PSG beaten by 10-men Lens in disappointing Trophée des Champions game

PSG came into the game off the back of a trophy win in midweek following their UEFA Super Cup success vs Aston Villa, and the opening stages of this final vs last winner’s Coupe de France winners belied the disappointing result that was to come.

PSG fall to RC Lens in Trophée des Champions showdown

PSG got off to an assured start, looking excellent in the opening stages, with Desiré Doué in particular standing out with brilliant footwork and interplay. Both Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Magnes Akliouche could have scored earlier on, with the former uncharacteristically slicing a volley well wide of the far post after the ball fell to him from a corner, and the latter failing to convert after a lapse in the Lens defence allowed him to break through on goal.

Despite the fact that the match was being played in front of their home fans, PSG’s opponents from Calais initially seemed unable to cope with the rapid passing of the European Champions, who created a number of dangerous chances over the first 20 minutes, but failed to take what would have been a deserved lead on a number of occasions, due both to inefficient decision making in the box and poor final balls.

Lens’ first real chance came after 21 minutes when a dangerous break fell to new striker Franjo Ivanovic, who was denied a shot at goal by a brilliant intervention from Lucas Beraldo - playing in the Defensive Midfield position he had started in a number of times towards the end of the last season.

That did prove to be a warning shot for PSG, as it was Lens who did open the scoring around 10 minutes later, after Matthieu Udol’s dragged shot fell to the feet of Lens’ captain Florian Thauvin, who made no mistake as he slotted past Matvei Safonov.

A few minutes later, however, PSG’s prospects appeared to improve as Kyllian Antonio was shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle on Akliouche. PSG continued to push against their ten men opponents, but the only real opportunity they managed to fashion before half time was a shot from a narrow angle from Desiré Doué, which crashed agains the bar.

The second half saw PSG attempt to claw their way back into the game, but they had to face a Lens team who seemed rejuvenated at 10 men, playing with a confidence they had seldom mustered up prior to Antonio’s dismissal. A low flashed shot from the edge of the box that ended up being smothered by Safonov was a reminder for PSG of their opponents quality. At the other end of the pitch, perhaps inspired by the defensive efforts of their 33 year old captain and goalscorer Florian Thauvin, the side from Calais looked steadfast and determined, and proved harder to break down than could have been expected after the end to end nature of the game’s opening exchanges.

Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembélé replaced the excellent Beraldo and the once again indifferent Akliouche as Luis Enrique made his first changes fifteen minutes into the second half. Nuno Mendes was also introduced for Lucas Digne, who was solid but not spectacular on his first start for PSG since 2015.

Desiré Doué was perhaps the most threatening player for PSG all night long, and the long range shot he flashed just over the bar on the 68th minute was probably the closest PSG had come up until that point. Dembélé also tested Robin Risser from distance a few minutes later.

Fabian Ruiz put the ball into the net minutes later, but the linesman’s flag was raised against Desiré Doué, who had squared it to the spaniard.

PSG’s biggest chance of the game came around ten minutes from time, as Ousmane Dembélé somehow contrived to volley the ball over the bar with time and space from a few yards away from the goal. It was a moment extremely unlike the ruthless Dembélé the world has now become accustomed to over the last two seasons.

A late red card for Nuno Mendes was the icing on the cake in what was a disappointing final all around for the Parisians.

This result means that PSG have now lost their first Trophée des Champions in five years and their first final under Luis Enrique. The team will look to regroup and prepare for their first league game, conscious of the fact that Lens under the tutorship of Dino Toppmöller will be a firm challenge to contend with in the Ligue Un title race this season.