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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fell to a 3-1 defeat against AS Monaco in Ligue 1 on Saturday, February 11.
Monaco arrived for this game on the back of three wins and two draws in their last five games across competitions. They were 10 points behind PSG in fourth place prior to kick-off and were looking to close the gap down. With multiple stars out with injuries for the visitors, this was the hosts' best chance to capitalize.
The Parisians, on the other hand, suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of rivals Marseille, resulting in elimination from the Coupe de France. To add insult to injury, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe remain sidelined with their UEFA Champions League clash against Bayern Munich round the corner. Christophe Galtier fielded the strongest possible lineup with the players available.
AS Monaco made a blistering start to the game and caught PSG by surprise in the early exchanges. Wissam Ben Yedder continued in his incredible form as he assisted Aleksandr Golovin's goal after just four minutes. Ben Yedder then got on the scoresheet himself in the 18th minute, with Krepin Diatta providing the assist as the hosts marched to a two-goal advantage.
PSG's misery was reduced by youngster Warren Zaire-Emery, who made it 2-1 after 39 minutes following an assist from Juan Bernat. However, Monaco restored their two-goal lead in first-half stoppage time as Ben Yedder doubled his tally following an assist from Eliesse Ben Seghir.
The hosts carried a comfortable 3-1 lead over PSG into the break.
Both managers turned to their respective benches to start the second half as they both made multiple changes to rotate their squads. PSG kept the ball for 61% of the second half as they tried several ways to crawl back into the game. Despite their possession, they managed just one shot in the second period which was off-target.
Monaco, on the other hand, did well with limited possession as they fired eight shots on goal, hitting the target twice in the second period. Despite their efforts, they were unable to add to their tally but did well to hold onto the lead they had.
After a rather slow second half compared to the first, Monaco held on as they secured all three points against PSG. On that note, let's take a look at the Parisians' player ratings.
PSG Player Ratings
Gianluigi Donnarumma - 7.5/10
Despite ending up on the losing side, Donnarumma did not go down without putting up a respectable fight. He made seven stops and one successful charge.
Danilo Pereira - 6.5/10
Pereira made a decent start to the game and played for just under an hour before being replaced. He won three of his six duels, making three tackles, two interceptions and one clearance.
Marquinhos - 6/10
Marquinhos had a rare day off as he struggled to contain Monaco's attacking moves. He won just three of his seven duels and was also dribbled past with ease on one occasion.
El Chadaille Bitshiabu - 5.5/10
He had a poor game in the first half and made a crucial error during the build-up to Ben Yedder's goal. He was replaced by Sergio Ramos at the interval.
Timothee Pembele - 6.5/10
Pembele had a decent game as he won three of his seven duels, making three interceptions and two tackles. He also attempted two shots but failed to hit the target.
Warren Zaire-Emery - 7/10
The youngster did well to hand his team a lifeline in the first half. He won four of his 10 duels, making two interceptions and one tackle.
Vitinha - 6.5/10
Vitinha had a decent game in midfield as he passed the ball with 89% accuracy, including two key passes and six long balls. He also won four of his 11 duels, making three tackles.
Carlos Soler - 6.5/10
Soler had a decent game in midfield as he passed the ball with 88% accuracy. He won four of his eight duels and also played one key pass and one long ball.
Juan Bernat - 7/10
Bernat had a good game overall and provided an assist for his side's goal in the first half. He won four of his nine duels and played two key passes.
Hugo Ekitike - 6/10
Ekitike had a poor outing as he failed to attempt a single shot and had just 28 touches of the ball despite playing for 80 minutes. He also failed to win any of his four duels, or play any important passes.
Neymar - 6.5/10
Neymar put in a mixed performance for PSG as he was involved in the game in phases. He had a remarkable 103 touches of the ball, winning 10 duels and completing five dribbles in the process. However, he lost possession of the ball 28 times.
Substitutes
Sergio Ramos - 6.5/10
Ramos came on to replace the inexperienced El Chadaille Bitshiabu and put in a good performance.
Ismael Gharbi - 6.5/10
Gharbi replaced Danilo and played well.
Achraf Hakimi - 6/10
Hakimi came on for Pembele and put in a decent performance. He was also booked for a foul.
Presnel Kimpembe & Ilyes Housni - N/A
The pair came on as late-game substitutes and did not play enough minutes to warrant a rating.
