The capital club made short work of its Olympian rival (3-0) on Sunday in a match that was much more than revenge.
This is called banging the table. Paris Saint-Germain largely won the Classic in Marseille (3-0) on Sunday February 26, just over two weeks after their defeat, logical, against this same opponent in the round of 16 of the Coupe de France. France (1-2). Carried by a sharp Kylian Mbappé – involved in all three goals and now co-top scorer in the club’s history – the capital club delivered a benchmark performance at a crucial moment in its season.
It was when the gap between the two teams seemed the smallest in years, the day the Vélodrome stadium broke its attendance record, that PSG coldly took on the task of extinguishing the hopes of the Phocaeans who dreamed of a potential title battle. Despite the desire and the application of the start of the meeting, there was no photo between the leader of Ligue 1 and his runner-up, now relegated to eight points.
Mbappé equals Cavani
In just over two weeks, the balance of power has completely changed between the two rivals. Deprived of Neymar, but with a fit Kylian Mbappé, Christophe Galtier’s team showed a much more attractive face. The triple scorer in the World Cup final feasted on the few spaces the Marseille defense left him, finishing the game with two goals, his 199th and his 200th. Enough to become the co-top scorer in the history of the capital club, tied with Edinson Cavani.
His two goals were scored on a serve from Lionel Messi, the first after a masterful diagonal call (25th), the second on an uncontrolled volley with the tip of the left foot (55th). As suggested by his entry against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, PSG is a completely different team with him. When he does not score, he turns into a passer, as on the second goal, which he gives to Messi (29th). Each of his accelerations reduced the whistles of the Marseille public towards him a little more. Due to fears, the 65,800 spectators ended up holding their breath in these phases of the game.
Parisian success, however, is not the fruit of a single man. Kylian Mbappé did not play hide-and-seek on Sunday. There was no weak link on the Parisian side and the rapid transition combinations almost hit the mark every time. Back in a system with three central defenders, Christophe Galtier’s team found a stable base, despite the early injury exit of Presnel Kimpembe (16th), released on a stretcher and “unavailable until the end of the season“, according to the Parisian coach after the match. OM only got two big chances, each miraculously repelled by Gianluigi Donnarumma: a point-blank header from Alexis Sanchez (65th) and a shot from the rookie Vitinha, yet alone full axis (90th).
PSG managed to capitalize on its snatch victory against Lille (4-3), rather than dwelling on the many mistakes. Ten days before the Champions League round of 16 second leg against Bayern Munich, the capital club seems on the right track for the first time in 2023. It only has one more test left before flying to Bavaria, next Saturday, against Nantes at the Parc des Princes.