PSG vs. Marseille: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game
Paris Saint-Germain, through two penalties from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were able to win the first Classique of the season, beating Marseille 2-1 on Sunday night.
It was a spirited performance from the much-maligned away side, but missed chances and poor defensive mistakes cost Michel’s team dearly, and PSG had enough quality when it counted to take the three points.
That gave PSG their 10th consecutive win over their Ligue 1 rivals—a new record—demonstrating the increasing gap between the Parisians and the rest of the division when it counts.
Here are the winners and losers from PSG’s 2-1 win over Marseille.
Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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During the 3-0 Champions League win against Shakhtar Donetsk, the third goal was forced by Zlatan Ibrahimovic but was handed to defender Darijo Srna—that kept the Swede on 108 goals, still one behind Pauleta as PSG’s all-time top goalscorer.
After Steve Mandanda had previously stopped the striker on Sunday night, the former Barcelona man would not only equal Pauleta’s record, but against their fierce rivals, Ibrahimovic would break the record with two penalties in three minutes.
Mandanda took the Swede down in the box on 41 minutes, and he picked himself up to tuck away the first. It was Zlatan’s header that was handled by Rolando just two minutes later, and at the second attempt, Ibrahimovic fired himself into the history books.
Winner: Michy Batshuayi
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The last Marseille player to score at the Parc des Princes was Andre Ayew back in 2012. The 59th-minute header levelled the score at 1-1, but Marseille would go on to lose 2-1.
Although the result ended the same way, OM fans will be delighted to see Michy Batshuayi end their team’s drought in the French capital.
The Belgian striker did well to time his run to perfection, and Abdelaziz Barrada’s right-foot cross was nodded into the net to give Marseille a 1-0 lead.
Still only 22 years old, Batshuayi had six shots on goal and was easily Marseille’s most potent goal threat. On another night and not against the impressive Kevin Trapp, he could have had a greater impact.
Loser: David Luiz
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After a spell of home pressure, it was Marseille that took the lead on Sunday night. Barrada’s cross from the left was met perfectly by Batshuayi, but David Luiz’s positioning should have been better.
The Brazilian was caught under the flight of the ball and could only watch as the Belgian striker got up higher than the centre-back to head past Trapp.
As Batshuayi made contact with the header, Luiz was on his heels and couldn’t jump to head away the danger.
Winner: Kevin Trapp
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Two costly errors against Bordeaux put a huge question mark over Trapp’s head, but the German goalkeeper has reacted well. On Sunday night, he put those doubts to bed.
Saving Barrada’s penalty to keep the score 2-1 will have given the keeper great confidence. He would then save stinging shots from Batshuayi and Remy Cabella to help his club secure the one-goal victory.
Although he wasn’t able to keep a clean sheet, it was a performance that showed he can make the difference for the Parisians and is worthy of his No. 1 status.
Loser: Abdelaziz Barrada
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A former member of the PSG youth setup, it was nearly a perfect return for the Moroccan international on Sunday.
The 26-year-old picked up his fourth assist of the season to set up Batshuayi with the opening goal, but he missed a huge chance to really make his mark.
After Serge Aurier brought him down in the box, Barrada would step up to take the penalty, but Trapp read it well and turned it wide of the post.
To earn a point in Le Classique would have been a fantastic moment for Barrada, and it will play on his mind of how it could have been so different.
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