Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Nigeria

Kylian Mbappe off at half time as Paris Saint-Germain held by Monaco

sportsmole.co.uk, 1 March 2024, 21:53
Kylian Mbappe was taken off at half time as Paris Saint-Germain were held to a 0-0 draw by Monaco at the Stade Louis II in Ligue 1.

Les Monegasques were unfortunate not to enter the break ahead before an Mbappe-less Parisiens improved in the second half, but the night belonged to the goalkeepers, as Gianluigi Donnarumma and Radoslaw Majecki both departed with deserved clean sheets next to their names.

Parisiens number one Donnarumma was the far busier of the two shot-stoppers during the first half, being called into action after just five minutes to deny Folarin Balogun at his near post.

Ex-Arsenal attacker Balogun - and the rest of the red and white shirts - were fired up for the occasion, and the USA international unsuccessfully remonstrated to referee Ruddy Buquet in the 14th minute, having given Manuel Ugarte the slip with a nifty turn before being tugged back by the Uruguayan.

Balogun attempted to stay on his feet and get his shot away rather than immediately go down - which arguably did not help his cause - but from the resulting corner, Donnarumma had to be at full stretch to tip a Takumi Minamino curler over the top.

The champions belatedly carved out their first meaningful chance in the 21st minute, as space opened up for Marco Asensio in the middle to let fly, but his curling strike was far too close to Majecki to trouble the Monaco shot-stopper.

Just four minutes later, Wissam Ben Yedder momentarily thought that he had drawn first blood for Monaco - skipping past Donnarumma and tapping in after latching onto Balogun's header - but the offside flag correctly went up against the Frenchman.

The attack-minded Monegasques kept on coming, and the unbeatable Donnarumma was required again to thwart Maghnes Akliouche in the 29th minute, although he was indebted to his defenders for blocking Aleksandr Golovin's goal-bound follow-up.

PSG's attackers were seldom seen in the opening exchanges, but Asensio appeared to tweak a thigh muscle and could not carry on despite a dose of magic spray from the medical team; Bradley Barcola replaced the ex-Real Madrid man in the 38th minute.

Another gilt-edged chance fell at the feet of Ben Yedder in the 42nd minute, as Youssouf Fofana picked out his captain with a terrific eye-of-the-needle pass beyond several black shirts, but the Frenchman volleyed over the top from a promising position.

A timid PSG - bereft of offensive threat for all of their possession - entered the break on level terms, albeit only thanks to another top stop from Donnarumma, who kept out Akliouche's low drive from 12 yards after Kassoum Ouattara cut back for the 22-year-old in injury time.

In another possible indication that his days in PSG colours are numbered, Mbappe was surprisingly taken off at half time by Luis Enrique - who brought Randal Kolo Muani on in his place - although he appeared to be walking with a very slight limp as he made his way around the Stade Louis II to acknowledge the home crowd.

A couple more Monaco penalty appeals - one for a handball against Achraf Hakimi and another for Lucas Hernandez's shove on Ben Yedder - fell on deaf ears early in the second half, where Vitinha also blazed a speculative effort over the top for PSG in the 56th minute.

The golden chances continued to fall Monaco's way, though, and with 58 minutes gone, Minamino floated a cross to the back post for Ben Yedder, who demonstrated perfect technique with an exquisite volley but was denied by the crossbar and the offside flag, although Hakimi appeared to be playing him on.

However, with Mbappe off the field, the champions were playing with more cohesion, and the livewire Barcola soon tested Majecki on two occasions, hitting a tame shot straight at the Pole in the 62nd minute before being kept out at his near post five moments later.

As PSG rose into the ascendancy in the final quarter of the game, Barcola found the unchecked run of Vitinha in the left-hand side of the box in the 75th minute, and the Portuguese midfielder had ample time to open up his body and aim for the far corner, but Majecki read it well and tipped the ball behind.

