Published6. April 2024, 23:16
Football: PSG surprised by the last before facing Barça
Four days before the clash against FC Barcelona in the Champions League, the Parisians drew against Clermont.
Points lost, but a record for Marquinhos
AFP
Paris Saint-Germain conceded a draw at home against the bottom of Ligue 1 Clermont (1-1) on Saturday, a false note four days before their Champions League quarter-final first leg against FC Barcelona.
A little earlier Lens lost a lot of ground in the race for the C1 by also being surprised at home by a poorly ranked Le Havre (1-1).
PSG is not risking anything in the lead, with its 13 points lead over Brest, which hosts Metz on Sunday (1:00 p.m.) for the rest and end of the 28th day. But this poor performance has a bad effect before hosting Barça on Wednesday (9:00 p.m.), even if the team has been largely reshuffled by Luis Enrique in anticipation of the double shock against the Catalan giant.
Many changes
Among the Spanish coach’s many changes, Kylian Mbappé started on the bench before coming on in the final half hour and gifting Gonçalo Ramos the equalizer five minutes from time in the match. The Portuguese striker prevented PSG from losing for the first time in 2024, in all competitions.
Leading the score for a long time thanks to a goal from Malian Habib Keita, Clermont let a good operation slip away and remains last, five lengths behind barrage Lorient, who are playing a high-stakes match in Montpellier (3 p.m.), and seven behind Nantes (15th). ), which ends the day in a match behind closed doors against Lyon (8:45 p.m.), sanction for the smoke bombs used by supporters.
Lens is losing ground
In the race for Europe, Lens finds itself six points behind fourth place, qualifying for the Champions League play-offs, occupied by Monaco (49 points), which hosts Rennes on Sunday (5:05 p.m.). Lille, winner of Marseille (3-1) on Friday, has 49 pts like ASM.
The Sang et Or opened the scoring with a lob from Przemyslaw Frankowski, but the HAC equalized on a penalty from the American Emmanuel Sabbi.
The Normans are recovering a little after two defeats against competitors for maintenance, Clermont (2-1) and Montpellier (2-0). They are two steps ahead of Lorient.
With 435 matches played in the colors of PSG, captain Marquinhos on Saturday equaled the record, co-held by former defender Jean-Marc Pilorget, for the number of matches played with the capital team, and settles down permanently in Parisian legend. This longevity constitutes a tour de force in a club accustomed to incessant upheavals and which has seen many players and stars pass through the seasons.
(afp)