The mano a mano with OM leaves no margin, and Paris understands this perfectly. At the Parc des Princes, the European champions did not let the suspense build. For once, the victory took shape well before the money-time, with a mastery close to that of the big evenings. However, the adversity was not trivial: faithful to his philosophy, Didier Digard presented an ambitious, playful Havre, capable of advancing high. An ideal context to judge Parisian health, significantly overhauled before Tottenham.
Lee lights up the evening, Chevalier reassures an entire stadium
If we were waiting to see how Paris would manage the absence of executives like Dembélé or Hakimi, the answer came from the bench… and from Lucas Chevalier. The goalkeeper, long criticized, signed his most accomplished performance since his arrival: a reflex save in the 26th minute, another decisive one in the 72nd, and a saving post between the two. A finally full evening, which gives it fresh air. In front of him, his partners did the rest: Lee Kang-in opened the scoring like a fox, at the far post, after a perfect cross from Nuno Mendes. The South Korean was one of the driving forces behind PSG, technically fair and always available.
With this largely overhauled eleven, some had a real card to play. João Neves grabbed it. At the hour mark, the young midfielder burst into the area after a double attempt by Barcola to push the ball deep: 2-0, symbol of a player who doesn’t force anything but always does the right thing. Conversely, Gonçalo Ramos once again missed his chance: an incredibly missed face-to-face in the 34th minute, other bad choices… The contrast with his effectiveness in the selection is striking. Even the young Ibrahima Mbaye, thrown into the deep end, was sharper.
PSG: a quiet victory before Tottenham
Barcola completes a logical victory
Le Havre did not cheat: pressing, rapid transitions, offensive intentions… but the elite is in the details. An alignment error, a poorly cut transition, a ball lost too low and Paris punished. The Le Havre protested against the second Parisian goal, considering a prior fault, but the referee allowed the game to play. And this choice weighed heavily in the scenario of a match where the gap widened without the HAC losing its merit.
The last Parisian acceleration sealed the evening: Kvaratskhelia, returning to bring percussion, launched Barcola in the depth. Control in the race, taking advantage of his defender, cross shot: 3-0, clean and clinical. Paris managed, controlled, mastered. For Luis Enrique, the contract is fulfilled: no injuries, three points, the lead in the championship regained, and a rotation validated without quivering. The pre-break marathon begins like a signal.
