David rules out Mbappe penalty as Lille snatch late draw with PSG

PSG had appeared set to take all three points back to the capital and open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table, however the 2021 champions showed grit to earn a point and reclaim fourth place.

"We played a very complete game for 80 minutes and in the last 10 minutes we lost control a little," said PSG coach Luis Enrique.

In contrast, his opposite number, Paulo Fonseca, praised his side's spirit: "We played an even match, and at the end we played a very brave 15 minutes."

Mbappe had emphatically given PSG the lead midway through the second half, his 16th goal of the season, but four minutes into additional time David popped up to snatch a last-gasp leveller.

Both sides played out an intense opening half-hour, though neither was able to work the opposition goalkeeper, with Ousmane Dembele and Edon Zhegrova dragging shots wide in promising positions.

Lille's Lucas Chevalier then had his fingertips stung by a rasping Vitinha drive on 35 minutes, following good play from the pacy Dembele down the right.

The French attacker caused trouble again from the resulting short corner as his driven cross was well cleared by Leny Yoro in the six-yard box with the goal gaping before him.

The game kept its rhythm into the second half, but PSG were offered a golden opportunity to break the deadlock just after the hour mark when Bafode Diakite lunged into the back of Lucas Hernandez inside the Lille box.

Chevalier guessed right, but France captain Mbappe's shot had too much pace and precision for the stopper to get a hand to it and prevent the Parisians taking the lead in the 66th minute.

A good chance fell Yusuf Yazici's way but as he shot in plenty of space following Zhegrova's cut-back, Marquinhos got quickly out to him and deflected a goal-bound effort out for a corner.

One minute from time, a free-kick near the area gave Lille a chance but Angel Gomes could only find the wall, before seeing his follow-up effort charged down.

Hopes of a leveller then seemed all but dead until Adam Ounas' shot was deflected on its way through to Arnau Tenas, who made a fine save with his legs, but was left helpless on the floor as David gleefully headed home in what was nearly the last action of the match.

 

December 17, 2023

Marseille continue fine form

Two goals in the first half from Amir Murillo and Amine Harit secured a 2-1 win for resurgent Marseille earlier on Sunday, as the south coast side continue to climb the table.

Gennaro Gattuso's men seemed to have the points sewn up against bottom-side Clermont, until a Jim Allevinah goal halved the deficit but with over 40 minutes remaining they held out for their fourth successive league win.

"I'm very happy today. We played a great game in the first half, both tactically and technically," said the Italian coach.

"In the second half we suffered," he added, explaining that his charges' less-impressive performance after half-time was due to Thursday's away defeat to Brighton in the Europa League.

"We went to bed at 5:30 am (after the tie)... when you lose that much energy, especially after a hard blow like the one we suffered at Brighton, things like that can happen."

Four minutes before the half-hour mark, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found Murillo in the box and the defender controlled and rifled home a fine right-footed half-volley.

The home side then doubled their lead in the 42nd minute, when Aubameyang set up Iliman Ndiaye and his shot was saved but fell to Harit who finished unerringly.

Allevinah nodded in from a corner to give Clermont a glimmer of hope on 58 minutes, however the goal proved only to be a consolation as the hosts saw out the match comfortably to jump to sixth.

Earlier, Toulouse went a point above Lyon, who sit in the relegation play-off spot, with a goalless home draw against Rennes, while fifth-placed Brest won 2-0 at Nantes.

 

December 17, 2023