The Parisians win at Saint-Etienne

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Paris Saint-Germain's Women's Team beat AS Saint-Etienne 1-0 on Friday 6 October at the Stade Aimé Jacquet on Matchday 3 of the D1 Arkema. Here's a look back at the match.

Five days after losing 0-1 at the Parc des Princes to Olympique Lyonnais, the Parisians were back in action in the league looking to get back on track, this time against AS Saint-Etienne. On Matchday 3 of the D1 Arkema, the Rouge et Bleu travelled to Le Forez in a bid to pick up another three points.

For the match, Jocelyn Prêcheur lined up a central defensive pairing of Elisa De Almeida and Aïssatou Tounkara in front of Katarzyna Kiedrzynek in goal. On the flanks, Sakina Karchaoui played on the left of the defence, while Viola Calligaris played on the right. In midfield, Korbin Albert was in the holding role, accompanied by Laurina Fazer and captain Grace Geyoro. In attack, Tabitha Chawinga led the line, supported by Lieke Martens on the left wing and Sandy Baltimore on the right.

Paris took control of the game from the outset. Thanks to a particularly lively Sakina Karchaoui, the Parisians quickly found themselves in a goalscoring position: the French international combined with Lieke Martens, who broke perfectly down the left before feeding Tabitha Chawinga, who scored her first Parisian goal from close range (0-1, 5'). The tone was set.

The Stéphanoises then tried to react and put the Parisian defence in danger, but were unable to trouble Paris Saint-Germain's Polish goalkeeper. To counteract this pressure from Les Vertes, the capital club could count on the explosiveness of the Martens/Chawinga duo on the break. The two Parisian players created a number of combinations down the left flank, supported by Karchaoui's constant runs upfield. At half-time, it was Paris who were in the driving seat.

In the second half, ASSE continued to dig deep to try and unsettle the Parisians and find a way through, with Jocelyn Prêcheur's side staying firm and defensively resolute. But on the hour mark, midfielder Solène Champagnac missed a great chance, and the Parisians were still at risk of a goal from the home side.

As the final quarter-hour approached, Chawinga again attacked the opposition defence from the right. The Paris Saint-Germain forward combined with Viola Calligaris, before the latter fed the substitute Marie-Antoinette Katoto with a curling right-footed cross. The Paris striker won her aerial duel but saw her header go wide. In the final minutes of stoppage time, Saint-Etienne took advantage of a high clearance to break quickly and send a cross in front of goal, but Aïssatou Tounkara was on hand to step in and turn the ball away for a corner. The Rouge et Bleu were diligent right to the end, winning 1-0 against a combative Saint-Etienne side.

The Parisians can now turn their attention to the UEFA Women's Champions League and a trip to England, where they will face Manchester United in the 2nd qualifying round of the competition. This important match takes place on Tuesday 10 October, with kick-off scheduled for 9pm.