Paris continue run at La Mosson

News

Paris Saint-Germain came out on top against Montpellier on Matchday 13 of Ligue 1 (1-3). A look back at the encounter.

Three days after the victory in the Theatre of Dreams, Paris Saint-Germain were back on French soil with a mouthwatering clash against a Montpellier side that are well-placed in the top half of the table. Despite this, Thomas Tuchel opted to go without several senior players in his starting eleven.

The first half was one of three parts on the pitch of La Mosson. The home side set out to put the French Champions under pressure from the get go and started the brighter, making the most of the first fifteen minutes to add intensity in their duels and push Les Parisiens back into their own half. The visitors showed incredible concentration to close the spaces across the pitch. 

And then the men from the capital took control of the game, using the wings to drive forward and get in and around the opposition's box. And it was Colin Dagba who got the opener as he burst forward to connect with a perfect cross from Angel Di Maria (0-1, 33') and scored his first goal in Ligue 1. Paris then went on to create another chance during this period of domination, but the lively Rafinha was denied by Omlin (41').

The final minutes of the first half saw Michel Der Zakarian's side retake control of proceedings. First of all, Stephy Mavididi got the equaliser, as Keylor Navas saved exceptionally but couldn't quite prevent the ball from crossing the line (1-1, 41'). But the Costa Rican got his revenge just a few seconds later, as he denied the young Englishman from close range (42').

The second half was another story and one team clearly dominated. Les Parisiens came out determined to cause problems for the home defence. Idrissa Gueye, Layvin Kurzawa, but more specifically Angel Di Maria and Moise Kean created chance after chance on Jonas Omlin's goal. Their perseverance paid off as they entered the final quarter of an hour, when Moise Kean found the back of the net after an impressive piece of skill and a powerful strike flew in under the bar (1-2, 77').

Despite some suffocating pressure from Les Montpelliérains, Les Franciliens ensured their victory thanks to Kylian Mbappé, just after coming on off the bench to conclude a smart passage of team play (1-3, 90+1'). His 100th goal in Rouge et Bleu!

The result, Paris picked up another victory in this intense week of football, taking home all three points to consolidate their lead at the top of the league. The ideal preparation before their final match of the Champions League group stage against Istanbul Basaksehir on Tuesday at the Parc des Princes.