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Christophe Galtier’s star-studded Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fell to a shock 1-0 defeat to Ligue 1 rivals Rennes at Roazhon Park on Sunday night (15 January). Hamari Traore’s sharp 65th-minute strike ended up sealing a well-deserved victory for Rennes in front of their fans.
The result marked PSG’s second consecutive defeat in the 2022-23 Ligue 1 campaign. Courtesy of their lackluster performance and Lens' 1-0 win over Auxerre on Saturday, the Parisians now only have a three-point lead at the top of the Ligue 1 table.
Despite having the in-form Lionel Messi and Neymar in the lineup, PSG struggled to create chances in the opening exchanges. The hosts remained compact and only hit on the break.
In the 29th minute, they created the best chance of the first half through a clever link-up play between Adrien Truffert and Arnaud Kalimuendo-Muinga. The left-back cut the ball back into the area for Kalimuendo-Muinga, who went for PSG’s goal with a thumping volleyed effort.
Les Parisiens’ goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma reacted promptly to block the shot before Sergio Ramos stepped in to send the ball behind for a corner. PSG thoroughly dominated possession in the first half but failed to lodge a single shot on target.
The second half was no better than the first for PSG, with them continuing to struggle to create anything of note in the final third of the pitch. The hosts, opportunistic as ever, got themselves ahead through Traore in the 65th minute. Truffert once again dashed down the flank and delivered a low cross into the area. Rennes’ skipper Traore arrived in the right place at the right time to put it beyond Donnarumma.
In the 70th minute, PSG’s poster boy Kylian Mbappe squandered an excellent opportunity to equalize, failing to apply the finishing touch to Messi’s glorious lobbed through ball. Twelve minutes later, the Parisians lodged their first shot on target, with left-back Juan Bernat testing goalkeeper Steve Mandanda with a powerful volley. The keeper saw the strike cleanly and tipped it over the bar for a corner, which came to nothing.
PSG failed to find their rhythm in the last 15 minutes of the game and ultimately settled for a hapless defeat. Here are five players who failed to live up to their billing as PSG fell to their second defeat of the 2022-23 season:
#5 Lionel Messi
World Cup and Golden Ball winner Lionel Messi had a rather quiet game by his lofty standards. Apart from creating a sumptuous chance for Mbappe in the 70th minute, the Argentina skipper failed to do anything of note. He dropped way too deep at times, which hurt his chances of testing Mandanda.
On Ligue 1 matchday 19, Messi failed to lodge any shots on target. He also lost possession 18 times, misplaced three attempted long balls, failed to pull off two of three dribbles, and lost four ground duels.
#4 Achraf Hakimi
Achraf Hakimi was introduced in Nordi Mukiele’s place in the 56th minute. The Moroccan right-wingback was meant to add pace and creativity down that flank. Instead, he failed to keep up with the game, getting brushed aside by Truffert in the build-up to Rennes’ match-winning strike in the 65th minute.
During his ineffective cameo, Hakimi was dribbled past twice, lost all four of his ground duels, failed to play any key passes, and misplaced the only cross he attempted.
#3 Hugo Ekitike
PSG’s young center-forward Hugo Ekitike put in quite a shift in last week’s 2-0 win over Angers, scoring once and playing a key role in the second one. That spark and determination were missing in the clash against Rennes, with him failing to get into dangerous positions inside and outside the box.
Before being taken off for Mbappe in the 55th minute, Ekitike took only 10 touches, completing five passes. He did not attempt a single shot, could not create any goalscoring opportunities and lost possession four times. Ekitike was frustrated during the one-on-one duels, losing twice and committing two fouls.
#2 Vitinha
With Marco Verratti sidelined with a thigh injury, Vitinha started at the heart of the PSG midfield. Unlike in the 2-0 victory over Angers, Vitinha failed to dictate the tempo of the game and was rather uninventive in the final third of the pitch.
The Portugal midfielder neither lodged a shot on target nor did he play any key passes against Rennes. He was also weak in one-on-one duels, losing eight of them. To top it off, Vitinha was dribbled past thrice, committed three fouls, and lost possession five times.
#1 Neymar
Before the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Neymar emerged as one of the Parisians’ best performers, scoring goals and claiming assists without breaking a sweat. Since returning, the Brazilian has looked like a shadow of his brilliant self. He got himself sent off against Strasbourg, received a booking against Angers, and dropped a disaster class against Rennes on Sunday.
Neymar had zero effort on goal against Rennes, let alone land one on target. He was unsuccessful in both his attempted dribbles, lost possession 21 times, committed two fouls, and lost six ground duels. It was a night to forget for the former Barcelona superstar.
