Strasbourg 1-1 PSG: Player ratings with the Parisians having been held to a late draw | Ligue 1 2022-23
PSG were held to a 1-1 draw by Strasbourg in Ligue 1 on Saturday. Lionel Messi's opening goal for the visitors was canceled out by Kevin Gameiro to force a share of the spoils. Still, it was enough to confirm the Parisians as the Ligue 1 champions.
PSG started the match strongly by dominating possession and passing the ball around quickly, while their hosts looked to press them on, even as simultaneously squeezing passing avenues.
Both teams came close in the first half, but it wasn't until the 59th minute that the deadlock was broken. Messi lashed a shot into the roof of the net from a pass from Kylian Mbappe.
PSG were finally in front, but their lead lasted only 20 minutes as Gameiro equalized for Strasbourg. He latched onto a rebound after Gianluigi Donnarumma parried away Morgan Sanson's effort and the former PSG forward bundled the ball home.
It still made no difference to their mighty visitors though as the Parisians were crowned champions of Ligue 1 for the 11th time.
Here are the player ratings for PSG:
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7/10
He made four saves but couldn't keep a clean sheet as Donnarumma was beaten for Gameiro's goal late on.
Danilo Pereira - 7.5/10
The Portuguese created PSG's goal with a lovely switch of play out to Mbappe who then squared it for Messi. Defensively, he didn't put a foot wrong, making one block and interception each as well as four tackles.
Sergio Ramos - 7/10
The Spaniard read the game brilliantly and showed wonderful positional awareness to keep Strasbourg at bay for most of the game.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu - 6/10
He made a horrendous backpass in the 15th minute, which nearly resulted in a goal for Strasbourg, but recovered to make a vital block on Habib Diarra, a few minutes later.
Warren Zaire-Emery - 6/10
He was good in the first half but looked rattled in the second. The youngster even gave the ball away in the 48th minute.
Vitinha - 7/10
Vitinha created one good chance for Messi in the 37th minute and was a thorn in Strasbourg's face with his amazing recoveries. He completed 94 percent of his passes and made three tackles.
Marco Verratti - 7.5/10
The Italian veteran exerted his dominance in midfield, impeding Strasbourg's movements with crucial interventions. He won nine ground duels and completed six tackles while boasting a 93 percent passing accuracy.
Renato Sanches - 6.5/10
He was denied from close range in the first half but was a big problem for Strasbourg off the ball with his perfectly-timed tackles and interceptions. However, he lost possession nine times and committed three fouls. Sanches also won only five of 13 ground duels.
Juan Bernat - 6.5/10
Bernat actively got forward in the first half to link up with Messi and Mbappe, but it didn't work many times. He was barely seen after the break.
Lionel Messi - 8.5/10
The Argentine created three key passes in the game and scored the goal that put his team ahead in the match. He was also accurate with his crosses and long balls.
Kylian Mbappe - 7.5/10
He bagged the assist for Messi's goal with a key pass but was otherwise frustrated in front of goal. Only three of his seven dribbling attempts were successful and he also managed to win just four of 14 ground duels.
Substitutes
Carlos Soler (84' for Vitinha) - 5/10
Not the impact that Galtier was hoping for.
Quick Links
Akshay Saraswat