This is the score of the week for Paris Saint-Germain: five days after beating (and eliminating) FC Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, PSG won again 4 goals to 1, Sunday April 21, this time against Lyon at the end of the 30th day of Ligue 1. A success which brings them closer to a twelfth French championship title.
With 66 points, the Parisians sit above their new runners-up from Monaco (55 pts), winners in the afternoon in Brest, now third (53 pts). They will retain their title if they win in Lorient on Wednesday in a late match of the 29th day and if Monaco does not imitate them two hours later against Lille. Lyon (41 points) must for its part give up 7th place to Rennes, winner of Nantes on Saturday.
Sunday evening, for one of the emblematic posters of the championship, PSG did not let any suspense build up against a team which, however, had an excellent second half of the season and had just won ten victories in its last thirteen matches, all competitions combined. And this, without Kylian Mbappé left on the bench, whose playing time has been cut by Luis Enrique in Ligue 1 since he announced his departure this summer to the club’s leaders.
Paris struck hard from the start, forcing experienced Lyon midfielder Nemanja Matic to deceive his own goalkeeper by cutting out a cross from Marco Asensio (1-0, 3rd). Only three minutes later, Brazilian defender Lucas Beraldo worsened the situation following a corner (2-0). After the dangerous raids of Warren Zaire-Emery (15th) and Bradley Barcola (18th), Paris took off with an angry header from Gonçalo Ramos taking a cross from Achraf Hakimi (3-0, 32nd).
PSG with confidence
The Lyonnais had the merit of not giving up during this deluge of goals, and the Parisian goalkeeper, Gianluigi Donnarumma, had to work to deflect a strike from Rayan Cherki (8th) then from Alexandre Lacazette (24th). The Rhone residents managed to reduce the gap through Ernest Nuamah with a nice low shot from outside the area (1-3, 37th). Two minutes later, last summer’s rookie hit the post with a shot in a similar position.
The Lyonnais perhaps imagined imitating their female counterparts, who had made a “comeback” the day before against the Parisians in the semi-final of the Champions League, but the men’s version of PSG gave off an impression of great confidence, and continued to unfold its domination. On a counter initiated by an individual exploit from Vitinha, Gonçalo Ramos scored twice before the break (4-1, 42nd).
When we returned from the locker room, the pace of the match dropped. Maxence Caqueret could have once again exposed the flaws in the Parisian defense but, at point blank range, he shot Donnarumma (63rd). And Danilo intervened with authority on another long shot (76th).
The Park’s tribute to Marquinhos
Unconcerned about seeing the Lyonnais return, Luis Enrique rotated widely, with the aim of sparing a group which will play two other Ligue 1 matches (Lorient and Le Havre) before the first leg of his Ligue 1 semi-final. champions against Dortmund on May 1.
During his exit in the 68th minute, Brazilian captain Marquinhos was even able to receive the tribute of the Parc des Princes after having surpassed, on Tuesday against Barcelona, ??Jean-Marc Pilorget’s record of 435 games played in the PSG jersey. After the match, he received a trophy in the shape of the Eiffel Tower on the pitch from President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi.
“It’s incredible, it’s an evening with a lot of emotions for me, it’s the greatest pride to wear this trophy,” Marquinhos said on the microphone, acclaimed by the audience. “PSG is my life,” added the 29-year-old, who arrived in the capital in the summer of 2013. “The championship, the Coupe de France, the Champions League are there, we’re going to go get them.” , he concluded. One of the objectives of the PSG season, the Coupe de France, will also be the opportunity to meet the Lyonnais in the final, on May 25, hungry for revenge.
