Paris
On Wednesday, our Parisiennes travelled to Lisbon to conclude their European campaign. With no chance of qualifying for the knockout stages, Paulo César decided to call on the depth of his squad just days before a crucial league match against Paris FC.
Captain for the evening, Elisa de Almeida played alongside Thiniba Samoura and Eva Gaetino, forming a back three in front of goalkeeper Katarzyna Kiedrzynek. Already a starter against Leuven on the last matchday, Ornella Graziani retained her place on the right, while Tara Elimbi Gilbert took her place on the opposite side. In midfield, Joe Echegini and Anaïs Ebayilin supported young Tanté Diakité, who recently signed her first professional contract with the capital club. Finally, in attack, an unprecedented duo took to the field with Froya Dorsin making her first start of the season alongside Merveille Kanjinga.
From the outset, Les Rouge et Bleu took control of the game and showed their attacking intent at the Estadio da Luz. Their determination was quickly rewarded thanks to the unselfish play of Froya Dorsin, who set up Joe Echegini at the edge of the box. Facing the goal, the Nigerian international kept her cool and beat Lena Pauels with her left foot to give her side the lead (0-1, 5').
However, this opening goal did little to discourage the ambitious Portuguese, who were keen to restore some pride in front of their home crowd. Also eliminated from the play-offs, Ivan Baptista's players quickly created danger in the final third. However, the Lusitanian women lacked precision, and their first attempts missed the target of Katarzyna Kiedrzynek's goal (12', 13', 20').
After several warnings in the Parisian area, Benfica managed to get a chance to level the match with a penalty. Carole Costa drew on all her experience and wrong-footed Katarzyna Kiedrzynek, restoring parity (1-1, 32'). Despite several chances for Froya Dorsin (36'), Tanté Diakité (39') and Merveille Kanjinga (43'), the two teams went into the break on level terms.
As soon as play resumed, Paulo César brought on fresh legs in an attempt to breathe new life into the Rouge et Bleu side. Elisa de Almeida and Tanté Diakité made way for Jackie Groenen and Isabela. Paris quickly showed themselves to be more enterprising than their opponents, but came up against a well-organised defence. Anaïs Ebayilin and Joe Echegini saw their attempts blocked (52'), Merveille Kanjinga finally managed to break through the Portuguese back line to give the capital club the lead, only for the goal to be disallowed after several minutes of VAR consultation (70').
Despite Parisian domination in the second half, the score remained unchanged in Lisbon, and our Rouge et Bleu's European campaign ended with another draw. One last fixture awaits the capital club this year, as the derby against Paris FC will take place this Saturday, 20th December at 8pm at the Campus PSG. Paulo César's players will need your support for this clash between the second and third-placed teams in the Arkéma Première Ligue, with only three points separating the two sides.
