Reims vs. PSG: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game
Paris Saint-Germain remain unbeaten in Ligue 1, but they suffered an almighty scare in a 1-1 draw away at Stade de Reims on Saturday.
After 83 minutes at Stade Auguste Delaune, substitute Theoson Jordan Siebatcheu put the hosts 1-0 up, and Olivier Guegan’s men looked as if they were heading for all three points.
However, less than one minute later, PSG went up the other end and equalised. One of the French champions’ substitutes, Edinson Cavani, got on the end of Javier Pastore’s ball over the top to instantly haul Laurent Blanc’s side level.
Reims can consider themselves unlucky. Had they walked away with maximum points, they would not have been undeserving winners after a very good performance with a few important players out injured.
Les Parisiens had more chances to score over the 90 minutes, putting the ball in the net from offside positions three times in the first half, before one was eventually taken by the in-form Cavani.
Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s 1-1 draw away at Reims.
Winner: Nicolas De Preville
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It might have been Theoson Jordan Siebatcheu who opened the scoring for Reims just seven minutes from time, but the 19-year-old would not have been presented with the most simple of finishes had it not been for the hard work of his teammate Nicolas De Preville.
For the entire 90 minutes, the Reims No. 12 was a menace to the PSG defence, and he contributed towards what was a largely forgettable full Ligue 1 debut with the capital club for Layvin Kurzawa.
In the first half, De Preville embarrassed Les Parisiens’ captain, Thiago Silva, robbing him of the ball before putting a dangerous cross into the box that was cut out by Marquinhos.
The 24-year-old then struck the post before the break after bringing the ball down well and launching a left-footed effort at goal.
De Preville was quieter in the second half but perked up when it mattered, hustling Kurzawa off the ball and beating Silva to it to give Siebatcheu a straightforward chance to convert.
Loser: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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After Le Parisien (h/t ESPNFC's Mark Rodden) revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic was only able to start the 2-0 win over former club Malmo FF in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week on painkillers, it would have been understandable if PSG coach Laurent Blanc had opted to rest the Swede against Reims.
However, the Frenchman insisted that the 33-year-old simply needs more matches in order to regain his previous sharpness, so he played his No. 10 for the full 90 minutes in Reims.
Consequently, Ibrahimovic endured one of his worst performances for the capital club on a day when nothing went right for the talismanic striker in front of goal.
It was clear watching him that he is far from fully fit, and perhaps another spell of rest is needed before he is finally over a succession of early-season injury problems.
It took Zlatan 70 minutes to hit his first shot on target, and the display was similar to the one we saw in the 2-0 win over Malmo on Tuesday, minus his superb assist.
Ibrahimovic's failure to hit the target with a header after Reims’ substitute goalkeeper, Johny Placide, parried a Marco Verratti shot into his path summed up his torrid afternoon at Stade Auguste Delaune.
Winner: Olivier Guegan
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Reims’ excellent start to the season continues, and their impressive form is largely because of coach Olivier Guegan.
The 43-year-old, in his first coaching post, took over at Stade Auguste Delaune in late April. There were seven games to go until the end of last season, and the club was facing relegation. Guegan inspired it to three wins in that time and steered it clear of the drop by seven points in the end.
Since the start of this campaign, the Frenchman has his side playing some lovely football, and Les Remois have beaten Girondins de Bordeaux away, as well as Olympique de Marseille and FC Lorient at home.
Their only defeat has been a narrow 1-0 loss away at FC Nantes, and a second straight draw, after tying Toulouse, adds to Guegan’s growing reputation.
This draw, achieved with a number of important players missing, is the most impressive result of Reims’ season so far.
Loser: Layvin Kurzawa
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Making his first start for PSG since joining from AS Monaco towards the end of the transfer window, Layvin Kurzawa got his first real chance to impress Laurent Blanc and stake an early claim to feature ahead of regular left-back Maxwell.
Instead, the France international endured a difficult afternoon, largely thanks to Reims’ Nicolas De Preville, doing little to persuade Le President to favour him over the evergreen Brazilian.
Kurzawa was eager to impress, and that desire to make Blanc sit up and take notice led to an inconsistent display, percolated with a number of errors because of lapses in concentration.
The 23-year-old was at fault for the Reims goal, failing to clear properly before attempting a suicidal back-heel in his own penalty box and losing his footing to complete his embarrassment.
Winner: Edinson Cavani
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After a slow start to the season, Edinson Cavani is back in prolific form for PSG, and it was the Uruguayan’s sixth goal in four matches that secured a point for the defending champions.
Rested from kick-off, it took Laurent Blanc until the 65th minute to introduce El Matador, and it turned out to be the right move by Le President.
Cavani scored from a lofted Javier Pastore pass inside a minute of Reims’ opener, keeping up his recent purple patch of form, and the 28-year-old has now scored five of PSG’s 10 Ligue 1 goals this season.
The South American also continues to find the back of the net, while strike partner Zlatan Ibrahimovic remains far from full fitness and anything but his usual clinical self in front of goal.
Loser: Lucas Moura
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Since scoring the only goal of the game in the 1-0 win away at Lille OSC in the opening game of the season, Lucas Moura has done little to impress for PSG.
The Brazilian’s disappointing start to the campaign continued in Reims, with the 23-year-old one of a number of below-par performers on the day.
Lucas was quiet and contributed little in attack, aside from scoring an offside goal, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Ezequiel Lavezzi equally as unimpressive.
It was unsurprising when Laurent Blanc decided to withdraw the Selecao star in order to introduce Edinson Cavani. The only thing that was more shocking was that the Frenchman did not put El Matador on for Ibrahimovic, with the Swede's movement laboured and Lucas relatively fresh after sitting out the 2-0 win over Malmo FF.
Cavani, Moura's replacement, went on to score the team’s equaliser. Lucas, after being an unused substitute in the win over Malmo, could find himself limited to a bench role for the foreseeable future with Angel Di Maria impressing in his early PSG displays.
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