PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 2-1 Nantes: Randal Kolo Muani nets winner against former team
With a season-defining Champions League tie to come in midweek against Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain were looking to put on a frills-free, statement performance as they welcomed Nantes to the Parc des Princes.
The visitors, meanwhile were in the early stages of a mid-season revival under newly-arrived manager Jocelyn Gourvennec – the former Bordeaux and Lille manager had already ended Nice’s unbeaten start to the campaign in his first match in charge last week.
Predictably enough, the hosts dominated the early exchanges – Bradley Barcola playing incisively, as he looked to make amends for his miss-strewn performance against Newcastle. The compact Nantes lines held out, though, with the league leaders barely carving out a single clear-cut chance – making for a decidedly tame first half.
PSG eventually broke through just before the break, as Barcola played a one-two with Vitinha, breaking away down the left before curling it inside the far post. A goal reminiscent of his strike partner’s trademark finishes.
But Luis Enrique’s men were not afforded the straightforward evening they would have hoped for before heading out to Germany, as Mostafa Mohamed headed it in from a Florent Mollet corner shortly before the hour mark.
As was the case in the first half, the hosts then struggled to pull apart the Nantes defence, with Barcola’s darting runs down the left the only time that Les Canaris looked potentially destabilised. The breakthrough would eventually come from his direct replacement, as Randal Kolo Muani turned in from close range after a goalmouth scramble from a free-kick. The French international, who had only come on five minutes beforehand, did not celebrate against his formative club.
Jocelyn Gourvennec’s resilient
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