Coach Laurent Blanc criticized the attitude of his players after Paris Saint-Germain’s long unbeaten run finally came to an end on Sunday night with a 2-1 defeat at Olympique Lyonnais, the runaway league leaders first loss in domestic competition for almost a year.
Lyon’s goals came in the first half from teenage forward Maxwel Cornet and Spanish midfielder Sergi Darder, while Brazilian winger Lucas replied for PSG.
“Nothing prepares you for such an average performance — for want of another word,” Blanc said.
Photo: Reuters
“Lyon played very well and they were much better than us in terms of their attitude. They walked all over us and we had no response,” he said.
PSG’s lead over second-placed AS Monaco is still a massive 23 points with 10 games remaining, though, and Blanc’s side remain firmly on track to defend their domestic treble.
“We will have to use this defeat to get back on track against [AS] Saint-Etienne [in the Coupe de France quarter-finals tomorrow],” said Blanc, who also blamed his coaching for the defeat. “We were expecting a difficult game, but not this difficult. PSG were far too average to compete with Lyon tonight, and that includes me.”
Photo: AFP
The win moved Lyon up to third place on goal-difference ahead of Stade Malherbe Caen.
“We played an incredible match in every position,” Lyon midfielder Jordan Ferri said. “We told ourselves this was the time to beat them and we held on in the last 10 minutes when they pushed hard.”
It was only PSG’s second defeat in 42 games this season — the other was a 1-0 reverse away to Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Nov. 3 last year — and the first domestic loss since a 3-2 reverse at Girondins de Bordeaux in Ligue 1 on March 15 last year.
“Lyon played better than us, so congratulations to them,” PSG centerback David Luiz said. “We didn’t play very well.”
Cash-rich, Qatari-backed PSG went into the match brimming with confidence and on the back of an unbeaten 46-game run in domestic competition.
Furthermore, Lyon’s task was made more difficult with centerback Samuel Umtiti, rightback Christophe Jallet and key midfielder Clement Grenier suspended; while midfielder Corentin Tolisso and winger Mathieu Valbuena were out injured.
However, Lyon took the game to PSG from the outset, playing at a frenetic pace and they struck first in the 13th minute.
Teenager Cornet did brilliantly to take down a high ball on the left, cut inside and curl an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, who then made a late reaction save to keep out Darder’s shot moments later.
PSG midfielder Thiago Motta was lucky not to be sent off midway through the first half for clearly slamming his forearm into the side of Ferri’s head, but he escaped with a yellow card after Zlatan Ibrahimovic, captain Thiago Silva and striker Edinson Cavani surrounded referee Lionel Jaffredo.
Silva was left sliding into thin air after midfielder Rachid Ghezzal turned him inside out brilliantly moments later, only to shoot wide, while a lackluster PSG did not properly test Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes until Silva’s header in the 35th minute.
PSG’s defense was then undone in sublime fashion by Darder with just seconds to go until halftime.
The 22-year-old Spaniard cushioned a high pass on the inside of his foot and span around his marker in one swift and smooth movement, before planting the ball past a helpless Trapp for a goal that Ibrahimovic would have been proud of.
After Lucas gave PSG hope when he scored six minutes into the second half, Trapp moved sharply off his line to block Ghezzal’s shot in the 60th minute as Lyon got on top again.
Earlier on Sunday, Croatia goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made several smart saves as second-placed Monaco held on for a 0-0 draw away to Nantes.
Subasic denied Nantes forward Kolbeinn Sigthorsson — twice — striker Emiliano Sala and midfielder Alejandro Bedoya in the first half.
Nantes are unbeaten in 16 games in all competitions and sit in eighth place, one point behind AS Saint-Etienne, who dropped to seventh.
Stade Malherbe Caen won 2-1 at Saint-Etienne thanks to second-half goals from strikers Andy Delort and Ronny Rodelin.
Gazelec Ajaccio’s home game against Olympique de Marseille was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.
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