Les Parisiens beat the Red Diamonds

Three days after a first victory over Kawasaki Frontale (2-1), Les Parisiens continued their Japanese tour with a match against another local side, Urawa Red Diamonds. A lively encounter, played in front of 65,000 people, in another demonstration of our Rouge et Bleu's incredible popularity in the country. It was also the opportunity for Christophe Galtier to continue his review of his squad, as he stuck with three centre backs, despite a reworked starting eleven, with just Kylian Mbappé the only player to start both matches. It's also worth noting the presence of our youngster Warren Zaïre-Emery and the captain's armband for Marco Verratti!

On Saturday evening, Les Parisiens had several objectives: find their feet in the new tactical set-up, get up to speed athletically, and continue to build both in confidence and in game-time... And they didn't disappoint, showing an impeccable spirit throughout. 

That being said, it was anything but a walkover! From the beginning of the match, the Red Diamonds showed their ability and attacked with real audacity.  Keylor Navas was the first of the two goalkeepers to warm up his gloves, when he was forced to make a superb stop (5'). Having been caught out by a strong start from the Japanese side, our Rouge et Bleus doubled down and looked to take control of the ball. And their efforts didn't take long to pay off! After winning the ball high up the pitch and playing in a triangle with Kylian Mbappé and Mauro Icardi, Pablo Sarabia opened the score with a powerful half-volley (0-1, 16').

The home side continued to trouble the Paris Saint-Germain rear-guard, but the back three remained extremely focused, inspired by Danilo, who made an impressive last-ditch clearance (31') to deny the hosts the equaliser. However, the untameable Kylian Mbappé put on a show every time he touched the ball... The number 7 got the stadium to their feet when he found the back of the net with a splendid goal at the near post after completely leaving the defender in his tracks with a dummy (0-2, 35'). Pure art. 

The visitors' lead wasn't enough to deter the Reds, however, who forced Navas into making a double save to prevent Yoshio Koizumi from scoring (41'). Constant pressure, but the Costa Rican stopper wasn't ready to be beaten, and put in a perfect performance. As expected, other members of the squad began to head out onto the pitch in the second half, slowly transforming the starting eleven. 

Of course, the appearances of both Neymar Jr and Leo Messi were met with delight in the stadium, but they also had hearts in the mouths on the pitch... With the Argentine's first on target effort from a free-kick being the start of things to came (60'). The two virtuosos continued to find each other, during an enjoyable and open final half an hour where every player that came on off the bench had a role to play. After Nuno Mendes hit the post, it was Arnaud Kalimuendo who extended his side's lead, scoring his second goal in as many matches (0-3, 76').

Focused on their mission, Les Parisiens picked up another victory on the tour of Japan. A tour that will come to a close with a final pre-season friendly on Monday against Gamba Osaka. A final outing before the return to competitive football!