Kylian Mbappe and Vitinha’s goals helped Paris Saint-Germain secure a tight 2-0 victory away to Le Havre on Sunday, following goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma’s early red card.
Even though PSG won by two goals, they still had to exert a lot of patience to hold off the hosts and go four points clear of Nice in second place in the standings.
The struggling visitors took the lead thanks to a well-executed strike by Mbappe, their 15th goal in the league this year, but the points were not secured until the very end when Vitinha, a Portuguese midfielder, doubled the score with one minute left in regular time.
Coach Luis Enrique of PSG stated, “(I am) very proud of what the team showed, the mentality, the ability to adapt to the different things that happened during the game, and the team spirit.”
“We were determined to defend more than normal, and we did a great job of it.
“We did not give up many opportunities, and Arnau (Tenas) saved the ones we did give up,” Enrique continued.
The 22-year-old backup goalkeeper, who left Barcelon to join PSG on a free transfer in the summer, made an unexpected professional debut when he was brought on with 12 minutes remaining.
Enrique remarked, “He (Tenas) is obviously a top pro; he trains every day like it is his last.”
The red card
Bright from the outset, Le Havre earned many early corners. Fabian Ruiz hurt his right shoulder defending a set-piece during one of these corners, forcing the visitors to make a change.
But it was a long ball that eventually exposed the Paris defense, as Josue Casimir was able to sneak in before Donnarumma abruptly stopped him after Nordi Mukiele failed to clear the ball.
The referee had no choice but to issue a red card when the Italian, in a frantic attempt to clear the ball, caught the Le Havre player quite high on the shoulder outside the area.
PSG took the lead in spite of their numerical disadvantage and the loss of forward Bradley Barcola, who was substituted for goalkeeper Tenas.
Mbappe’s first touch got him past the defender and into a yard of space, where he wrong-footed the goalie from inside the D and scored via the post after Ousmane Dembele hammered a pass into his captain’s feet.
Just before the hour mark, there were chances on both ends. Mohamed Bayo missed a clear opportunity to strike weakly at Tenas, and Dembele then blasted across goal after the ball brushed the far post.
The hosts pressed, and PSG’s lead was only preserved by a brilliant stop by Tenas in the 64th minute and a crucial sliding interception by Danilo Pereira three minutes later.
However, in the 70th minute, Dembele and PSG had the finest opportunity to score the game’s second goal, but the winger was foiled by a retreating Christopher Operi.
With 12 minutes left, Tenas once again saved the league leaders, this time from Nabil Alioui with a superb double save at his near post.
In the 89th minute, a PSG attack into Le Havre area resulted in Vitinha attempting his luck from a distance. A significant deflection caused the ball to loop over the defenseless goalie, ensuring victory at last.
With a 2-0 victory over Montpellier at home in Sunday’s afternoon kickoffs, Monaco took advantage of Nice’s mistake on Saturday to reduce the deficit to two points.
Nine minutes in, Takumi Minamino gave the hosts the lead, and two minutes into second half extra time, Wissam Ben Yedder completed the victory.
Thanks to goals from Mathias Pereira Lage and a brace from Romain Del Castillo, Brest defeated lowly Clermont 3-0.
72 minutes had seen Thijs Dallinga give the hosts the lead, but Bamba Dieng’s equalizer in the 91st minute insured that the points would be divided between Toulouse and Lorient.
In the meantime, Teddy Teuma started the game as Stade Reims defeated Strasbourg 2-1 on Friday to begin action in Ligue 1.