A final tame header from Thilo Kehrer bounced straight to Donnarumma in added time as the two teams shook hands on a point, one which sees Enrique's men open up a 12-point lead over Brest at the top of the table, while Les Monegasques remain third but are just one point adrift of the current runners-up.

PSG will spend the weekend recuperating for Tuesday's Champions League last-16 second leg at Real Sociedad, whom they hold a 2-0 lead against from the first leg, while Monaco have a nine-day competitive break before travelling to Strasbourg on March 10.

Top News

15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Erik ten Hag's chances of keeping the managerial position at Manchester United beyond the end of the 2023-24 campaign are reportedly 50-50. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Xavi has revealed that he is planning to keep hold of Marc Casado amid the recent speculation surrounding the midfielder's future. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly willing to offer £55m for Jarrad Branthwaite this summer, but Everton value the in-demand centre-back closer to £80m. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag is hopeful that Victor Lindelof, Raphael Varane, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford will all be available for the FA Cup final against Manchester City. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly reached a decision over a new asking price for Romelu Lukaku. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich are reportedly planning to hold talks with Thomas Tuchel over the possibility of the German remaining as head coach beyond the end of the campaign. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich are reportedly planning to hold talks with Thomas Tuchel over the possibility of the German remaining as head coach beyond the end of the campaign. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has claimed that the Blues have been 'making investments', rather than spending money, in the transfer market. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have allegedly been in touch with Kieran McKenna's representatives to discuss the possibility of the Ipswich Town head coach replacing Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has given every indication that the club's hierarchy have the 'patience' to keep Mauricio Pochettino as head coach. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Some Manchester United players are allegedly 'reluctant to pass the ball' to Rasmus Hojlund, with a number of the first-team squad having concerns over the Denmark international. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sofyan Amrabat's agent was reportedly in Manchester on Tuesday to hold talks with Manchester United over the future of his client. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly in line to secure a welcome financial boost ahead of filing their next accounts. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has been announced as the new head coach of Red Bull Salzburg ahead of his exit from Anfield. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United could surpass a record currently held by the Premier League's worst-ever team when they take to the field for their final two matches of the 2023-24 campaign. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aaron Wan-Bissaka will reportedly say goodbye to the Manchester United supporters following Wednesday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bringing the curtain down on another top-flight campaign, Famalicao will welcome top-half chasers Casa Pia to Estadio Municipal 22 de Junho on Friday night in the Primeira Liga. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The culmination of the 2023-24 League One campaign takes place under the famous arch of Wembley Stadium when Bolton Wanderers lock horns with Oxford United in the playoff final on Saturday afternoon. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Aston Villa centre-forward Ollie Watkins during this summer's transfer window. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that one Chelsea player will be "much better" next season. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk A trio of England internationals are reportedly among seven players whom Arsenal are prepared to entertain offers for in the summer transfer window. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk One of Liverpool's first-team goalkeepers has confirmed that he is eyeing a move away from Anfield in the summer transfer window. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Sint-Truiden and Leuven meet on Friday evening merely playing for pride having already missed out on European qualification. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by just one place and two points in the Serie A rankings, Fiorentina and Napoli square off at Artemio Franchi in Friday's fascinating contest. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bruno Fernandes is reportedly expected to remain with Manchester United this summer despite the recent speculation surrounding his future at Old Trafford. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid set a club clean sheet record on Tuesday evening, as the capital giants continued their excellent form with a 5-0 success over Alaves in Spain's top flight. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has firmly denied a claim that some of the club's injured players are ducking matches in the latter stages of the 2023-24 campaign. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk An apoplectic Ange Postecoglou professed that the foundations of Tottenham Hotspur are "fragile" after the Lilywhites missed out on Champions League football with their 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 15 May 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Domestic leagues across Europe have now entered the business end of the season, with battles at the top and bottom of standings now close to reaching their conclusions.
Fri 17 May, 18:45
L2
Bordeaux Bordeaux
-
sch
Pau Pau
Sun 19 May, 12:30
ERD
PSV PSV
-
sch
Waalwijk Waalwijk