Paris Saint-Germain, leaders of Ligue 1, had to work hard to secure a 2-1 victory against RC Lens, after falling behind. This success allows him to maintain his unbeaten streak on the pitch at Stade Bollaert-Delelis.
A few weeks ago, Lens pushed PSG to their limits during the 32nd finals of the Coupe de France, but failed during a breathtaking penalty shootout.
This time, Les Sang et Or resisted the Parisians' initial pressure thanks to a disciplined defense, despite the absence of their key central defender, Abdukodir Khusanov.
Their determination was rewarded when M'Bala Nzola opened the scoring, taking advantage of a lost ball by Goduine Koyalipou following a corner to place a low shot into the bottom right corner, escaping the hands of Gianluigi Donnarumma. Lens, unbeaten in their last 12 Ligue 1 games when scoring first, put Luis Enrique's men in trouble before the break.
With no change at half-time, PSG redoubled their efforts to preserve their unbeaten run in Ligue 1. Lens almost doubled their lead when Nzola's magnificent solo effort found the back of the net, but the goal was ultimately ruled out for offside.
This canceled goal was decisive, as PSG reacted quickly with a good breakthrough from Bradley Barcola on the right flank, passing a precise pass to Fabian Ruiz, who adjusted a low strike into the bottom left corner to equalize on the hour game.
Both teams were offensive, with Lens particularly looking to regain the advantage.
Jonathan Gradit almost sealed the fate of the match by forcing Donnarumma to make his sixth save of the evening with a powerful strike from outside the area, before Barcola silenced the Lens crowd at the other end of the pitch.
-A clever relay from Joao Neves allowed Barcola to sneak into the box and fire a shot into the top corner, dashing Hervé Koffi's hopes by scoring the winning goal four minutes from time.
This victory allows PSG to increase its lead to 10 points over Marseille at the top of the table, despite having played one more match.
For their part, Will Still's men continue to suffer against the teams at the top of the table, this narrow defeat relegating them just outside the last European place occupied by Lyon.
Man of the Match according to Flashscore: Bradley Barcola (PSG)
Check out all the match statistics on Flashscore.
In short, this match revealed an interesting opposition between two styles of play, where the perseverance of the Lensois was put to the test by the individual talent of the Parisians. This begs the question: what is the true balance in football between individual technique and teamwork? This continuous challenge between these two aspects is what makes football so captivating.
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