The Parisians pegged back by Reims at the death
Paris Saint-Germain were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Stade de Reims but remain top of the league. Here's a look back at the match.
In the midst of an intense season, our Parisians are approaching the first few tests ahead of an extremely busy schedule at the end of winter. The Rouge et Bleu were back at the Parc des Princes to begin this run of games with the home game against Reims. With Nuno Mendes, Presnel Kimpembe and Nordi Mukiele out, Christophe Galtier lined up with a starting XI featuring the talented trio of Neymar Jr-Messi-Mbappé.
Against a Reims team that was unbeaten in 13 matches and came to cause an upset in the capital, our Rouge et Bleu didn't have time to think, as the attacks were coming thick and fast at their defence. It was Reims who looked the most dangerous team, narrowly missing out on taking the lead when they came up against Gigio Donnarumma, the last line of defence, who was precious in the first half (10', 17', 23', 32'). It must be said that the first half, with no shots on target for the Parisians, showed how difficult it was for our men to get round William Still's strategy.
With the score still level, it was time to move up a gear and the players from the capital stepped up to the plate and finally get close to the opposition's box. And less than 5 minutes after the restart, they were rewarded for their efforts! A splendid team effort down the middle found Neymar Jr, who beat the visitors' goalkeeper before firing the ball into the net with his left foot (1-0, 51').
But although this lead gave our Rouge et Bleu a bit of breathing space, they still had to face some adversity, further accentuated by Marco Verratti's sending off (58'). But against all odds, our players found the resources to increase the pressure. And finally, this numerical inferiority forced them to work twice as hard! Mbappé (61'), Fabian Ruiz (62'), Ramos (63') and Hakimi - who scored a nice goal disallowed for offside (65') - all came close to doubling the lead... A strong period of play that lasted for the last quarter of an hour, with a few quick and well-executed attacks from the Rouge et Bleu. However, it was the Rémois who found the resources to equalise at the end of stoppage time through Balogun (1-1, 90+6').
At the end of a competitive game, our Parisians draw against this persistent Reims team. The next challenge will come very quickly, with a trip to Montpellier on Wednesday to start a new run of games.