2023-12-03 17:49:50
PSG's Italian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, escorted after his expulsion by Kylian Mbappé, on December 3, 2023 during a Ligue 1 match in Le Havre. DAMIEN MEYER / AFP
PSG is starting to slip away at the top of the Ligue 1 standings. The Parisians scored a seventh consecutive success in the league by winning at Le Havre (2-0), Sunday December 3, for the 14th day. They are now four points ahead of their runner-up, Nice. The Azuréens were defeated on Saturday for the first time this season in Nantes (1-0), for the debut of Jocelyn Gourvennec on the Canaries bench.
However, the game started badly for PSG at the Océane stadium. In just ten minutes, the capital club lost its midfielder Fabian Ruiz to injury (7th) and its goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to a red card (10th). Already at fault during the match against Monaco (5-2), last Sunday, then against Newcastle (1-1), Tuesday, the Italian continues his serial setbacks, and was sent off for a flagrant foul outside its surface following a missed exit.
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” It's not his fault. This red card is more the responsibility of the defensive line, it is an alignment error, defended his trainer Luis Enrique at a press conference. Our players didn't attack the ball, we got a little lost. I always ask my goalkeepers to be attentive on these long balls. »
The former Milan player will be suspended at least one match and will miss the Nantes reception at the Parc des Princes on Saturday December 9. His next match in the colors of PSG will therefore be on the lawn of Borussia Dortmund, on December 13, where he will have to be more reassuring to help his team qualify for the round of 16 of the Champions League.
An environment devoid of its two best elements
Despite the numerical inferiority, Kylian Mbappé opened the scoring with a superb sequence, his shot hitting the post before crossing the line (1-0, 23rd). And Paris waited until the 89th minute to score the break goal through Vitinha (2-0). In the meantime, Spanish goalkeeper Arnau Tenas, who came in to compensate for Donnarumma's expulsion, made several important saves (51st, 78th).
“He is a professional boy every day, he showed everyone that he is ready”, underlined Luis Enrique at the microphone of Prime Video. The performance of the young 22-year-old goalkeeper, who was playing his first minutes in the first division, is enough to rejoice his coach. On the other hand, the injury to the right shoulder of Fabian Ruiz, then taken out on a stretcher after feeling unwell at the side of the field, risks complicating his short-term plans.
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The midfield sector of the capital club is already devoid of its best element: Warren Zaire-Emery. The 17-year-old injured his ankle during his first selection with the France team against Gibraltar (14-0) on November 18 in Nice. He is out until the winter break. In his absence, Fabian Ruiz had taken over in midfield, at a level that we had not yet seen since his arrival in the capital in the summer of 2022. His unavailability is not yet known but it is difficult to imagine him fit to play in Germany in ten days. His teammates dedicated the victory to him in their locker room after the match.
Paris will have to find solutions to make up for these losses in midfield. The Portuguese Vitinha and the Uruguayan Manuel Ugarte have every interest in regaining their form from the start of the season or risk missing the knockout phase of the C1 for the first time in the QSI, Qatar Sports Investments era, which began in 2011.
Monaco revives, Brest continues
Like PSG, Monaco did not miss the opportunity to take advantage of Nice's misstep in Nantes (1-0) yesterday. The Monegasques won at home against Montpellier (2-0) thanks to Takumi Minamino (9th) and Wissam Ben Yedder (90th +2). A valuable success after two games without a victory – including a defeat in Paris (5-2) – which allows Monaco to come back to within two points of second place held by Nice.
Brest had a second victory in a row against Clermont (3-0). The Auvergnats remain penultimate in the ranking. Just in front of them, in a play-off position, Lorient grabbed a draw at the last minute with Toulouse (1-1) on a goal in added time from Bamba Dieng (90th +1). The Violets have not won in Ligue 1 for more than two months.
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