One Paris FC player making the journey was former PSG goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, and after a Vitinha effort flew past the top corner of his goal four minutes in, he was fortunate not to be forced off early after taking a blow to the head when colliding with Warren Zaïre-Emery in the ninth minute.
Having been given the all clear to continue, Trapp wasn’t forced into action until he kept out Senny Mayulu’s strike just past the half-hour mark, by which time the hosts had seen a penalty overturned as VAR adjudged Otavio’s foul on Desire Doue to be just outside the area.
The one-way traffic continued late in the opening half, but other than a tame Fabian Ruiz effort being safely held by Trapp, wayward efforts from Doue, Mayulu and Ousmane Dembele were all Le Rouge-et-Bleu could conjure up.
That was until the stroke of half-time when PSG finally unlocked the PFC back five via Ruiz’s through ball to Doue, who smashed the ball past the advancing Trapp and into the roof of the net.
Having barely threatened in the first half, the visitors were gifted a chance to draw level six minutes after the restart when Alimami Gory was upended by Ilya Zabarnyi inside the box, and Willem Geubbels’ penalty was too good for Lucas Chevalier.
However, parity lasted just two minutes, as Dembele cut in from the right, and though his strike wasn’t the cleanest, it took a wicked deflection off Moustapha Mbow to take it past the goalkeeper.
Nuno Mendes stung the gloves of Trapp as Luis Enrique’s side looked to give themselves breathing space as the match headed into its final quarter, but their failure to do so gave Les Bleus belief, and Chevalier had to be alert to a flicked Geubbels header and a half-volley from Vincent Marchetti.
However, Stephane Gilli’s side could not grab a late equaliser, leaving them with just one league win in 10.
PSG move back to within a point of leaders Lens after registering the first win in this H2H, as the previous two – both in 1978 – ended all square. PFC won’t have to wait another 48 years for revenge, as they meet again in the Coupe de France in eight days time.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Desire Doue (Paris Saint-Germain)
Catch up on all the match stats here.
