Paris Saint-Germain edge out Auxerre in a tight match at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps as Kylian Mbappé scored a brace in the first ten minutes to all-but-secure the Ligue 1 title.
Some early good work from Auxerre was undone in the fifth minute of the game as Kylian Mbappé shimmied his way into the box, turning Gauthier Hein inside-out before finishing into the roof of the net. The Frenchman followed up with his second on the eighth minute, a low first-time strike past Radu from the edge of the box.
Despite the quick start for Les Parisiens, it was Auxerre who were then closest to scoring, with a long range strike from Zedadka having to be tipped onto the post by Gianluigi Donnarumma before half-time. Nuno Da Costa also had several chances to half the deficit before the break.
Auxerre’s risk-and-reward strategy looked to pay off with a goal from Sinayoko on the 51st minute aided by a flick on from Nuno Da Costa. AJA then piled on the pressure in the second half, whilst PSG looked to slow the intensity of the match. Donnarumma was once again called upon to saved from a one-on-one strike with Hein following a sumptuous roulette.
Auxerre pushed into the latter stages of the second half but couldn’t find the back of the net, this meant PSG could profit off the counter attack and it saw Kylian Mbappé score in injury time, but his goal was ruled out for offside.
Auxerre
Radu, 6
Raveloson, 6
Jubal, 6
I. Touré , 6 – A domineering presence in Pelissier’s back five, but showed his quality in his defensive positioning, recovering well from the early set back of going two down to a brilliant Mbappé.
Mensah, 7 – Worked well on the left side with Guathier Hein as a double-overlapping act
B. Touré, 6
Zedadka, 6
Massengo, 7 – A bright performance from the 21-year-old, showed determination and pressed high with the Auxerre midfield. The Frenchman was also combative in duels against Verratti and Ruiz, but also set the rhythm of Auxerre’s transitions,.
Sinayoko, 7
Hein , 6 – Covered a lot of ground for the Auxerrois and was combative off the ball. Switching between wing-back and the more traditional right-wing position, the Frenchman found himself one-on-one with Kylian Mbappé and was unlucky to be turned rugged by him for the first PSG goal. He recovered well, and provided an effective offensive outlet when needed and could’ve levelled following a sumptuous roulette in the box.
Da Costa, 6 – Good physical presence for AJA, and dropped when needed to help in possession and in the defensive phase of play. His flicked header was vital in the build up to Sinayoko’s goal in the 51st minute.
Others: Niang, Dembélé,
Paris Saint-Germain
Donnarumma, 6 – Made the difference for PSG, his first-half save tipped the ball onto the bar from range, as well as several find stops from up close in the second half.
Danilo, 5
Marquinhos, 5
Ramos, 5
Zaire-Emery, 6 – Another mature performance out of position from the 17-year-old in the wing-back position. Was competitive
Ruiz, 5
Verratti, 4
Bernat, 5
Messi, 4 – Despite Les Parisiens’ domination in possession, the Argentine once again showed a passive figure, but did the minimum on the righthand side of the front three in passing and build-up play.
Ekitike, 5 – lacked composure to convert before half-time. Like Lionel Messi, did the the bare minimum in posession, but his ineffectiveness compounded in the his substitution in the 55th minute.
7, Mbappé – First goal was a sensational show of skill to turn Hein inside-out and smash the ball into the roof of the net past Radu. His second was another trademark low finish – this time from the edge of the box. The Frenchman faded in the second half however, being caught more often than not offside and cutting frustrated figure to not net a third.
Others: Vitinha, 5 , Renato Sanches, 5
GFFN | George Boxall
