Ligue 1: disappointing, PSG stalls in Clermont

On paper, it was unbalanced. But on the ground, it was (much) less so. Indeed, Paris SG conceded the point of the draw this Saturday afternoon, on the lawn of the red lantern, Clermont Foot 63 (0-0), as part of the 7th day of Ligue 1. As since the start of the season, and in particular last Sunday during the Classic (4-0), the Rouge et Bleu have tried to deploy their possession and positional game. From the first minutes of play, they monopolized the ball. But the Clermontois, with a compact block, prevented them from finding their attackers in a good mood. After around twenty minutes of play, the match became disjointed, with a lot of space on both sides. The two teams obtained clear situations, the Auvergne club through Shamar Nicholson (31st) and the capital team with Randal Kolo Muani (38th) and Ousmane Dembélé (40th). However, the two teams returned to the locker room with a parity score.

After the break, the pace picked up a little more. And the two goalkeepers stood out. And this, from the first moments of the second act. Gianluigi Donnaruma first made an exceptional double save on Shamar Nicholson and Yohann Magnin (46th). Mory Diaw, for his part, disgusted the Parisian attackers on several occasions, notably by repelling Gonçalo Ramos' short point-blank dive while being on the ground in the last minutes of regulation time (81st) and by brushing aside Danilo Pereira's powerful header in added time (90th 1). In the final minutes of play, Paris SG tried everything to make the difference. But the Clermontois showed themselves valiant. Even Kylian Mbappé, the top scorer in Ligue 1, starting despite uncertainties regarding his physical condition after his ankle injury, failed to be decisive. Thus, the match ended with a goalless score...quite logical given the nature of the match. With this result, the Parisians miss the opportunity to (temporarily) take the lead in Ligue 1. The Clermontois have undoubtedly (finally) launched their season!