The arrival of the new year came with a poisoned gift for Paris Saint Germain and a first in Ligue 1 so far this year, the defeat of the leader, so far stubborn, suppressed by Lens, second in the standings who are still the reigning champion dominates .
Without Neymar, suspended after last day’s exclusion, and without Leo Messi, still resting after winning the world title with Argentina in Qatar, Paris Saint Germain could not do without the will of a vague Kylian Mbappé, nor the rest of renowned players who Christophe Galtier’s team has.
Relive Ligue 1 with the Bollaert Delelis Stadium scoreboard. PSG’s seven points at the start of the seventeenth day were reduced to four after the victory of Franck Haise’s team, who, despite the setback – a draw – against Nice in their last game, were reconfirmed as a revelation of the season.
But Lens faced the star game of the session without a problem, the duel between the first and second in Ligue 1 that was shaken after five minutes by the local goal. A cross from the left by Massadio Haidara was touched by Gianluigi Donnarumma. But it fell at the feet of the Polish Przemyslaw Frankowski who did not waste the gift and shot the ball into the back of the goal.
The reaction from the Paris side, who finished 2022 with fourteen wins and two draws in the season, no defeat, was swift. He was born in the shoes of Carlos Soler who opened the match to the right where Nordi Mukiele was who launched him to the center of the area where Hugo Ekitike charged in to beat Brice Samba.
Lens did not let Paris Saint Germain take advantage of its many virtues, its considerable offensive potential. On the contrary, in every counterattack he revealed the defensive difficulties of the visitors who were particularly disarmed when they had to try to contain their rival.
The Lens, inspired, took advantage again. It was minutes before the half hour mark when Seko Fofana’s long pass was collected by Belgium’s Lois Openda, who launched a solo run from midfield and faced Donnarumma. He had to get rid of Marquinhos, find the hole and beat the Italian goalkeeper.
Waiting for a reaction from the missing visitor, Haise’s team expanded the lead at the start of the second half. Three minutes had passed when orderly local pressure on the exit of the ball from Paris Saint Germain caused a loss and the ball’s arrival at Openda assisting with a heel Alexis Claude-Maurice outscoring Donnarumma for the third time.
Pablo Sarabia and Vitinha were Galtier’s means of alleviating the situation. They went out during playtime. It was the Spaniard who had a good chance to close the gap, but Brice Samba shone with a beautiful intervention.
The champion was left without an answer, Mbappé disappeared, while his rival, unleashed, went in search of the fourth. It didn’t arrive, but neither did the reaction from PSG, who left Lens with their first defeat of the season and significantly reduced their lead as leaders.
Source: El heraldo
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
