Ligue 1: A great Mory Diaw halts Paris Saint-Germain’s rise (0-0)
Clermont 0-0 PSG
On paper, a match between the last and third placed teams in the league was a predictable outcome. But Paris Saint-Germain was hampered and pressured by a committed Clermont Foot team. With nothing to show, the two teams drew goalless (0-0).
A fierce battle
From the start of the match, Clermont wanted to have possession of the ball. Thus, stuck in midfield, Paris Saint-Germain struggled to get into the opposition area. But after eight minutes, the visitors were able to take control of the game and show aggression in search of the goal. However, the battle continued on the other side, mostly on the left side. Clermont even had the honour of opening hostilities with a shot from inside the Paris area, which was blocked by the defence.
Increasingly committed, the home team responded and counter-attacked against the Parisians. Things began to change in the 19th minute when Kylian Mbappe’s lightning acceleration led to him passing to Ousmane Dembélé. The striker tried his luck but missed the target.
In the cross, Clermont made up for lost time and persisted in the opposing midfield. Actions initiated by Yohann Magnin put the Parisians in danger (25 and 26 minutes). Muhammed Cham followed suit (31′). For his part, Mbappe tried his luck, but Mory Diaw was not fooled (32′). Dembélé also continued to press the Clermont goal, and the home goalkeeper made some high-quality saves (40′). However, despite PSG’s efforts, the score remained tied at half-time.
Paris is a victim of Clermont’s claw.
After the restart of the match, Clermont began to stand out with two tries, both defended by Donnarumma (46′). However, despite creating chances, many technical errors spoiled the home owners’ chances of taking the lead. Logically, PSG began to react, as in the first half, to counter the pressure. With Mbappe’s 53rd-minute shot hitting the right post, the game was wide open.
The team that insisted the most in the next 20 minutes was Clermont. With successive attacks, the Auvergnats gave it their all, but failed in the last meters.
The last quarter of the game was a mirror of the rest. A yellow card for Mbappe for simulation (80′) gave Randal Kolo Muani and Dembélé a bit more room to shine. But things stayed as they were.