgart. The countdown has begun!