On Tuesday, in the 7th round of the 2025-2026 Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain faced Sporting Lisbon at the Estádio José Alvalade. Sports journalist Daniel Riolo spoke to RMC Sport after PSG’s 2-1 defeat. He emphasized the responsibility of goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier (24 years old) in the poor result.
Riolo said, “There’s no guarantee PSG won’t score a goal and snatch a victory…”
“He was on his knees, he was the victim of the shot. When you have an isolated chance like that, when the match isn’t going your way but you’ve still dominated it, you’re at 1-1, and there’s no guarantee PSG won’t score a goal and snatch the victory that would have been deserved.”
Riolo: “You made such a terrible save…”
When you have a shot straight down the middle, you fall to your knees like that, and you make such a terrible save, unfortunately, the defeat is yours. That’s just the reality: tonight, unfortunately, the defeat is his.
It’s difficult to defend Chevalier in this match; he wasn’t decisive at a moment when PSG needed him. On the first goal, the situation was very difficult. But that’s also where the save was necessary. On the second, his positioning was strange, and the ball was poorly cleared. He wasn’t very good, that’s a fact.
However, to say that “the defeat is his” is particularly, even very unfair. Just on the second goal, we can also point out that the defense was too easily breached, that the first shooter was too isolated, and that there wasn’t enough reaction after that shot. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the entire attacking unit needs to be much more efficient.
By being more precise in the first half, both in their decision-making and execution, PSG can lead by several goals at halftime and have no doubts afterward. This isn’t an excuse for Chevalier, who wasn’t particularly effective. However, he’s not alone. This scapegoating is exhausting and harmful. Not to mention, sadly, that it’s not a sound analysis either. And that’s precisely where we expect Riolo and his colleagues to step up.
