Paris back on track with victory over Rennes ahead of Arsenal!

A week after drawing with Reims at the Stade Auguste-Delaune (1-1), the capital club's players returned to Ligue 1 and the Parc des Princes with the aim of getting back to winning ways. While it would be the perfect way to prepare for their trip to London to face Arsenal in a few days' time, victory is never a foregone conclusion against a Rennes side that have proven to be something of a bugbear side for the Parisians over recent seasons.

In an attempt to break down Julien Stéphan's side, Luis Enrique lined up a central defensive pairing of captain Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, with Matvey Safonov guarding the Parisian goal in the absence of Gianluigi Donnarumma. Achraf Hakimi took his place on the right flank, with Lucas Beraldo on the left, while João Neves lined up in defensive midfield, behind Fabian Ruiz and Warren Zaïre-Emery. In attack, the tireless Ousmane Dembélé and Bradley Barcola started in support of Lee Kang-In, fielded in the unusual position of false No.9.

In a match that got off to a flying start, the players from the capital club thought they had taken the lead as early as the third minute, thanks to a strike from Marquinhos. Although the goal was eventually disallowed for offside, the tone was set, and the Bretons reacted immediately by positioning themselves much higher up the pitch in an attempt to hinder the Parisian build-up. However, Ousmane Dembélé got off to a flying start and made the difference from deep before seeing his shot go wide (18').

Moments later, it was Dembélé's right-flank partner in crime Hakimi's turn to shine: the Parisian full-back, well played in by Bradley Barcola, smashed a shot past a beaten Steve Mandanda - but off the cross-bar (19'). The visitors then tried to hit back from set-pieces, but were unsuccessful against the attentive Rouge et Bleu defending. And just as Rennes seemed to be enjoying their first high point of the match, Ousmane Dembélé pick-pocketing Christopher Wooh high up the pitch, allowing the Parisians to get forward quickly. Picked out by by Joao Neves, Bradley Barcola cut in from the left and skinned Léo Ostigard before unleashing a curling shot that ended up in the far corner of the net (1-0, 30')!

Having scored his tenth goal for Paris, the capital club's No.29 was making life miserable for his Norwegian counterpart, a fact Paris looked to exploit as they pushed forward to make the break. The Brittany side's response was slow in coming, however, and former Parisian Arnaud Kalimuendo's shot was scuffed and did not trouble Matvey Safonov, who had not been much in evidence during the first half (44'). After 45 controlled minutes, Luis Enrique's men returned to the dressing room with a logical one-goal lead.

Achraf Hakimi's early strike was again disallowed for offside (48'). Azor Matusiwa's imprecise effort from the edge of the area (54') was just one example of Les Rouge et Noirs' trying to find a way through a Parisian rearguard that had so far proven impermeable. And up front, it was Bradley Barcola again who caused havoc in the Rennes penalty area, forcing the opposition goalkeeper into action (57').

But the Barcola show continued undaunted, and the hard-running Parisian winger again tried his luck from the edge of the area. Although his effort beat Mandanda, it hit the post - but not to worry, Lee Kang-In was on hand to head the ball into an empty net (2-0, 58')! But that was not enough to satiate Les Rouge et Bleu, who saw Barcola shine once again on the left flank, bamboozling Baptiste Santamaria and then Léo Ostigard (64'). But the French international was rewarded for his superb performance with a brace, tapping home following some excellent work from Achraf Hakimi on the right (3-0, 68').

Down but not out, Rennes managed to give themselves some hope as the match entered the final quarter of an hour, thanks to a penalty converted by their centre-forward Arnaud Kalimuendo (3-1, 75'). Julien Stéphan's side then threw everything they had into the battle for a second goal, but Ghanaian defender Alidu Seidu's uber-powerful close-range effort was ruled out for handball. As the Rennes pressure mounted towards the end of the game, Randal Kolo Muani came close to grabbing a fourth goal for his side, but his shot flew centimetres wide of the far post (90'+5).

Paris Saint-Germain were in control for much of the match before being forced to come to terms with the visitors' resurgence, but they held on for the result and are now back on top of the table with 16 points to their name. The capital club can now turn their attention to their next game: a tricky trip to London to face the Gunners of Arsenal. The UEFA Champions League Matchday 2 clash takes place at the Emirates Stadium next Tuesday (21:00). The date is set!