AFP/Paris
Edinson Cavani came off the bench to save Paris Saint-Germain’s blushes and maintain their Ligue 1 unbeaten run as the champions retained top spot with a 1-1 draw at plucky Reims yesterday.
The result means PSG will finish the weekend top of Ligue 1 on 14 points ahead of Rennes, who drew with Lille on Friday, on 13. All eyes, however, will be on Marseille tonight as they host Lyon in the pick of the weekend games.
At Reims, the two goals came within a minute of each other as home striker Jordan Saibatcheu took advantage of some hapless defending to give his side an 83rd minute lead, which would have been enough to carry his side level with the Parisians at the top. But PSG responded with astonishing style as Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore played a peach of a through-ball and Cavani rushed into the area to clip a slick shot past goalkeeper Kossi Agassa. It was his fifth league strike of the season.
A badly misfiring Zlatan Ibrahimovic conversely had missed a sitter on 62 minutes, fluffing a straightforward header with Agassa sat on the floor and the goal entirely at his mercy, the Swede inexplicably nodding an easy chance wide.
That was the moment PSG coach Laurent Blanc went for broke and brought on Angel Di Maria, Cavani and Blaise Matuidi, who had been left on the bench after the midweek 2-0 win over Malmo in the Champions League.
Ezequiel Lavezzi almost forced a breakthrough on 17 minutes after chipping Agassa, only to see his shot agonisingly cleared off the line by a back-tracking defender.
And a bullet-header from Marquinos, partnering captain Thiago Silva in central defence, was stopped thanks to lightning reflexes on the hour by Agassa, a 37-year-old from Togo.
Reims had gone into the game third in Ligue 1 and almost took a first-half lead when Nicolas de Preville hit the post on 40 minutes with PSG stopper Kevin Trapp rooted to his line.
On Friday, Rennes temporarily moved level on points with PSG after a 1-1 home draw against ten-man Lille, who had their usually brilliant Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama sent off.
The Brittany club are enjoying their finest ever start to a season as they improved to four wins, a draw and one defeat.
For Lille, the result was their fourth draw in six matches to go with one victory and a defeat as Herve Renard’s men climbed to tenth.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Edinson Cavani (right) celebrates after scoring against Reims. (AFP)
