It took that, a blunder by the opposing goalkeeper, for Paris Saint-Germain to win on an evening when its attackers were lacking in front of goal. The capital club won its first Champions League match of the season on Wednesday, September 18, against Girona (1-0), thanks to a stroke of luck in the last minute of the match. A ball that slipped from the gloves of Paulo Gazzaniga, the Girona goalkeeper, went under his legs and into the goal. Exultation and relief could mingle in the din of the Parc des Princes.
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The biggest continental competition was making its return to the Parisian setting, but the feeling was completely different. No tifo or atmosphere of the big European evenings, because the Auteuil bend, where the members of the Ultras Paris collective give the there in the stands, was closed. A UEFA sanction following the use of smoke bombs during the C1 semi-final against Borussia Dortmund on May 7. On the pitch, too, PSG did not display the European face expected of it.
Throughout the entire match, the Parisian attackers forgot to activate the Champions League mode, where the level is higher than in Ligue 1, which the capital club already dominates, with sixteen goals scored in four victories. This convincing start to the season had validated the direction taken by Luis Enrique and his management: a less bling-bling team, with a marked playing identity and more focused on the collective.
A more consistent second period
The transition after the departure of Kylian Mbappé, who scored 44 goals last season, has therefore started smoothly. The danger in attack must now come from everywhere and the reception of Girona, who were playing the first Champions League match in their history, was a good opportunity to prove it. Especially since the club arrived weighed down by uncertainties, having been swept away last weekend by FC Barcelona (1-4).
Apart from a few minutes at the start of the second half – marked by a save by PSG’s Russian goalkeeper, Matvey Safonov, on a header from Cristhian Stuani (52e) –, Girona did not worry Paris. But Luis Enrique’s players were lacking offensively. The first period was a failure, like the performance of Bradley Barcola, who has been in decline for two games. “The first half was difficult, but I liked the second, where we were infinitely superior”Luis Enrique said.
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This second half was indeed more consistent, more lively too (20 shots), but it remained marked by the glaring Parisian inefficiency. This fault recalled the performances of the French team during the Euro, in which Ousmane Dembélé participated. The 27-year-old winger had set the target in recent weeks (four goals, three assists in six matches). Against Girona, he distinguished himself by his lack of efficiency, shooting eight times, but too often wide.
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