Parisians held to a draw in Toulouse
Paris Saint-Germain had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Toulouse on Saturday on Matchday 2 of Ligue 1. Here's a look back at the match.
It was in the heat of the Occitan region, at the Toulouse Stadium, that our Parisians made their first away trip of the season. A taste of the upcoming Trophée des Champions was in prospect this Saturday evening. Luis Enrique had a few new tricks up his sleeve, as the Spanish coach was able to call on the services of Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembelé, both of whom were ready to step in and add to his polished style of play. The starting eleven included Gonçalo Ramos, supported up front by a host of hard-working, technically gifted midfielders, from Lee Kang-in to Warren Zaïre-Emery, including Vitinha, Fabian Ruiz and Manuel Ugarte.
Unsurprisingly, a tough, intense battle was to be expected against a TFC team that has shown its qualities time and time again since returning to the top flight. The early stages of the match confirmed this, with a clash of styles quickly emerging: true to their collective approach, our Rouge et Bleu were determined to dominate the ball and create danger, while pressing hard to win it back. And if, on the other side of the pitch, the Toulousans showed themselves to be a little more attacking than Lorient last week, they would still have to find a way around a well-established defensive block...
Wear down their opponents, make them run and retreat: the hard-working Parisians began by showing patience in order to gain the advantage. The pressure naturally increased on the home side, with the most dangerous attempts by Achraf Hakimi (19'), Vitinha (34') and Gonçalo Ramos (38', 45'). All that remained was to capitalise on these good efforts.
Our Rouge et Bleu stepped up a gear in the second half to make sure that happened. Warren Zaïre-Emery lit the fuse with a sublime shot, but the goal was disallowed for offside (50'). Luis Enrique then sent on two players who were sure to make an impact, Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé. The immediate result: in a matter of seconds, the match came to life, and the duo gave the stadium its first scares. TFC were shaken and ending up fouling Mbappé in the box. Penalty and goal (0-1, 62').
The goal further energised the match, and the opportunities began to rain down on the Toulousans. Hakimi (66'), Ramos (73'), Dembélé (74') and Vitinha (74') all posed a threat. But just as they were struggling to stay in the game, Carles Martinez's men took advantage of a penalty to level the scores (1-1, 86').
After a solid performance, Luis Enrique's men had to settle for this frustrating result. A scoreline that does nothing to affect their collective approach ahead of some exciting upcoming fixtures. RC Lens will be on the agenda in a week's time, at the Parc des Princes, before another big game at Olympique Lyonnais.