Not even Kylian Mbappe could save Paris Saint-Germain from a tedious performance as the defending champions drew 1-1 with Toulouse in the French league on Saturday.
Mbappe came from the bench and replaced Lee Kang-in in the 51st minute in the hope of breaking the deadlock. The French striker put PSG ahead with a 62-minute penalty after Rasmus Nicolaisen fouled him.
PSG had a chance to score a second goal in the 77th minute when Vitinha came on, but the Portuguese midfielder shot the ball wide of the target.
Toulouse punished PSG for that miss. Moroccan winger Zakaria Aboukhlal equalized from the penalty spot in the 87th minute after Achraf Hakimi tripped.
❤️💙👏#TFCPSG pic.twitter.com/8nZ8eQDN3A
– Paris Saint Germain (@PSG_English) August 19, 2023
PSG enjoys a lot of possession, which was part of Luis Enrique’s tenure as Spain coach.
“We played rhythmically for the first 60 minutes,” said Luis Enrique. “The opponent barely came close to our goal. After the goal, we entered the game a little more frantic with a lack of control. I know a lot of people don’t like to be possessive, but I like it. We have to hold the ball more, we have to create more chances and above all we have to stop the opponent from creating them.”
Mbappe was ostracized by PSG this summer because of a contract deadlock. But the club’s tough stance did not last long. Mbappe was allowed to train with the first team just a day after PSG started the campaign with a 0-0 draw with Lorient last weekend.
New signing Ousmane Dembele made his PSG debut by replacing Fabian Ruiz in the 51st minute. The former Barcelona winger created that delicious opportunity for Vitinha in the 77th minute.
Meanwhile, Lyon have two losses and no points to start the tournament after falling to Montpellier 4-1.
Lyon striker Lacazette was so frustrated he was sent off in the 80th minute for a rough foul on Teji Savanier.
Montpellier got his first win after drawing Le Havre 2-2 on the opening weekend.
Winger Arnaud Nordin took advantage of a Remy Riou mistake to open the scoring 20 minutes into the match. Mousa Al-Tamari doubled the lead after a counter-attack after 39 minutes. The Jordan winger started running from the half-way. and dribble past Duje Caleta-Car before beating Riou with a low shot.
Al-Tamari, who joined Montpellier from Belgian club Leuven this summer on a free transfer, made it 3-0 by chasing a long shot from goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte to put the ball in. slipped past Riou in the 66th minute.
Lacazette equalized in the 69th minute, then Nigerian striker Akor Adams, who scored twice against Le Havre, sealed the victory with a quick 89th-minute breakthrough.
Lyon’s lack of quality was evident as the hosts struggled to create chances and were led by a poor defence.
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Lyon coach Laurent Blanc said: “It can be a matter of confidence and it can also be a matter of qualifications. “There are some players who have not reached the highest level. That’s okay when they’re surrounded by top players, but it gets complicated when they’re alone.”
Lyon desperately needed reinforcements to compete for European spots, but severe financial constraints imposed by the league’s financial watchdog hampered the club’s recruitment efforts in the summer. This.
The match between Lyon and Montpellier has been postponed by two hours because of a heat wave in the area.
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