PSG vs. Reims: Winners and Losers from Ligue 1 Game
Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 to a provisional 27 points with a 4-1 thrashing of Stade de Reims at Parc des Princes on Saturday.
After a draining run of matches since the start of 2016, manager Laurent Blanc’s men will now finally get some time to rest with no game to play until next Sunday away at Olympique de Lyonnais in Le Championnat.
The French champions have earned this small break in the past week; with a 2-1 win over Chelsea in the first leg of their last 16 encounter on Tuesday and then this straightforward triumph completing a sequence of 13 wins from 14 outings across all competitions.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored twice and provided two more assists for Gregory van der Wiel and Edinson Cavani as Les Parisiens eased to victory over a defensively deficient Reims outfit in the French capital.
Prince Oniangue did score a consolation goal for coach Olivier Guegan’s men, but PSG’s Kevin Trapp and Layvin Kurzawa both played significant roles in that goal being made possible for the Ligue 1 strugglers.
The hosts' Blaise Matuidi expressed his satisfaction at the performance when he spoke with the French giants' official website after the final whistle.
"I think we did a good job tonight and we're very happy with the performance. We knew it wasn't going to be easy, with the fatigue from Tuesday's match against Chelsea, but we continue our forward march and are still undefeated in the league this season. Pocho's departure? It's true he has been a very important player for us on the pitch and an important teammate off the pitch. Now he's moving on, and we wish him all the very best for the future. We'll miss him, he was a great element in the changing room... but we wish him well.
"
Here are some winners and losers from PSG’s 4-1 win over Reims.
Winner: Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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With a pair of goals and a brace of assists to match, Ibrahimovic’s double-double made him the biggest winner on the day.
The super Swede played a delightful one-two with Van der Wiel to play the Netherlands international in for the opener and then got in on the act himself by eventually firing home after the Reims defence had made a number of blocks to keep him and substitute Lucas Moura out.
Ibrahimovic was not done there, turning provider again with an intelligent and subtle touch to redirect a Layvin Kurzawa pass into the path of the onrushing Cavani to make it 3-1. The 34-year-old then completed the scoring at 4-1 with an offside volley in the second half.
Despite the fact that he was clearly offside when Van der Wiel’s cross arrived at his feet, it was another clinical finish from the talismanic striker.
In this sort of form, it is impossible to imagine that PSG are not desperate to renew his contract—which currently expires this summer—for at least one more season. Les Parisiens’ No. 10 is currently insatiable and has 23 goals and 10 assists to his name in Ligue alone this campaign.
Loser: Kevin Trapp
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Although he was not exclusively to blame for Reims’ consolation strike by Oniangue, Trapp played a significant role in conceding the goal—along with Kurzawa.
A huge mix up in the PSG defence saw the German goalkeeper and the French left-back collide as they tried to reach Nicolas de Preville’s inviting free-kick before Oniangue.
The pair failed in comic style, and after seeing John Obi Mikel score for Chelsea from a corner earlier in the week, the incident illustrates that Blanc has a few set piece issues to deal with in the coming weeks.
Winner: Gregory Van Der Wiel
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It has been a bad week for Serge Aurier, who is now indefinitely suspended after his ill-advised Periscope session last weekend.
Although he did not play in the 2-1 win over Chelsea on Tuesday, Van der Wiel now has an opportunity to make the starting right-back role his own again after the Ivory Coast international’s misconduct.
The Dutchman made a good start to that task, scoring the opener against Reims after 12 minutes and crossing for Ibrahimovic to volley in his second and PSG’s fourth of the afternoon in the second half.
More performances like this and Van der Wiel will have his starting role back in no time at all.
Loser: Olivier Guegan
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Having seen his Reims side hold PSG to a 1-1 draw earlier in the season when they were in good form, the Champagne side’s coach will be disappointed by his players’ efforts at Parc des Princes on Saturday.
Of particular concern for the 43-year-old will be the naive defensive mistakes made by his team’s back line.
Perched precariously above the relegation zone after a pair of recent back-to-back wins lifted them out of the bottom three, Guegan must solve his side’s defensive issues if Reims are to survive in Ligue 1.
Winner: Johann Carrasso
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It will not have been a debut to remember for Johann Carrasso in the Reims goal, but the 27-year-old can actually be extremely satisfied with his performance.
The former FC Metz man was given no chance with any of the PSG goals, but the Frenchman still managed to make a string of good saves to ensure that the final score was not more embarrassing for Reims.
Carrasso’s stop from a stinging Cavani shot in the second half was particularly impressive, and if he can maintain a similar level of performance in the coming weeks, he will win Guegan’s men some important points in their battle against relegation.
Loser: Mickael Tacalfred
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The Reims captain endured a day to forget at the back, along with the rest of his defensive team-mates.
The 34-year-old’s fellow defenders made some basic errors up against the PSG attack, and his experience meant he was the natural organiser.
Tacalfred should not have allowed his defence to concede some of the goals they did, and their shape at times was poor.
