MY ACCOUNT
Anthony Caci scored a last-gasp equaliser as Strasbourg came from behind to hold Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain to a 3-3 draw at Stade de la Meinau.
Former PSG striker Kevin Gameiro gave Champions League-chasing Strasbourg a second-minute lead, but Kylian Mbappe put the visitors in control with a double and an assist for Achraf Hakimi.
Strasbourg refused to give up and Marco Verratti’s own goal with 15 minutes remaining gave them hope of salvaging a point to boost their top-four aspirations.
They got it when Caci volleyed home a deep cross from Dimitri Lienard in the 92nd minute, keeping the pressure on PSG boss Mauricio Pochettino despite clinching the title last weekend.
Strasbourg quickly brought PSG back to earth after their title celebrations, with Gameiro latching onto Lucas Perrin’s excellent throughball and beating Gianluigi Donnarumma at his near post.
PSG drew level midway through the first half when Neymar slid an excellent pass in behind the Strasbourg defence for Mbappe, who placed a cool finish past Matz Sels.
Sergio Ramos missed the target with an ambitious effort from near the halfway line before PSG moved ahead when Hakimi completed a slick move in the 64th minute.
The game looked done four minutes later when Mbappe latched onto Alexander Djiku’s sloppy back pass and guided a clinical finish into the bottom-right corner.
However, Habib Diallo’s header from a corner was inadvertently turned past Donnarumma by Verratti to usher in a tense finale.
Strasbourg pushed for an equaliser and, after Gameiro and Diallo wasted good chances, they got it when Caci steered home at the death.
What does it mean? Mbappe is the star
Neymar and Lionel Messi may have been on the pitch, but Mbappe was undoubtedly the top performer for PSG.
He has now been involved in 22 goals in 2022 (15 scored, seven assisted) – more than any other player in the top five European leagues – and seven (four scored, three assisted) in his past four top-flight games against Strasbourg.
In a pre-match interview, Pochettino backtracked on his claim that he and Mbappe will “100 per cent” be at the club next season. The striker showed exactly why PSG will be desperate for him to stay.
Gameiro’s still a goalscorer
With his second-minute striker, Gameiro took his tally in the top five European leagues to 160. That is the third most by a Frenchman this century, after Karim Benzema (260) and Thierry Henry (180).
Poch still under pressure
Although Antonio Conte dismissed rumours linking him with PSG as “fake news” on Friday, Pochettino did little to make his position more secure by overseeing another disappointing display.
Key Opta facts
– Strasbourg are one of the two Ligue 1 teams still unbeaten at home in 2022 (W5 D3), along with PSG. Unbeaten in eight games (W5 D3), they have established their longest unbeaten streak at the Meinau in Ligue 1 since October 2004-March 2005 (10).
– PSG have won just one of their nine Ligue 1 away games this season against a team in the current top 10 (D4 L4), that was in February at Lille (5-1).
– Strasbourg have scored 13 Ligue 1 goals against PSG since they were promoted in 2017-18, with only Monaco doing better over the period (15).
– PSG have reached the 100-goal mark in all competitions (101 goals in 2021-22) for the 10th consecutive season, only Bayern Munich have done so well in the top five European league since 2012-13.
– Kylian Mbappe scored his 130th and 131st Ligue 1 goals, the second best goalscorer in the top-flight in the 21st century behind Edinson Cavani (138).
What’s next?
PSG entertain relegation-threatened Troyes a week on Sunday, while Strasbourg are away to Brest the day before.
