Paris celebrate the last game of the year in style!

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Paris Saint-Germain defeated Strasbourg (4-0) in matchday 17 of Ligue 1. Take a look at how it went down for an early present!

The Parisians welcomed Strasbourg just three days after a solid performance against Lille (0-0) and wanted to end 2020 in style at the Parc des Princes. With a number of players missing Thomas Tuchel opted for a 3-5-2 formation against a very defensive Strasbourg side.

And we didn’t have to wait long to see that the players from the capital were on song just before Christmas Eve. The Rouge et Bleu had to prove patient against a compact defensive unit and work as a team to take control of the game. The territorial domination was shown as Marquinhos made numerous penetrating runs forward and also by the amount chances created.
But it was none other than TimothĂ©e PembĂ©lĂ© who provided the breakthrough. As he made his way into a forward position, the Parisian academy graduate scored his first goal in Ligue 1 by latching onto a loose ball dropped by Kawashima (1-0, 18’).

Rafinha once more put in a solid performance and could have double the lead after a mazy run in the middle of the park ended in a right footed attempt (39’). It did prove tough to find the second and up the tempo against the wall of defenders. After the break, the Parisians carried on knocking on the door but were often denied by Simakan’s excellent defensive efforts.

Paris Saint-Germain did manage to find another gear as was shown by an ever-present Rafinha who once more broke through (69’). Finally it was Kylian MbappĂ© who doubled the lead after winning the ball high up he pitch and scoring his 12th of the season to extend his stay at the top of the leading goalscorers table (2-0, 80’). Straight after, Idrissa Gueye made sure of the result after coming on as he hit a superb strike into the net (3-0, 89’) before Moise Kean added a fourth with a real poacher’s goal (4-0, 90+1’).

Despite the absentees, injuries and need to keep up with the top of the table Thomas Tuchel and his men did the job in style as they found the physical and mental capabilities to get the victory against a defiant Strasbourg outfit. And all of present were on show this Wednesday night: a plethora of goals including a first one for an academy graduate, and fantastic individual and team performances.
A great end to a 2020 year that will remain in the heads and hearts of the Parisians despite the difficult context
 A lovely present before some mouth-watering encounters in 2021!