Five days after their brilliant qualification at Anfield (0–2), Paris Saint-Germain were back in action in Ligue 1 for one of the most eagerly anticipated fixtures of the season: the visit of Lyon. The Parc des Princes was buzzing with excitement, with this top-of-the-table clash offering a special atmosphere. OL can no longer afford any slip-ups in this final sprint, and they started the match at a blistering pace, with Endrick capitalising on Afonso Moreira’s pass to open the scoring off the post from a tight angle (0-1, 6').
The visitors were looking confident, and Abner attempted an acrobatic overhead kick that Matvey Safonov did well to save (12'). A few minutes later, Paris responded through Gonçalo Ramos, whose left-footed shot from 20 metres was saved by Dominik Greif (17'). From the resulting corner, Lyon launched a swift counter-attack which Afonso Moreira finished with a shot across goal (0-2, 18'). Punished by the Gones’ clinical finishing, the Rouge et Bleu were forced into attempting to launch a comeback, something they know they are capable of.
With their combination play down the left flank, Bradley Barcola and Lucas Hernandez led the Parisian charge. Whilst the former came close to reducing the deficit after latching onto a ball in the box (29'), the latter forced Ainsley Maitland-Niles into a foul inside his own penalty area. But it wasn't enough for the capital club, with Gonçalo Ramos being denied by Dominik Greif, who dived the right way (33'). Everything seemed to be going Paulo Fonseca side's way in the first half, despite the Portuguese centre-forward's persistence, which led to his header going wide (45'+2). In the second half, the Parisians continued to dictate the play, but OL remained dangerous on the counter-attack, with Moreira forcing Matvey Safonov into a fine save (52').
As the minutes ticked by, the Rouge et Bleu pushed the Lyon defence back, pinning them in their own half. In an attempt to unsettle the defence that had kept the most clean sheets in Ligue 1 this season, Luis Enrique brought on fresh legs with the introductions of Fabián Ruiz, Ousmane Dembélé and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The latter quickly made his mark, but his left-footed shot across goal was tipped away for a corner by the Lyon goalkeeper (63’). It was then Ousmane Dembélé’s turn to try his luck, but his powerful strike from 20 metres struck the crossbar of a beaten Greif (75'). A bit of luck was all the Parisians lacked to set the final quarter of an hour alight.
Despite a one-sided second half and a remarkable goal from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the dying seconds of the game (1-2, 90'+4), Paris Saint-Germain were defeated by a ruthlessly efficient Olympique Lyonnais. Luis Enrique’s side nevertheless remain top of the Ligue 1 table, and will return to action next Wednesday when they host FC Nantes at the Parc des Princes in the postponed fixture from Matchday 26.
