Paris hold on at Nantes and continue their run!

Three days after making their victorious return to the Parc des Princes (5-0), Les Parisiens were back on the road again, this time to the west of the country and to Nantes for Matchday 23 of Ligue 1. A look back over the Paris Saint-Germain victory (1-2). 

Thomas Tuchel's side started in a remodelled 4-4-2 in Britanny. From the very start of the match, Les Rouge et Bleu set the tone for what was to come, with a first attack from Mauro Icardi, who couldn't find a way past Denis Petric from close-range (3').
Up against them was a determined and extremely motivated Nantes team that looked to control the Paris attacks, while countering quickly.

Determined to try to force the Nantes lock, the club from the capital showed patience in front of goal, alternating between periods of possession and rapid attacks from Kylian Mbappé on the left wing. It was Mbappé who was provided with an early clear-cut opportunity, after some excellent work from Angel Di Maria, but the Frenchman saw his lob just miss the target (15').

The hosts struggled to resist the waves of Paris attacks, and chances fell to Mauro Icardi (17'), Presnel Kimpembe (18') or even Thomas Meunier (26'), who each forced the home fans to hold their breath. Angel Di Maria and Kylian Mbappé, were at the heart of most of these chances and were finally rewarded for their efforts when the Argentine got onto the end of the Frenchman's cross. A goal that was eventually awarded to Mauro Icardi, who had got the slightest of touches on the ball (0-1, 29').

But Les Nantais  turned things around at the end of the first half. After some hesitance in the Paris box, Imran Louza set the ball back for Moses Simon, but the Nigerian forward's effort flew over (42'). After a final opportunity for Kylian Mbappé (43'), Thomas Tuchel's headed into the dressing rooms with a precious lead. 

Following the break, the Red and Blues continued to push on, using their width to exploit the wings. A first-time cross from Angel Di Maria almost led Andrei Girotto into scoring into the back of his own net (53'). It was then the moment that Thilo Kehrer chose to get the visitor's second goal of the evening. The German defender rose the highest to connect to Angel Di Maria's corner, and his header found the back of the net (0-2, 57').

Les Canaris responded quickly through Ludovic Blas, but he couldn't beat Keylor Navas (60'), and then Kylian Mbappé tried his luck but saw his effort boxed away by Denis Petric (62'). The intensity dropped and Nantes took full advantage in order to reduce the Paris lead. A quick counter-attack saw Moses Simon through on goal to beat Keylor Navas (1-2, 67'). Reinvigorated, Christian Gourcuff's side looked to put Les Parisiens under pressure in the final quarter of an hour.  Despite chances for Pablo Sarabia, Mauro Icardi (73') and Kylian Mbappé (76'), Les Nantais tried their all to get the equaliser. But when needed, Keylor Navas pulled out his 'A game' to deny Simon and then Emond (86', 91') while Denis Petric made another stop to prevent Thomas Meunier's effort (89').

Les Parisiens held on to the victory (1-2), in a highly competitive match, which saw both sides launching attack after attack (34 shots in total!). The necessary had been done, given that ahead of the visit of Olympique Lyonnais to the Parc des Princes on Sunday, the club from the capital further strengthened their lead at the top of the table.