Paris
Kiedrzynek, Le Guilly, Samoura, Mbock, Elimbi Gilbert, Ebayilin, Yaya (Groenen, 61'), Echegini (Carmona, 61'), Karchaoui (Charlier, 71'), Morissaint, Ajibade (Jourde, 71').
Three days after their 5–0 demolition of OH Leuven in the UEFA Women's Champions League, Paulo César's players were back in league action this afternoon to take on Fleury in the first Île-de-France derby of the season.
Within the game's opening few minutes, Les Rouge et Bleue took control of the possession and called opposition keeper Katriina Talaslahti into action on multiple occasions. Although the hosts were let off the hook by Yaya's and Tara Elimbi Gilbert's respective attempts shortly before the quarter-hour mark, their defensive line would eventually be undone by Léa Morissaint in the 22nd minute, as a Fleury player inside the box deflected the Paris striker's shot with her hand and therefore gave away a penalty, which Morissaint herself duly converted to open her account for the season.
Spurred on by the presence of 200 travelling ultras, Les Parisiennes kept up their high tempo and began to push Fleury further and further into their own half. This pressure ended up paying dividends in the 36th minute, when the aforementioned Elimbi Gilbert crossed the ball into the box for Joe Echegini, whose fine looping header beat Talaslahti and doubled the visitors' lead.
After the restart, Antoine Ponroy's players showed a burst of pride as they looked to reduce the deficit, but they were twice stopped by Paris's solid rear guard. Meanwhile, at the other end, Paulo César's side continued to put on a show. In the 58th minute, a few moments after having a goal ruled out for offside, Rasheedat Ajibade took advantage of a mix-up in the Fleury defence to bag her third goal of the season across all competitions as well as her side's third goal of the afternoon.
Keen not to stray from their principles, the hosts kept up their attacks and were eventually rewarded for their persistence when half-time substitute Shana Chossenotte found the back of the net with 15 minutes of normal time remaining. Having been caught off guard, Les Parisiennes immediately looked to restore their three-goal advantage, but Jackie Groenen saw her powerful strike smash against Talaslahti's post. Despite several further opportunities for Paris's second-half substitutes, including Olga Carmona in the 81st minute, the score would remain the same until the final whistle.
Thanks to this win, Sakina Karchaoui and co. continue their faultless start to the Première Ligue campaign and draw level with OL Lyonnes at the top of the table ahead of the two teams' meeting with each other at 21:00 CEST on Saturday 17th October. Before then, though, the first international break of the season beckons for several Parisiennes.
Talk about being head over heels! Léa Morissaint certainly had good reason to celebrate, too, as she opened the scoring from the spot in the 22nd minute of what was her first start as a professional player, thereby guiding the way for her teammates to secure an entertaining victory at Essonne Stadium.
