PSG squander two-goal lead as impressive Brest fight back to claim draw
Both teams have been in impressive form in recent weeks and while Brest were certainly holding their own, Les Parisiens carved out opportunities with Vitinha wildly firing off-target and Kylian Mbappé hitting a venomous shot that was saved by Marco Bizot’s legs.
Having shown their defensive stubbornness, Les Pirates also made sure they kept their hosts honest going the other way as Kenny Lala delivered a delightful cross that Jérémy Le Douaron rose well to meet but headed wide.
Romain Del Castillo then worked Gianluigi Donnarumma with his free-kick attempt following a mistimed Lucas Hernandez challenge on Hugo Magnetti, while Eric Roy’s side continued to do a stellar job of limiting the Ligue 1 leaders until the 38th minute.
Bradley Barcola had often looked the most likely to make something happen for the hosts and did just that, dinking a perfectly weighted pass to Marco Asensio for the Spaniard to score on his first league start since September.
Just seven minutes later, Asensio’s shot was blocked after the pair had linked up again and Randal Kolo Muani nipped in ahead of Bradley Locko to poke the ball home.
Despite those setbacks, Brest were the stronger starters in the second period with Pierre Lees-Melou and Hugo Magnetti both working Donnarumma.
They were rewarded with a slice of luck, as Mahdi Camara took a deflection off Danilo Pereira and trickled past the goalkeeper. Les Pirates continued to battle against a PSG side that looked frustrated at times, and got the better of their defence again in the 80th minute. Martin Satriano squared the ball for fellow substitute Mathias Pereira Lage to divinely flick the ball inside the near post.
Brendan Chardonnet put in a superb block to deny Mbappé late on as the two sides were forced to settle for a draw, ending a winning run of five and six matches for PSG and Brest respectively.
Les Parisiens’ frustrations were encapsulated by Barcola, who saw two yellows in quick succession for dissent and kicking out at Billal Brahimi, as their advantage on Nice was reduced to six points this weekend.
In contrast, Les Pirates will be delighted to go a 10th game unbeaten across all competitions and sit three points behind Les Aiglons.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Brendan Chardonnet (Brest)
