In a thrilling 3-3 draw with Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade de la Meinau on Friday night, Strasbourg earned a point with two goals in the final 15 minutes.
Paris Saint-Germain played in front of a loud crowd at the Stade de la Meinau for the first time since winning their ninth Ligue 1 Uber Eats title last weekend.
PSG coach Mauricio Pochettino said in the build-up to the game that he didn’t expect his team to be complacent in their remaining four league games, but that plan was thwarted in the third minute by a familiar face.
Kevin Gameiro, a former PSG striker, grabbed onto Lucas Perrin’s through ball and struck a close-range shot past Gianluigi Donnarumma to put the hosts ahead.
It was all too simple for the 35-year-old, who outpaced and outmuscled Presnel Kimpembe with relative ease, much to the chagrin of Pochettino.
The goal raised the roof of Meinau, and Julien Stéphan’s players benefited from the crowd’s roar. Adrien Thomasson’s deflected shot entered the net, only to be called off for offside (9′). PSG were fortunate not to fall further behind.
Despite using a back three of Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos, and Kimpembe, PSG’s defense was all over the place. Strasbourg’s relentless pushing proved too much for PSG’s sluggish start as they sought three points to boost their Champions League qualification aspirations.
PSG promptly shifted into second gear and took up the challenge. The victors leveled the playing field with their first opportunity.
Neymar sent a beautiful defence-splitting pass to the onrushing Kylian Mbappé, who made no mistake from seven yards to score his 23rd goal of the season (23′).
Before the break, both teams had chances to grab the lead, with Neymar going close from distance (31′) and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde’s thunderous strike for Strasbourg soaring inches over the bar (43′).
Sanjin Prcic came agonizingly near for the Alsatians early in the second half, but his perfectly hit effort sailed wide (56′).
When Mbappé squared to Achraf Hakimi, the Morocco international made no mistake from six yards out, the champions regained control and took the lead in the 64th minute.
PSG were given a gift just four minutes later when Mbappé took advantage of a wayward back pass from Alexander Djiku and struck the bottom corner to extend the visitors’ lead.
Pochettino’s side appeared to be on autopilot, but Strasbourg grabbed a goal back when Habib Diallo’s header was deflected past Donnarumma by Marco Verratti’s outstretched leg (75′).
Strasbourg fought back for an equalizer and were rewarded in the final minutes as an unmarked Anthony Caci volleyed a leveller to win a crucial point (90′).
PSG’s insurmountable advantage at the top has been extended to 14 points, while Strasbourg has climbed to fifth place provisionally.
There aren’t many adjectives that can adequately define the Frenchman. Mbappé saved his teammates once again with some magical moments, adding two goals and an assist to his season totals. PSG’s most essential player put in yet another world-class performance.
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During the draw with Strasbourg, Kylian Mbappé scored his 130th and 131st goals in Ligue 1 Uber Eats. This century, only Edinson Cavani has scored more goals in the Premier League (138).
