Parisians on fire as they beat Lyon to continue their run

After hitting the heights in Barcelona, the Parisians were back in the thick of Ligue 1 action on another gala evening. Olympique Lyonnais, a French football powerhouse, came to a packed Parc des Princes. A big match in the league that Luis Enrique approached with a starting eleven that had been reshuffled yet again. Without Lucas Hernandez and Nuno Mendes, the Spanish coach had to rely on a revamped defence featuring Danilo and Lucas Beraldo.

Paris-Lyon is often synonymous with spectacle in the recent era of Ligue 1. Therefore, a battle against a rival who has been on the comeback trail since the start of the second half of the season was to be expected. But in this little game of wits between two top-class strategists, it was our Red and Blues who struck first - and in a big way! There was no point in arriving late at the Parc tonight. Right from the off, Marco Asensio made a superb pass to Bradley Barcola and forced Nemanja Matic to deflect the ball into his own net (1-0, 3').

It was a stroke of good fortune that set the stage for a great evening. Soon after, Lucas Beraldo finished off a corner perfectly taken by Marco Asensio and cleverly deflected by Bradley Barcola to send the match into a different dimension (2-0, 6'). What a start! Barcola was relentless on his flank. With his devastating dribbling, elegant ball control and admirable defensive runs, our attacking gem wreaked havoc on his former club's defence.

However, at the other end of the pitch, Paris also had to rise to the evening's challenge. Led by a seasoned striker in Alexandre Lacazette, Lyon tried to break down our rearguard, but the spirit of the Parisians - led by a supreme Marquinhos - cancelled out their efforts. It was the perfect way for our Brazilian, who celebrated becoming Paris Saint-Germain's most capped player ever on Sunday evening, to round off a historic week. When Lyon found an angle to shoot (Lacazette, 24'), Gigio Donnarumma was on hand to keep the ball out. It was a reminder, if one were needed, that this team with a capital T is one and the same. In its flashes of brilliance and in its resilience.

The Rouge et Bleu attack had plenty left in the tank to put even more pressure on Lyon. The whole team kept their defence in a tailspin, until they eventually broke down again. It was another serial scorer, Gonçalo Gamos, who sent the Parc into raptures with a fierce header (3-0, 33'). The waves rained down, to the cheers of a crowd warmed by this superb performance, in evidence again when Bradley Barcola's fierce drive crashed against the post. What a performance from the Parisians! The opposition were in no mood to give up though, and they fought back through the spirited Nuamah, who scored (3-1, 36') and then made several dangerous runs forward. But Lyon's response was generally well handled by the Parisians, who upped the ante again before half-time when the inevitable Gonçalo Ramos scored again (4-1, 42').

With a score like that at half-time, you can imagine that our Parisians came back with a determination to press on, while methodically managing their advantage. It was a combination of intelligence and astute coaching that injected fresh blood into such a busy schedule. Also of note was the fine second half from Gigio Donnarumma, who was able to dig in when needed to keep the visitors at bay. From start to finish, our Parisians rose to the occasion.

Led by their leaders, Paris Saint-Germain remain focused on their objectives heading into what could be an exceptional end to the season. The Rouge et Bleu have picked up another valuable win to continue their fantastic run in the league and take another step towards their title. The end of the chapter has yet to be written, but this Paris is truly magical... We can't wait to see what happens next.