A few days after winning the first leg of their Champions League tie against Monaco (2-3), Paris Saint-Germain were back in action, this time at the Parc des Princes for their Ligue 1 matchday 23 fixture against Metz. The Rouge et Bleu had one clear objective in mind: to take the top spot in the table. From the very first moments of the match, the capital club showed its intentions, with an early opening goal from Désiré Doué, perfectly set up by Warren Zaïre-Emery (1-0, 3').
The match got off to a flying start for the Parisians, who almost doubled their lead through Bradley Barcola (7') and then Dro Fernández (21'), without success. Luis Enrique's men were in complete control of the match, forcing the ball-starved Grenats to defend deep. The chances kept coming for Paris, who finally added a second just before half-time through Bradley Barcola, who was well placed at the far post to receive a pass from Gonçalo Ramos (2-0, 45+2').
In the second half, Les Rouge et Bleu were hungry for more and continued to put pressure on the visitors. Lee Kang-In sent a cross from the right side to Bradley Barcola, who was well placed but unable to take his chance. Less than a quarter of an hour later, Gonçalo Ramos was unable to connect with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's cross from the left wing. The Portuguese centre forward continued to put pressure on the Metz defence, and following an interception by Lucas Hernandez, the Parisian No. 9 carefully dribbled past Sadibou Sané before hammering home aa powerful shot from a tight angle (3-0, 77').
While the Parc crowd sang their hearts out, the Parisian players continued their assault on Jonathan Fischer's goal, who saved his team's honour by denying Warren Zaïre-Emery, who had made his way into the box following a perfect one-two with João Neves. The last chance fell to Gonçalo Ramos, who took advantage of the good work of his compatriot in midfield and that of Kvaratskhelia to find himself in a shooting position, but he was unable to add to the score (90').
Regardless, Paris Saint-Germain achieved what mattered most with a flawless victory, securing first place in Ligue 1. Les Rouge et Bleu now have a two-point lead over Lens and can turn their attention to a new challenge: the Champions League, starting next Wednesday at the Parc des Princes with the second leg of the play-off against AS Monaco. The date is set!
