Hervin Ongenda Reminds PSG of His Promise in Lorient Win

Regardless of what happens elsewhere in Ligue 1 this weekend, Paris Saint-Germain will be at least 11 points clear at the summit come Monday after they scraped a 2-1 win away at FC Lorient on Saturday.

Laurent Blanc’s men found the back of the net in the first half through Hervin Ongenda and Blaise Matuidi, with Benjamin Moukandjo scoring a consolation goal for Les Merlus towards the end of the game at Stade du Moustoir.

Just over one week on from last week’s terrorist attacks in Paris, domestic football got back underway in France after the recent international break, but Les Parisiens’ form remained unchanged.

Blanc admitted to PSG.fr that it was hard to refocus on football after last week’s events in the capital, but Le President was also pleased with his players’ collective performance under the circumstances:

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We didn't have a choice. Everyone does their job, and it's the same for us. We have to do what we know how to do, to prepare and try and win a football match. We have a quality squad, which allows us to perform well and keep winning. When people talk about Paris, we talk about the great stars, but there are also the youngsters. Today we started with Presnel (Kimpembe), Hervin (Ongenda) and Adrien (Rabiot). That is the proof that we can count on everyone, and that everyone can help the team stay on top. Obviously, you have to be a very good player to play for the Paris Saint-Germain first team.

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Ongenda was particularly impressive for the French champions in Brittany; scoring the opener after 26 minutes and playing a significant role in the buildup to Matuidi’s second just six minutes after that.

It was the 20-year-old’s first PSG start since back in October of 2013—when he laid on Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s famous over-the-shoulder backheel volley in a 4-0 win over SC Bastia—and he made it a memorable outing in Lorient.

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Ongenda’s opener was a volleyed finish with the underside of his boot after Dutch right-back Gregory van der Wiel had provided an inviting cross from the right with his rarely used left foot.

The capital club’s youth academy graduate studded the ball underneath Lorient goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte and just about over the line.

Although he scored his first competitive senior goal in the 2-1 win over Girondins de Bordeaux to win the Trophee des Champions back in August of 2013, Ongenda had never scored a Ligue 1 goal before Saturday.

The PSG No. 35 understandably delighted by his maiden strike in Le Championnat when he spoke with PSG.fr after the final whistle:

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The goal was fantastic because it's been a long time since I last played in Ligue 1. I was back in the squad and with my first start, I scored... It was a great feeling! We took our foot off the gas a little towards the end due to a little fatigue after the international break. It wasn't easy to get back into league action.

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As well as his goal, Ongenda played a key role in Matuidi’s as well. The youngster collected a pass from Ibrahimovic, took a touch and played the Swede into space before his inch-perfect cross gave Matuidi an easy finish.

Ongenda’s night could have been even better in the second half, but Lamine Gassama—who was given a torrid time by the France under-21 international—just about got the better of him aerially and almost scored an own goal in the process.

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After losing his way for a long period of time, Ongenda’s impressive display against Lorient has reminded everybody that he does still have the potential to become a good player.

A spell on loan at Bastia last season was unproductive, and no similar temporary move materialised before the end of the summer transfer window this year, even though it was clear that the player needs regular action.

The chances are that Ongenda—and fellow youth academy product Presnel Kimpembe—are not going to get too many chances to impress unless Blanc fields an entirely youthful team for both domestic cups.

So if the young attacking talent wants to get closer to recognising his potential and give himself a chance of prolonging his stay at Parc des Princes, then he needs to take every small chance he gets to catch Blanc’s eye and earn a loan move for the second half of the campaign.