Paris Saint-Germain moves three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after an unexpectedly one-sided edition of Le Classique ended 3-0 against the French champions at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday as Luis Enrique’s side showed newfound maturity after a test run . The shape of Les Parisiens have been reeling of late with just one win from their last four games in all competitions this weekend, but the capital were ahead after just seven minutes against Olympique de Marseille and were out of sight before half-time in an uneven match. meeting.
It took just seven minutes for Joao Neves to pounce on Geronimo Rulli’s mistake and give the supporterless visitors the lead, silencing the home crowd, which until then had been a wall of noise that the PSG players had to overcome on their own and counter a familiar face in Adrien Rabiot. Referee Francois Letexier made things easier for Luis Enrique’s men just thirteen minutes later with a harsh red card for an awkward high-footed Amine Harit challenge on captain Marquinhos, which took just nine minutes to be further punished.
The manner in which Paris’ second goal was scored was shocking from Marseille’s perspective, with Roberto De Zerbi watching in horror as Leonardo Balerdi put through his own net before the half-hour mark with a self-inflicted goal so comical it looked like a car . crashing in slow motion. It took just 11 more minutes for PSG to add another goal to the lead, with Bradley Barcola finishing with ease after being overtaken by Ousmane Dembele to confirm the end of the match after just 40 minutes, when OM supporters were already leaving the stadium .
With no fans from Paris allowed to travel to Marseille, emotional management was always going to be key for Luis Enrique and his players, and the Spanish tactician was given the spot when the stakes were highest. AS Monaco’s loss at OGC Nice earlier in the day was good news for PSG as it invited them to extend a three-point lead at the summit, but it was equally a potential trap as an OM win would have meant that all three were equal. out of 20 points.
A calm and composed opening twenty minutes effectively won the game for the visitors, as during that time the stadium dynamics changed from essentially an extra man ahead of Marseille to almost an extra man down with over an hour to play. Neves punishing Rulli’s mistake was the start of the change in temperature after what had been an impressive build-up to the boiling point just before kick-off, but the key moment was tempers kept in check when Harit went high and caught Marquinhos.
The action itself deserved at best a yellow card and certainly not a dismissal that irrevocably changed the course of the match, but OM had worked itself into a frenzy at this point, for which De Zerbi should have prepared better given the history of his team in which he struggled in this battle. fixture. To get an idea of the amount of history PSG were able to channel to victory in the first half, the men from the capital were unbeaten in eleven Championnat visits to the Stade Velodrome, with eight of those victories, which of course now makes nine out of twelve – an incredible victory. record to leave bitter rivals.
From then on, the one-man advantage from the stands probably became a two-man disadvantage, as the fact that the OM fans no longer believed in victory after Harit was ejected was too much of a mountain for De Zerbi to get his troops up again and again. again giving in in a comical way. Just as baffling as Paris’s record in Provence is the fact that this same team under Luis Enrique looked so mediocre in a home game against PSV Eindhoven in the UEFA Champions League a few days earlier, leaving them with four points out of a possible nine. least impressive Ligue 1 representative at the top end of European football so far this season.
If Luis Enrique can match his team’s mastery in the first half of this match when he takes on Atletico Madrid and Manchester City at home and Bayern Munich away, then there is no doubt their slow UCL start can still continue. are arrested and turned over. In fact, the mental focus against OM was so sharp that it produced the kind of clinical finishing that was missing, while still enjoying its trademark monopoly on possession – perhaps the key ingredient missing in recent weeks as points were dropped against Arsenal, Nice, RC Strasbourg Alsace and PSV.