Paris Saint-Germain and Sporting Lisbon faced off this Tuesday at the Estádio José Alvalade in Matchday 7 of the 2025-2026 Champions League. The match ended in a 2-1 defeat for PSG. After the game, former French international and current pundit Emmanuel Petit spoke to RMC Sport. He notably criticized Lucas Chevalier (the 24-year-old goalkeeper), who suffers in comparison to Gianluigi Donnarumma (26, who left for Manchester City last summer).
Petit “If you want to go all the way and win major titles…”
“He wasn’t responsible for the first goal, but for the second… Donnarumma, who has often been rightly criticized, was there for the big matches last year. On the rare occasions when he was expected to step up, he was there.
His positioning was completely off-balance, he was a bit disjointed. He lost his footing, he was surprised by the power of the ball when it was right at him, he didn’t have to make a vertical leap. On top of that, he completely put the Portuguese player back into play. Yes, I think it was a blatant handling error. If you want to go all the way and win major titles, you can’t have a goalkeeper… Right now, Chevalier is lacking the edge to dominate.”
Of course, Chevalier didn’t have a great game. There wasn’t a huge blunder, but we would have liked a save in a difficult moment on the first goal, or something more reassuring to prevent the second. Although, it shouldn’t be forgotten, he wasn’t solely responsible for that goal.
However, it’s both amusing and irritating to see this constant comparison with last season’s Donnarumma. Only the last few months are considered, when the Italian was in top form (especially in the Champions League). A year ago, and right up until February after the first leg of the round of 16 against Liverpool, many were calling for his departure because he wasn’t solid enough in big matches. His replacement, the majority of people wanted? Chevalier.
Now, Chevalier has to adapt and take the next step, that’s undeniable. But Donnarumma isn’t a miracle goalkeeper (Manchester City’s season is far from smooth sailing, by the way). There is, however, the competition from Matvey Safonov (26 years old), which could be a factor when he returns from injury. But it’s not impossible that Chevalier will finish the season strongly; his qualities haven’t suddenly vanished.
