The Ligue 1 leaders were kept to a 0-0 draw at Auxerre on Friday, ahead of a pivotal game in their Champions League campaign, thanks to a mix of strong goalkeeping and subpar finishing. After suffering a devastating 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich on the road in European play at the end of last month, PSG had their second straight domestic tie. Although Monaco and Marseille will each have the chance to reduce that margin to five points over the weekend, Luis Enrique’s club is still undefeated in Ligue 1 and now leads their closest rivals by eight points.
The Qatar-backed team’s ongoing problems in front of goal—PSG has only scored once in their last three games—are a bigger worry.
“I can’t hold my guys accountable for anything. They put their all into it. “Even within myself, I will not be critical of them,” Luis Enrique said.
However, the return of Goncalo Ramos, a true number nine in Portugal, after his sidelining for more than three months due to injury, has not addressed their lack of a goal threat.
Last week, struggling Nantes defeated PSG 1-1 at home. This time, Vitinha struck the woodwork in the second half, and Donovan Leon, the goalkeeper for Auxerre, produced a number of crucial saves to hold the visitors at bay in Burgundy.
Before allowing replacement Randal Kolo Muani to steal the win at the last second, Leon made notable saves against Ramos and Achraf Hakimi.
Luis Enrique went on to say, “The outcome does not reflect what we saw on the pitch.” “Don’t forget that we were up against the second-best team at home.”
After their promotion back to the top division, Auxerre is enjoying a great season and now sits just outside of the European spots.
Coach Christophe Pelissier of Auxerre acknowledged, “It is only one point, but it feels more like three.”
In order to play Salzburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, PSG will have to regain their clinical edge.
After five games in Europe’s top club tournament, the French champions have just four points and, in all likelihood, need to win at least two of their next three games to advance to the knockout round.
Earlier, Lille defeated mid-table Brest 3-1 at home thanks to two goals, including a penalty, from Canadian attacker Jonathan David, tying the score with Marseille and Monaco.
Next Wednesday, Lille will host Sturm Graz in the Champions League, while Brest will play PSV Eindhoven 24 hours earlier.
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