It’s a scene that is repeating itself in Ligue 1. Since the start of the 2021-2022 season, Paris often has to wait until the end of the match to breathe. Saturday December 4, during the 17th day against Lens, it was Georginio Wijnaldum who freed the Parisians by equalizing at the 92’minute (1-1, final score).
8 times over the last 12 days of the championship, Paris Saint-Germain has unlocked the match in the last 20 minutes of play. A scenario that has been repeated since the 6th day and the match against Lyon, September 19 (2-1 victory for PSG). As the draw began to emerge, Mauro Icardi offered his team success in the 93rd minute.
An impression of fragility that persists despite the successes
Repeated twice a week later, in Metz, on the 7th day. This time, it is the side Achraf Hakimi who delighted the victory of a goal in the last seconds of the match (2-1, 90 + 5 ‘). On October 15, against Angers (10th day), we still have to wait until the 87th minute for Kylian Mbappé, from the penalty spot, to pull off another success (2-1). On October 29, Lille pays the price for the Parisian awakening. After leading 1-0 for more than an hour, the Northerners lost 2-1 after goals from Marquinhos (74 ‘) and Di Maria (88’).
Facing Nantes (J14) and Saint-Etienne (J15), PSG won by two goals apart (3-1). If the score can give the impression of absolute domination, it is not. At the Parc des Princes, the Canaries held out until the 81st minute before conceding two goals, a CSC and a goal from Lionel Messi (87 ‘). In Geoffroy-Guichard, as in Lille, Angel Di Maria gives the advantage to Paris in the 79th minute, before Marquinhos (90 + 1 ‘) comes to perfect a victory in trompe-l’oeil (3-1).
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Thirteen points ahead …
On a purely accounting level, it is difficult to blame PSG, the autumn champion on Saturday night. The capital club has 42 points after 17 days, thirteen units ahead of its Marseille runner-up. Especially since last year, at the same time, Paris was 3rd with 35 points. But the numbers cannot hide the nagging impression that Paris is often in difficulty in the game, and that these victories on the gong are as much due to Parisian aggressiveness as to the luck factor. Concerns all the more difficult to forgive that Paris has Neymar in its ranks, but also the current Ballon d’Or (Messi) and a player who will no doubt become one in the coming years (Mbappé).
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