This Sunday, as part of the 23rd day of Ligue 1 2024-2025, Paris Saint-Germain took on Olympique Lyonnais at Groupama Stadium. After a match in which the Rouge et Bleu made the difference before relaxing too much, they came away with a hard-fought 2-3 victory (video highlights Lyon/PSG). Here are our notes on the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Gianluigi Donnarumma (6) – A save in the first half, otherwise Lyon played far too far away from him and only had to contemplate the “show” from afar. His fine save on the hour showed he’s in good form. Little work, but still focused. He pushed back the clock and had little to do with Cherki’s goal. Still, he takes two goals, which is a lot for PSG and therefore for him.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (8) – Boiling over on the pitch, in a way we don’t like to see. He took a lot of knocks and put on a lot of pressure. Reframed by Luis Enrique, his first half was pretty average. For him, it’s obviously because he’s demanding, and his second half shows that he’s a great player. He came back with different intentions and scored twice.
Marquinhos (5.5) – Not much to complain about in the first half. He played high up the pitch and read trajectories well. His second half was a little less good, particularly on the Lyon goal where he was completely fooled by Mikautadze.
Lucas Beraldo (5.5) – He had a very average recovery in the middle, but otherwise didn’t have too many problems. Good second half too.
Nuno Mendes (6) – He came on a bit more as the first half wore on. A few times, he threw himself at Lyon’s relaunches. A good second half for him.
Midfielders –
Joao Neves (6) – Always a good presence in the fray, he struggled to get his game forward in the first half on a very complicated pitch. Not much to see overall, but he’s still there, he’s still responding.
Vitinha (6.5) – He set the tempo, albeit rather slowly in the first 45 minutes. He remains the most important player on the pitch. He doesn’t lose any balls, he plays the game and regulates.
Désiré Doué (6) – He tried hard, but didn’t make much of a difference at the start of the game. Very skilful, he appeared a little more “tired” than usual, but the pitch didn’t help him on his feet. Replaced in the 60th minute by Fabian Ruiz.
Forwards –
Ousmane Dembélé (6.5) – Had the best chances in the first half. He should certainly have scored, but he didn’t look as sharp as he has in recent weeks. Replaced by Lee Kang-in in the 74th minute.
Kvhicha Kvaratskhelia (7) – He was the Parisian who stood out the most from the first half. With a high volume of play, great energy and duels won in spades, he hurt Lyon. Replaced by Lucas Hernandez in the 71st minute.
Bradley Barcola (6) – Poorly cramped, his attacks came to a halt “lying down” on the pitch after a slip. A frustrating first half. Replaced by Gonçalo Ramos in the 74th minute.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (6) – Although Lyon decided to wait for PSG in the first half, Luis Enrique found his team lacking the fluidity of recent outings. Once again, he succeeded in re-energizing his team at half-time, but his handling of the final minutes showed that he may have been trying to manage too much, and is paying the price.
