Mendes saves PSG blushes in Champions League win over Girona
The visitors were somewhat fortunate to find themselves still level after 15 minutes against the 2020 finalists following a flurry of chances.
Only a deflection from Ladislav Krejci on Warren Zaire-Emery’s powerful strike took the ball narrowly wide of Paulo Gazzaniga’s right-hand post, before Zaire-Emery set up Marco Asensio, but his effort from a tight angle flashed across goal and also went the wrong side from a PSG perspective of the same upright.
Girona weathered the early storm and limited the Parisians to long-range shots from Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele, but failed to generate any chances of their own as the first half came to an end with neither side registering a shot on target, leaving PSG without a first-half goal for the first time in nine matches.
Luis Enrique’s side have averaged four goals per game so far this season, and though they finally made Gazzaniga work two minutes into the second half, Ruiz’s tame effort did little to suggest they had switched to their shooting boots at half time.
At the other end, Matvei Safonov had been a mere spectator on his PSG debut until the 52nd minute, when he palmed away Cristhian Stuani’s goalbound header.
The Blanquivermells’ venture forward looked to be their undoing, as a quick counter-attack from Randal Kolo Muani sent Dembele through on goal, but somehow Krejci got back and made an expert tackle just as the Frenchman was pulling the trigger.
Learning his lesson, Dembele took aim either side of the hour mark, but was denied by Gazzaniga on both occasions.
The hosts’ onslaught continued through the dangerous delivery of Achraf Hakimi and the threat of Kolo Muani, and it was those two who combined in the final 10 minutes to unlock the Girona defence, only for the forward to miss the target from six yards, before a fortunate ricochet saw a chance fall to Hakimi from similar range, but Gazzaniga made another save.
That looked to be the last opportunity, until the 90th minute when Gazzaniga let a low cross from Nuno Mendes slip under his body and trickle over the line, to give the hosts the victory in calamitous fashion.
The late winner means PSG avoid failing to score in three successive UCL matches for the first time, while Girona lose on the road for just the second time in seven matches.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
