Three days after their 3–0 home win against FC Nantes at the Parc des Princes, Paris Saint-Germain were already back in Ligue 1 action for Matchday 31. The Parisians faced another club from western France, traveling to the Stade Raymond-Kopa to take on Angers SCO. And with Achraf Hakimi’s first run into the opposition box, the Rouge et Bleu took the lead thanks to Lee Kang-In’s composure, reacting quickest after Hervé Koffi’s save from the Paris full-back (0–1, 8')!
From one of their rare attacks, Angers thought they had equalised through Amine Sbaï, but the Raymond-Kopa crowd was quickly silenced as the goal was ruled out for offside (21'). The club from the capital then pushed forward again, led by their captain Achraf Hakimi, whose free-kick from 30 metres out struck the post (28'). Late in the first half, Senny Mayulu finally rewarded Paris’s dominance, finishing with his left foot after a pass from Lucas Beraldo to double the lead (0–2, 39')!
The score could have been even heavier if Jordan Lefort had not come to his team’s rescue by clearing Bradley Barcola’s chipped effort off the line, after the winger had impressed on the left flank before cutting inside and beating Hervé Koffi (43'). In the second half, Luis Enrique’s men kept the same approach, quickly turning to attack. After testing the Angers goalkeeper, Lucas Beraldo made the most of the resulting corner to head home and extend Paris’s lead (0–3, 52')!
Still not enough to satisfy the Parisians, as shown by Gonçalo Ramos, who failed to hit the target after meeting a cut-back from Bradley Barcola (62'). But the Portuguese striker’s commitment eventually cost him, as he received a second yellow card and was sent off (74'). The Rouge et Bleu therefore had to finish the match with ten men, though they were never really put under pressure.
Right up until the closing moments, when Matvey Safonov had to be alert to deny Lanroy Machine and preserve Paris’s clean sheet (90+3'). After a thoroughly professional performance, Paris Saint-Germain claimed victory away at Angers SCO and strengthened their position at the top of the table, now six points clear of their nearest challengers, RC Lens.
Attention can now turn to the European stage and the visit of FC Bayern Munich to the Parc des Princes on Tuesday for the first leg of the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League (21:00). The countdown is on!
