Paris Saint-Germain moved three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after an unexpectedly one-sided performance in Le Classique ended 3-0 for the French champions at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday. Credit to the team for Luis Enrique, who showed a newfound maturity after the Test match. Les Parisiens’ form has been faltering of late, with just one win in their last four games across all competitions heading into this weekend, but the capital side took the lead against Olympique de Marseille after just seven minutes and, in an unbalanced situation, were in sight just before half-time. It’s gone. to face
It took just seven minutes for Joao Neves to deny Geronimo Rulli a mistake and give the supporter-less visitors the lead. Until then, PSG players had overcome alone and silenced the home crowd, which had been a wall of noise against a team they were familiar with. Adrien Rabiot’s face. Referee François Letexier made things easier for Luis Enrique’s men 13 minutes later when he gave captain Marquinhos a harsh straight red card for a clumsy high-footed Amin Harit challenge.
The manner of Paris’ second goal was shocking from Marseille’s point of view, with Roberto De Zervi watching in horror as Leonardo Balerdi found his own net 30 minutes earlier, and the self-inflicted goal was so comical that it almost looked like a car. Yes. Crash in slow motion. It took 11 more minutes for PSG to add another goal as Bradley Barcola finished with an easy finish after Ousmane Dembele teed it up to ensure the game was over after 40 minutes with OM supporters already leaving the stadium.
Managing emotions has always been key for Luis Enrique and his players given that Paris fans were not allowed to travel to Marseille and the Spanish tactician took up this spot when the stakes were highest. AS Monaco’s away defeat at OGC Nice was good news for PSG. Because they were asked to open a three-point lead at the top. However, OM’s win was equally a potential trap, as it meant that all three were tied. At 20 points.
A calm and composed opening 20 minutes effectively won the game for the visitors. In the meantime, the dynamic on the pitch essentially changed from extra men for Marseille to almost extra men with just over an hour left to play. Neves’ punishment of Rulli’s mistake was the start of a temperature shift after an impressive rise to boiling point just before kick-off. But the key moment was Harit’s control of his temper when he went high and caught Marquinhos.
The action itself arguably deserved a yellow card at best, and certainly not a dismissal that would have irreversibly changed the course of the contest, but OM were in a frenzy at this point and De Zerbi was in the clear given his team’s history of struggling in this contest. I should have prepared better. fixture. Considering just how much history PSG were able to turn into a win in the first half, the men from the capital are unbeaten in 11 of Championnat’s visits to the Stade Velodrome, with eight of those wins now making it nine in 12. This is a record that beats fierce rivals.
From that moment on, the one-man advantage gained in the stands arguably became a two-man disadvantage. OM fans don’t believe in a win with Harit sent off, as De Zerbi was previously too big of a mountain for his troops to continue growing. I admit it again in a comical way. As shocking as Paris’ record in Provence is the fact that this side under Luis Enrique looked very ordinary in their home draw with PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League just a few days ago. This is the most impressive Ligue 1 team in the top tier of European football this season.
If Luis Enrique can replicate the team’s outstanding performance against the likes of Atletico Madrid, Manchester City at home and Bayern Munich away in the first half of this match, there is no doubt that their poor UCL start is still possible. Arrested and turned away. The mental focus on OM was so sharp that it produced the kind of clinical finishing that was missing while still enjoying a monopoly on possession. Perhaps that was the key ingredient missing when they dropped points against Arsenal and Nice in recent weeks. , RC Strasbourg Alsace and PSV.
