Paris Saint-Germain snatched a dramatic draw against Lille (2-2) after trailing by two goals. After the match, LOSC left-back Romain Perraud, 28, discussed the frustrating turn of events for the northern side and PSG’s comeback, in comments reported by Le Petit Lillois.
Perraud: “They are a team that never gives up”
“What made the difference?”
“It’s hard to say; I think we played a very good first half. In the second half, we managed to score the goal that gave us a two-goal cushion. But against a team like that—a team with quality that never gives up—it was tough. Physically, I felt the strain. Once it was 2-1, there was still time left on the clock, and that 2-2 equalizer was a real blow. Looking back at the second half, perhaps we could have held onto the ball a bit more and tried to maintain possession during our weaker spells. Football is a game of fine margins, especially at the top level. We’ll learn from this.”
“Do you hold a grudge against the referee for letting play continue longer than expected?”
“I don’t know; I was on the pitch. I never talk about refereeing decisions. We’ll look at that later. Apparently, there was an extra minute and fifteen seconds played. It’s not really my place to talk about it, but it certainly leaves a bitter taste. We aren’t going to dwell on it forever.”
Beyond Lille’s frustration, Perraud’s assessment highlights a valuable quality of PSG: their ability to stay in a match that seemed all but lost. The defender also emphasizes the fatigue factor and Lille’s struggle to retain possession during periods when they were under pressure. By maintaining pressure right to the end, Paris eventually capitalized on that dip in control to shift the match’s momentum. Lille put in a worthy performance, but this PSG side is capable of suffocating opponents, making it look as though the other team has simply stopped playing.
Perraud: “I don’t feel like we handed them the draw.”
“Did Paris go out and earn that draw? Or did you sort of hand it to them?”
“I don’t know. They are a team that attacks constantly. I don’t feel like we handed them the draw. For the first goal, Vitinha struck the ball right into the top corner. Then the second one came right at the end—off a clearance from a set-piece or a corner, I can’t quite recall. We’re very disappointed because we would have liked to hold on for the win. As I said, we needed to show even more resilience—and a bit more luck, too, I think.”
Above all, Perraud refuses to attribute Paris’s comeback merely to a collapse by LOSC. On the contrary, his analysis highlights Paris Saint-Germain’s ability to keep launching attacks until they create scoring chances. Vitinha’s superb goal reignited the contest before the pressure applied in the final minutes finally paid off.
It was a scenario confirming that Paris can now secure a result even when they are far from dominating the game. We already knew this, and there is still significant work to be done early in the season. While there are plenty of shortcomings, avoiding defeat buys time during a staggered preparation period.
