Paris St-Germain were unable to convert a one-man advantage into victory against Lens in the French Super Cup, with four players receiving a rating of 3.0 after a disappointing performance.
Luis Enrique’s side had the numerical advantage for an entire half but still failed to score, allowing Lens to claim the domestic trophy. The result came despite PSG having won European silverware twice in succession against Premier League clubs in the UEFA Super Cup.
For PSG, the French Super Cup proved more difficult to win than the UEFA Super Cup. The team’s inability to make its superiority count was underlined by the performances of several key players, while substitutes also failed to change the course of the match.
The ratings below are subjective assessments from Euro-football.ru. Every player began the match with a rating of six, with 10 representing the highest possible mark by the final whistle.
PSG’s four lowest-rated players
William Pacho – 3.0
It was another difficult week for William Pacho. On Wednesday, the Ecuadorian defender struggled against 17-year-old Majo; against Lens, he was troubled by Sima.
Abdallah Sima reacted quickest to a rebound and then moved Pacho aside before delivering the assist for the decisive goal. Pacho also struggled in the air, losing five of his seven aerial duels with Sima.
He failed to make a single tackle during the match, leaving PSG vulnerable at the back despite their advantage in numbers for the second half.
Nuno Mendes – 3.0
Nuno Mendes came on with the expectation that he would give PSG greater attacking momentum. Instead, his introduction had an immediate negative impact.
With his first touch, Mendes wasted a promising opportunity. Twenty-five minutes later, he swung an arm at Michał Skoras and was shown a red card. The dismissal removed PSG’s numerical advantage and brought the two teams back to an equal footing for no obvious tactical reason.
Rather than providing the boost Luis Enrique wanted, Mendes’ appearance became one of the defining setbacks of the match.
Ousmane Dembele – 3.0
Ousmane Dembele also endured an unsuccessful spell after coming on as a substitute. He missed two of PSG’s most dangerous chances, including what was arguably the team’s best opportunity of the game.
After Desire Doue had poked the ball into his path, Dembele found himself shooting from close range, on the edge of the six-yard box. However, his effort flew high into the stands.
The chance highlighted PSG’s main problem in the match: they were able to reach promising positions but could not produce the finish required to beat Lens.
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 3.0
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia did not appear to have enough energy after the UEFA Super Cup. He began brightly, producing one of his trademark bursts and following it with a respectable effort on goal, but his influence quickly faded.
Over 70 minutes, the Georgia international failed to create a serious threat. He lost possession 16 times and was repeatedly beaten in ground duels, losing five of six.
Kvaratskhelia’s quiet performance summed up a frustrating evening for PSG, who could not turn possession and a prolonged numerical advantage into a goal or a trophy.
