At the final whistle, the players of Paris FC are still cheered by their supporters. Entering the lawn of Charléty two days after the victories of all the direct competitors in 2nd place synonymous with a direct climb (AC Ajaccio, Auxerre, Sochaux), they were under great pressure. Even if they curled the correctional, this draw against Dijon (2-2) cannot be considered a good result.
Six days from the end, Paris FC is now 4th (tied with Sochaux) and is four points behind AC Ajaccio (2nd). If he is in the process of finding his injuries – we saw the difference in the second period with the returns – he will have to achieve a clear round if he wants to avoid the uncertain lottery of the play-offs as in 2019 and 2021.
What you must remember
Thierry Laurey had decided to keep his defense at three but without Chergui and Camara (choice). On the bench, he could count on the return from injury of three attackers (Guilavogui, Gory, Alfarela) who had missed so much in recent weeks. But in the first period, we saw a Paris FC again, without offensive solutions and above all very rarely dangerous.
After seeing his free kick repelled with both fists by Vincent Demarconnay (16th), Scheidler almost logically opens the scoring by adjusting the Parisian goalkeeper (0-1, 26th), his 10th goal of the season. The only flash of a failed first half, the beautiful overflow of Yoan Koré who serves Cyril Mandouki behind whose shot is blocked (44th).
After this virtual nothingness, the staff chose to switch to 4-4-2 by making two changes at the break with the re-entries of Migouel Alfarela and Mahamé Siby. Much more enterprising, the PFC quickly equalized thanks to Julien Lopez well served by Khalid Boutaïb (1-1, 56th). And on a magnificent opening by Moustapha Name, Lopez takes over directly to offer himself a double (2-1, 64th). The Marseillais brings his total to four goals this season.
It is believed that Paris FC did the hardest by overthrowing Dijon in 8 minutes but Philippoteaux equalized (2-2; 71st), taking advantage of a rather hazardous marking. For his return after a month of absence, Morgan Guilavogui, the top Parisian scorer (11 goals), sends his shot in the clouds on his first ball (86th). And if Lopez believes he has scored a hat-trick, he is logically refused for offside (88th).
At the final whistle, several Parisians headed for the referee to show their anger, tinged with frustration. The burst in the 2nd period was not enough.
The player: Julien Lopez
Since January, the 30-year-old Marseillais has certainly been the most consistent Paris FC striker after being injured at the end of 2021. Already a scorer in the last match in Toulouse (2-1), he scored his second double in L2 with Paris FC in 8 minutes. This season, he managed 4 goals and delivered 3 assists. Maxime’s big brother (Sassuolo), who arrived at the PFC in 2017, the oldest outfield player in the squad with Cyril Mandouki, extended his contract for a year in January.
The number: 2
The number of points (2 draws, 2 losses) taken by Paris FC in its last four games. A bad series which made him fall from 2nd to 4th place.
The reaction
“The first period was to be put in the trash. Afterwards, we made changes and we managed to put more intensity. We created chances and we managed to get ahead. The regret is of course to be taken back. The fault is useless and the marking is lax on Philippoteaux. Some may think a draw makes sense, but for me, winning seemed affordable. These are clearly two points lost. In the final sprint, you can’t afford to leave too many points on the way if you want to finish as high as possible. The return of our attackers will do us good. We focus on that. But tonight, we took a risk with Morgan (Guilavogui) who was still on the razor’s edge. But a calculated risk with him and the medical service. Migouel (Alfarela) had also just resumed. In the series of 3 games in one week, we will also be able to recover Caddy, Diakité and Gory who had a little problem and who remained on the bench. The absences of Chergui and Camara? It was a choice.” Thierry Laurey, Paris FC coach
Paris FC – Dijon 2-2 (0-1)
Spectators: 3,034. Referee: M. Thual.
Buts. Paris FC : Lopez (56e, 64e) ; Dijon : Scheidler (26e), Philippoteaux (71e).
Warnings. Paris FC : Lopez (62e), Bamba (75e) ; Dijon : Coulibaly (75e).
Paris F.C. : Demarconnay – Bamba, Kanté, Bernauer – Koré (Alfarela, 46th), Name (Guilavogui, 84th), Mandouki (cap.), Iglesias (Siby, 46th), Hanin – Lopez, Boutaïb. Entr. : Laurey.
Dijon : Reynet – Coulibaly, Ecuele Manga (cap.), Congré – Traoré, Pi (Ngouyamsa, 71st), Jacob, (Ahlinvi, 87th) Philippoteaux (Sammaritano, 87th), Fofana – Le Bihan, Scheidler. Entr. : Guard.