PSG held to third straight draw as Reims snatch point at Parc des Princes
Things haven’t necessarily been calm and tranquil at the Parc des Princes in recent times, with yet more behind-the-scenes division said to be plaguing the dressing room. Those frustrations were amplified after just six minutes when an Achraf Hakimi error gifted Reims the chance to snatch an early opener.
Oumar Diakité picked the pocket of the Morocco international, before squaring to teammate Marshall Munetsi, who made no mistake with the finish from 12 yards out.
It didn’t take Hakimi long to make amends for his mistake though, with the right-back delivering the cross that led to Yunis Abdelhamid's own-goal equaliser.
Within the blink of an eye, the home side had edged out in front, this time via a goal from Gonçalo Ramos, who sniffed out a bouncing ball inside the box and rifled home an unstoppable effort.
It had looked as if it would be a comfortable half from thereon in, but on the brink of HT, Reims once again breached the PSG backline. Having expertly beaten the offside trap, Diakité kept his cool while bearing down on goal and curled a tidy right-footed finish beyond the onrushing Keylor Navas.
That exasperation carried over into the second half, with a resilient Reims defence restricting PSG to few worthwhile chances. Bradley Barcola did well to create space for himself inside the box, but the attacker’s effort crept just wide of the far-right post.
Whereas on the opposite flank, Lee Kang-in was able to go one better and hit the target, yet it wasn’t a good enough effort to beat Yehvann Diouf in the Reims goal.
Not even the introduction of talisman Kylian Mbappé could inspire PSG to find a crucial winning goal, with the FIFA World Cup winner firing his best chance after coming off the bench straight down the throat of Diouf.
Given their advantage at the top of the Ligue 1 table, it would take a remarkable drop-off for PSG not to win the league from this point on. But with a crucial UEFA Champions League quarter-final to come, Enrique will be concerned with his side’s apparent inability to put matches to bed.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Oumar Diakité (Reims)
