AFP/Paris
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) failed to find the killer punch in a drab goalless draw at home to Montpellier yesterday, handing arch-rivals Marseille the chance to end the year on top of the Ligue 1 table.
Marseille stay top on goal difference before they take on Lille at home today while third-placed Lyon, who could theoretically upset the apple cart if Marseille came unstuck, travel to Bordeaux. But for the Parisians, it was another case of failing to live up to the pressure, following defeats to Barcelona in the Champions League and then Guingamp in the league, before an unconvincing 3-1 victory at second-tier AC Ajaccio in the League Cup in midweek.
An error-strewn first-half at the Parc des Princes saw the mid-table visitors knock the Parisians out of their normally fluid style and frustrated them throughout the first 45 minutes.
Montpellier could even claim the best chance of the first 45 minutes when Morgan Sanson had the the ball in the net with an acrobatic volley from Antony Mounier’s cross from the left, but Mounier was harshly ruled offside and the goal did not count.
PSG had to wait until five minutes from half-time before carving out a creditable chance of their own but failed to take advantage as Edinson Cavani needed one touch too many on Marco Verratti’s through pass and the ball ran away from him, allowing Montpellier ‘keeper Jonathan Ligali to smother it at his feet. The home side were looking anything like reigning champions even after upping the tempo at the start of the second half, as Montpellier managed to soak up everything PSG could throw at them.
But PSG gave notice that it might not be long before they took the lead as they moved up a gear in the 63rd minute.
First Lucas had a penalty appeal waved away after tangling with Abdelhamid El Kaoutari in the area and from the resulting corner, taken by Thiago Motta, Thiago Silva rose unchallenged to head goalwards only for Mounier to scramble it off the line.
However, it was not be as the clock ran down with neither side looking likely to break the deadlock.
Montpellier had scored seven goals in their previous two matches, but seemed mostly content to play a containing game and manager Rolland Courbis looked the happier at the final whistle as counterpart Laurent Blanc reflected on what might have been.
Ironically, the two will meet again in their very next next competitive match, having been drawn together in the French Cup, with the tie to be played in early January.
