Just after the half, Noa Lang gave the Dutch champions the lead at the Parc des Princes, but Achraf Hakimi tied the score early in the second half.
PSV Eindhoven’s Brazilian defender #17 Mauro Junior (2ndL) fights for the ball with Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward #29 Bradley Barcola (2ndR) during the UEFA Champions League, League phase – Matchday 3, football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and PSV Eindhoven at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, on October 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
PSV Eindhoven held Paris Saint-Germain to a 1-1 draw in the French capital on Tuesday, continuing the team’s stuttering start to the Champions League this season.
Just after the half, Noa Lang gave the Dutch champions the lead at the Parc des Princes, but Achraf Hakimi tied the score early in the second half.However, considering the opportunities they created, PSG should have won this game; however, Luis Enrique’s team once again struggled to put the ball in the net, a problem that plagues them in Europe.PSG’s frustration was encapsulated when, following a challenge on Marco Asensio in the box, they were given a penalty in injury time, only to have the ruling reversed upon review.In this match, the French powerhouses had 25 shots on goal compared to their opponents’ seven. In their last five Champions League games, they have only managed to score twice, the other being an own goal against Girona last month.
That run goes back to last season’s semi-final against Borussia Dortmund which they lost 2-0 on aggregate.
PSG has only four points out of a possible nine after losing to Arsenal 2-0 on the road and narrowly defeating Girona 1-0 in their opening two games under the competition’s new format.
Even though they still have five games left, the fact that they will be playing Bayern Munich away and Atletico Madrid at home suggests that things will not get any easier.PSV, on the other hand, has yet to win after drawing at home against Sporting and losing away to Juventus.With a perfect record after nine games in the Eredivisie this season, it demonstrates how much of a step up playing in Europe is for the Dutch team.Ousmane Dembele, who was controversially benched against Arsenal earlier this month, returned to the starting lineup for PSG after being rested in Ligue 1 last weekend.
Dembele misses –The France winger missed a few significant opportunities in the first half and has never been a lethal finisher.The first player to force a save from visiting custodian Walter Benitez was Lee Kang-in, who was preferred in the PSG attack over Randal Kolo Muani.When Dembele came unmarked at the back post to meet an inviting cross from the left in the 19th minute, he should have scored, but his half-volley attempt hit the top of the bar.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Moroccan midfielder #02 Achraf Hakimi (R) runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League, League phase – Matchday 3, football match between Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) and PSV Eindhoven at the Parc des Princes Stadium in Paris, on October 22, 2024. (Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP)
On the half-hour mark, Dembele was played in by a deft pass off the chest by Joao Neves, but he blazed over the bar, resulting in another miss.With minimal forward momentum, PSV took the lead at 34 minutes.The home team was exposed after an interception by Olivier Boscagli, and Ismael Saibari found Lang, who fired a low shot from the edge of the area into the corner.
PSG found an equaliser on minute fifty-five, putting them in danger of suffering their seventh Champions League loss in fifteen games since the beginning of the previous campaign.Hakimi attempted a risky shot from 25 meters out, but Benitez was unable to stop it because it was too strong and went through the goalie’s legs.
Prior to the chaos in injury time, the same player nearly put PSG ahead.When Boscagli lunged into a tackle on Asensio in the 93rd minute, Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg signalled for a penalty, but the defender played the ball and a VAR check nullified the penalty.After Benitez made a spectacular save from a header by Marquinhos to save PSV, the home crowd jeered as the final whistle blew.As of right now, the club owned by Qatar has little chance of winning the Champions League for the first time this season.
