PSG scrape draw against Rennes with last-gasp Ramos penalty

Brest are second, 11 points back, after beating Strasbourg 3-0 on Saturday. Monaco jumped to third, two points further behind, on Sunday when Japan striker Takumi Minamino scored in the second minute of added time to give them a last-gasp 3-2 win at Lens.

Nice drew 0-0 at home with bottom-club Clermont and are a point behind in fourth. Lille lost 3-1 at Toulouse and are fifth. In the late game, Marseille came from a goal behind to beat Montpellier 4-1 for a first league win this year. Rennes, who beat AC Milan in the Europa League on Thursday, rested Benjamin Bourigeaud, scorer of a hat-trick against the Italians, and Martin Terrier.

They still took the lead when Amine Gouiri fired a shot into the top corner in the 39th minute. PSG took off star striker Kylian Mbappe, who is planning to leave at the end of the season, after an hour. "We have to get used to playing without Kylian Mbappe," said coach Luis Enrique, who also took off Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola.

"It's a message for everyone," said Enrique. "I'm very demanding of the players. If you think I'm going to accept a player slacking off on the pitch, I'm not. I want you to say to yourself, when you're in the starting line-up, 'I want to make the most of this'." As the home side pressed desperately for an equaliser in added time, Ramos, who had replaced Mbappe, was booked for diving in an attempt to win a penalty. Moments later, he plunged over goalkeeper Steve Mandanda. 

This time a video review went in favour of the Portuguese striker, who converted the spot kick to save PSG's two unbeaten runs: 18 games in Ligue 1 going back to September and 19 in all competitions since October. The victory also saved PSG from losing at home to Rennes for a second straight season. The Breton club have beaten PSG seven times since the Qatari takeover in 2011. No other French team has more victories over the Parisians in that time.

"We're frustrated by this result," said Rennes coach Julien Stephan, adding there "are penalties given to the big teams, or in certain stadiums..."

 

February 25, 2024