Two weeks after their spectacular win at Toulouse (3-6), Paris Saint-Germain returned to Ligue 1 and, more importantly, to the Parc des Princes, this time to take on one of the league's top teams: RC Lens. To try and continue the winning run, Luis Enrique fielded a central defensive pairing of Illia Zabarnyi and Lucas Beraldo in front of goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier. Achraf Hakimi, captain for the day, started at right-back with Nuno Mendes on the opposite flank, while Vitinha took his place as the holding midfielder alongside Warren Zaïre-Emery and Lee Kang-In. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Bradley Barcola occupied the wings, supporting Gonçalo Ramos through the middle.
The match got off to a flying start, with the visitors determined to show they weren't afraid to take risks. The northerners won a dangerous indirect free kick, but Florian Thauvin was denied by a strong Lucas Chevalier, who pushed the ball away with his chest and relieved the Parc (9'). That was enough to get the Parisians going, and they responded after a quarter of an hour thanks to a superb piece of play from Bradley Barcola: the French international, found 20 metres out by Vitinha, held off his marker before curling a perfect shot into the net to open the scoring (1-0, 15'). Paris wanted to build on the lead, but Malang Sarr's last-ditch tackle prevented Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from going one-on-one with the Lens goalkeeper (26').
A minute later, the danger was already coming from the other side, and this time it was Illia Zabarnyi who made a classy recovery to deflect Florian Thauvin's vicious cross for a corner (27'). After being injured early in the game following a violent collision with former Parisian Odsonne Edouard, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was eventually forced to make way for Ibrahim Mbaye on the right wing for the Rouge et Bleu (29'). The Parisian substitute wasted no time in making his mark: after a fine pass from Vitinha, our Titi burst into the opposition box and forced Robin Risser into a save at the near post (31'). As half-time approached, the Sang & Or decided to push higher up the pitch. Ruben Aguilar found Florian Thauvin in the box, but the latter's attempt flew just wide of Lucas Chevalier's post (45+2').
After returning from the changing rooms, Luis Enrique's men regained control of the game. And Bradley Barcola, once again, showed his pace by breaking through the centre and firing a powerful low shot that beat the Lens goalkeeper for the second time in the match (2-0, 51'). As the minutes ticked by, the Rouge et Bleu asserted their dominance over Lens, who struggled to get close to the Parisian goal. But physically, it was far from an ideal afternoon for the capital club, who saw Lee Kang-In and then Lucas Beraldo leave the pitch through injury, joining Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. However, the Parisians remained resolute, united behind a single objective: the win.
Paris did not stop, throwing everything into the battle, with Ibrahim Mbaye particularly active on the right flank. The Parisian No. 49 managed to cross after getting the better of Anthony Bermont, but Gonçalo Ramos' first-time shot was too central to trouble Robin Risser (87'). At the end of a well-controlled match, Paris Saint-Germain won comfortably against RC Lens and secured their fourth consecutive victory in as many league games. Now it's time for the Champions League for the Rouge et Bleu, who will return to the Parc des Princes next Wednesday to host Atalanta (9pm) in their first match of the league phase.
