On Friday evening, Paris Saint-Germain secured a 0-1 victory against Auxerre in Matchday 19 of the 2025-2026 Ligue 1 season at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps. Here are the highs and lows of this win.
Highs –
The 3 points.
It’s sometimes forgotten, because there are certain expectations surrounding this PSG team, but a win is crucial and never easy. The title race is tough, and there are no points to lose. Paris put pressure on Lens (1st before the start of the Ligue 1 matchday and now 2nd), who host Olympique de Marseille (3rd) this Saturday. There’s hope of finishing first at the end of the weekend; otherwise, the chasing pack will be even further behind.
A goal that boosts confidence.
Bradley Barcola (23-year-old striker) wasn’t the only one to miss chances recently, but he was one of the main culprits (unfortunately). Scoring the winning goal will do him a world of good. It’s also a bonus for all the Parisians, who were finally able to win. A welcome relief from the frustration of the last few days.
A solid defense.
It was against the least prolific attack in Ligue 1, but keeping a clean sheet can only be good for PSG. Especially for Lucas Chevalier (24-year-old goalkeeper) and Ilya Zabarnyi (23-year-old defender), who have been heavily criticized recently. Lucas Beraldo (22-year-old defender) was also very impressive. This should give them confidence in their rotation.
Flops –
Inefficiency, as usual.
As Vitinha said on Tuesday night, it’s a “movie we see far too often.” PSG dominated, created chances, but didn’t score. It’s good that they controlled the rest of the match overall. But they also need to score, especially given PSG’s wastefulness, which ranges from disheartening to astonishing. As mentioned earlier, we hope their confidence will return so they can see their attackers become more clinical.
