Victorious in only one of their last five league games, the Parisians regained the three points on Saturday January 15 against Brest on the occasion of the 21st day of Ligue 1. After a mixed start to the match, the teammates of Kylian Mbappé – scorer at the Parc des Princes this Saturday – was able to concretize their domination and won 2-0. They resume 11 points ahead of their runner-up, OGC Nice, winner Friday against Nantes (2-1).
> Relive the victory of PSG against Brest during the 21st day of Ligue 1
The match: Paris regains momentum against Brest
By starting the game in diesel mode against Brestois at the dry cleaners, Paris got some scares during the first 20 minutes. Without an exceptional save from Gianluigi Donnarumma on a face-to-face with Irvin Cardona (8th), the locals could even have been behind. But gradually, Marco Verratti and others put their foot on the ball in midfield to return to sectors better known to the men of Mauricio Pochettino.
But with a flash of genius, Kylian Mbappé unblocks the situation in the 25th minute. At the entrance to the Breton area, the world champion closes his foot well on his shot from the right and deceives Marco Bizot with the help of the post (1-0, 25th). A goal that rewards the domination of PSG players. The only concern of these first 45 minutes for the Parisians concerns Georginio Wijnaldum, hit in the left ankle after a heavy contact with Lucien Agoumé and replaced by Danilo Pereira.
@KehrerThilo @KMbappe #PSGSB29 pic.twitter.com/LA1O8R2vAk
— Ligue 1 Uber Eats (@Ligue1UberEats) January 15, 2022
As soon as they returned from the locker room, PSG’s desire to move forward was undeniable. Marco Verratti finds the post on a sharp point after a superb combination with Di Maria (48th). Five minutes later, Nuno Mendes made a festival on his left side to eliminate Ronaël Pierre-Gabriel from a small bridge before centering hard at the penalty spot for Thilo Kehrer, who did not miss the offering (2-0, 53rd ).
From then on, and contrary to the last outings of the capital club, Marquinhos’ teammates did not let go of the embrace to storm Bizot’s goals. The Dutch porter makes parade after parade and keeps his people afloat, also taking advantage of the lack of accuracy of Mbappé (76th, 77th, 86th) and Kehrer (83rd).
PSG finished the match with nine shots on target, their Ligue 1 season record, proof of a renewed intensity and attacking will that they had sorely lacked in recent weeks. The three-man defense, experienced at the end of the match by Pochettino with Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe, aroused interest and displayed a new balance behind for the Parisians. Inevitably positive signals for those who will challenge Real Madrid in a month in the knockout stages of the Champions League.
The player: Kylian Mbappé, the essential
He is the one who allowed PSG to take the lead against Brest. His strike, closed foot to deceive Bizot at the near post, curiously recalls that against Leipzig in the Champions League, on October 19. A special “Mbappé” which allows the Parisian number 7 to score his 10th goal of the season in Ligue 1.
6 – Kylian Mbappé has scored at least 10 goals in each of the last 6 Ligue 1 seasons, no other player has scored more than 3 times over the period. Gourmand. #PSGSB29 pic.twitter.com/rCAqoDibAL
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) January 15, 2022
A few seconds later, however, his collision with Hugo Magnetti earned him a yellow card that the world champion will have a little trouble digesting. No matter, he is the essential element of the capital club, when Lionel Messi or Neymar are still in the recovery phase. Mbappé is the one who carries the offensives of PSG, well supported by Angel Di Maria. With a little more realism, the Parisian number 7 could have finished with one or two more goals on his stat line. But like his team, the renewed intensity and offensive activity is already a very positive signal.