VIDEO. Champions League: despite a festival of failures, PSG comes out on top against Girona

Bradley Barcola and PSG had a hard time winning. MAXPPP – LP/Fred Dugit

Frustrated and imprecise for a long time, Paris SG snatched a precious victory in extremis against Petit Poucet Girona (1-0), this Wednesday, September 18 at the Parc des Princes for its first Champions League match.

The match

Paris: 1
Girona: 0
Parc des Princes.
Half-time: 0-0.
Referee: Daniel Siebert.
Goal: Gazzaniga (90th, own goal).
Warning in Paris: Marquinhos (17th).
Warnings in Girona: Krejci (20th), Romeu (43rd), Gazzaniga (74th).
PARIS: Safonov – Hakimi, Marquinhos (c), Pacho, Nuno Mendes – Zaire-Emery, Vitinha (K. Lee, 63rd), Ruiz (Neves, 63rd) – Dembélé (Beraldo, 90th), Asensio (Kolo Muani, 39th), Barcola (Doué, 63rd).

With three points, PSG joins Real Madrid and Liverpool, without fully convincing however.

The evening had all the makings of a timid start to this new format of the premier competition: a novice opponent at this level and unknown in France, the Auteuil ultras stand empty due to a sanction, relatively low attendance among journalists…

And yet, Paris could not afford to give up points along the way if it wants to finish in the top eight of the 36-club league, after its eight matches, especially since its schedule is difficult with oppositions against Manchester City, Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Atlético Madrid.

But the men coached by Luis Enrique seemed as if anesthetized throughout the first act, sharing ball possession with the Catalans. PSG was hampered by the intense pressing of its opponents, as if surprised that a Tom Thumb would dare to play a similar game.

Festival of misses

However, Michel's team played a fluid and technical team game, allowing themselves to give a lesson in possession and recovery under pressure, for example in the 34th minute by going from one goal to the other (34).

The Parisians, for their part, were harmless on their rare opportunities, from Fabian Ruiz's weak strikes to Nuno Mendes or Achraf Hakimi's crosses that found no takers.

The Parisians outrageously dominated in the second half, but offered a festival of misses. Ousmane Dembélé thus forgot to shoot after a solitary raid on the counterattack and was caught by Krejci.

The former Barcelona player has repeatedly shown himself anxious to target, he who was often mocked for his pigeon shots last season, but his shots have in return been too soft… except when the Catalan goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga pushed his shot onto the bar (63).

Coming on in place of the injured Marco Asensio, Randal Kolo Muani also sinned in finishing, his recurring problem, with a header that grazed the post (70) or a shot that was too crossed from a tight angle when he had played wonderfully with his body to eliminate the defender (82). In the process, Achraf Hakimi also shot at the goalkeeper from close range.

The public therefore believed they were reliving the last two matches of the last Champions League against Dortmund (two 1-0 defeats), given the multiple missed K.O.s.

But deliverance came from a providential miss by Girona goalkeeper Gazzaniga, who had been pretty good up until then. On a tight cross from Nuno Mendes, the unfortunate player who bent down to collect the ball deflected it into his own goal. The crowd did not turn up their noses at this lucky goal and exulted, aware of an invaluable victory to launch the Champions League campaign.

In London against Arsenal on October 1, PSG will have to raise its level.