|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
PSG fails to secure Ligue 1 title in draw against Le Havre
Paris Saint-Germain squandered the chance to secure another Ligue 1 title on Saturday after playing out a 3-3 draw at home to struggling Le Havre in their last game before facing Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League semi-finals.
PSG would have been confirmed as champions for a French record-extending 12th time, and a 10th in 12 seasons, with a win against a side who began the day in the relegation play-off place.
However, in the end they needed a 95th-minute goal by Goncalo Ramos just to salvage a draw after finding themselves 3-1 down at one point in the second half.
Bradley Barcola had equalised for PSG in the first half, cancelling out Christopher Operi’s opener, but Ghana star Andre Ayew quickly restored Le Havre’s lead and Abdoulaye Toure then converted a penalty just after the hour mark for the visitors.
It looked like PSG were heading for just their second Ligue 1 loss of the entire campaign, but Achraf Hakimi pulled a goal back before substitute Ramos headed in to stretch their unbeaten run in the league to 26 games since September.
READ ALSO: Barcelona beat Chelsea 2-0, advances to women’s champions league final
Luis Enrique’s team, who are on course for a possible treble of domestic league and cup and Champions League, are 12 points clear at the top of the table from Monaco, who have just four games — and 12 points — left to play for.
Paris could therefore still be crowned champions on Sunday, if Monaco fail to win their game away at Lyon.
However, the Qatar-owned outfit may otherwise have to wait another couple of weeks — their next Ligue 1 game, against Toulouse, will not be until May 12, after the two legs of their Champions League showdown with Dortmund.
PSG go to Germany for the first leg of that tie on Wednesday and Luis Enrique has been rotating his squad recently with Europe in mind.
Here he made 10 changes to the team that started the 4-1 win away at Lorient in midweek, with only Ousmane Dembele keeping his place in the line-up and Kylian Mbappe among those rested.
Le Havre, who had won just one of their last 12 Ligue 1 games, stunned the home crowd on a rain-sodden evening by going ahead in the 19th minute.
It was a superb team goal, coming from a move that began with Ayew producing an audacious back-heel pass near the right touchline and ending with Operi drilling a first-time shot from the left low into the far corner.
The home side restored parity just before the half-hour mark as Barcola arrived at the back post to sweep in a low ball across the face of goal from Warren Zaire-Emery.
Teenage France midfielder Zaire-Emery was presented to the crowd before kick-off after PSG announced he had agreed a new contract to stay at the club until 2029.
Le Havre went back in front seven minutes before the interval as Loic Nego teed up Ayew, the former Marseille player controlling before rifling a shot low past Keylor Navas and into the net.
Mbappe came on in one of three half-time changes for PSG, but Le Havre extended their lead when Toure converted a spot-kick awarded for a foul by Danilo Pereira on Nego that was detected after a VAR review.
Portugal forward Ramos then replaced Randal Kolo Muani and produced a fine assist for Hakimi to reduce the deficit on 78 minutes.
Ramos was then denied by a superb save from goalkeeper Arthur Desmas, but the striker headed in the equaliser deep into stoppage time from Lee Kang-in’s cross.
That was a punch in the gut for Le Havre, although the draw does still lift them out of the bottom three, at least until Sunday’s matches.
Follow the Neptune Prime channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va74ZvU2v1IqKByXoX3d
Do you have breaking news, interview request, opinion, suggestion, or want your event covered? Email us at neptuneprime2233@gmail.com
