After exhausting all their resources on Tuesday night at Anfield to see the Champions League semi-finals, PSG was abruptly stopped in Ligue 1 by Lyon this Sunday (2-1), reigniting the title race. Five days after their courageous trip to the northwest of England (2-0), the euphoria quickly fizzled out among the Parisians, who missed an opportunity in Ligue 1. With a postponed match against Nantes on Wednesday, PSG once again finds itself under pressure from Lens, who are just one point behind. The clash between the two teams on May 13 will be crucial in the race for the French championship title.
Facing Lyon at Parc des Princes, nothing resembled the success of the previous week: without several key players (Dembélé, Marquinhos, Kvaratskhelia, Joao Neves, and Mendes – injured), lacking in real rhythm, too passive in duels, and especially not clinical enough in the opponent’s area, Luis Enrique’s players – with defender Lucas Beraldo in midfield – lacked the spark and values from last Tuesday.
In contrast, they were punished by Lyon’s immense efficiency, led by the 19-year-old Brazilian Endrick. Lyon made a significant move in the Champions League race and climbed to the podium, level with Lille. Endrick, set up by Afonso Moreira, scored without control with one of his first touches (1-0, 6th), catching Matvei Safonov off guard, who was attentive enough to block Abner’s shot set up by the Brazilian (12th).
New penalty miss for Paris Safonov, one of the heroes from Anfield on Tuesday, chose not to challenge Afonso Moreira, who concluded a swift counter-attack initiated by Endrick (2-0, 18th). However, the Russian goalkeeper made a dangerous save against Moreira early in the second half (52nd) and was decisive against Endrick (62nd).
The other bad news comes from the infirmary. While they welcomed back Fabian Ruiz to the pitch after three months due to a knee injury, the Parisians lost their midfield maestro Vitinha to a right ankle injury. Vitinha, a key player in Luis Enrique’s strategy, sustained the injury after a duel in the first half, hobbling off directly to be replaced by Warren Zaïre-Emery, who surprisingly started on the bench at the beginning of the match.
Typically a substitute, forward Gonçalo Ramos was played in the center to give Ousmane Dembélé a break, who returned for half an hour this Sunday, hitting the crossbar (75th). The dazzling goal from “Kvara”, also substituted in after thirty minutes, after a collaboration with Fabian Ruiz, was the only bright spot for Paris at the end of the match (90th+5).
Ramos, on the other hand, never posed a real threat (27th, 42nd, 45th+2) as he struggled to break through Lyon’s defense on his teammates’ crosses, especially those from Désiré Doué. Even when he tried to assist his teammates, Lucas Beraldo’s shot (17th) and Bradley Barcola’s attempt were both blocked (29th). Worse, he failed to halt PSG’s misfortune with penalties: his own, caused by Lucas Hernandez and pushed by Maitland-Niles, was easily saved by Dominik Greif (33rd), one of Lyon’s standout players in this match. Out of 12 penalties this season, it’s the sixth one that PSG has missed across all competitions.
