PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 2-2 Reims: Ligue 1 leaders held to third consecutive draw | OneFootball

In the midst of a defensive injury crisis and in the wake of an impressive midweek performance in the Basque country, Luis Enrique understandably rotated his team for Sunday’s midweek reception of Reims. With Brest having slipped up in Lens the previous evening, the pressure on the hosts was minimal, although a return to winning ways in the league after consecutive draws would not have gone amiss.

Within minutes, of kick-off, PSG were made to pay for a lack of focus. Oumar Diakité pressured Achraf Hakimi off the ball on the edge of the box, before the Ivorian squared it to Marshall Munetsi for an open-goal finish to put the visitors ahead.

The ensuing PSG attacks would all go through Gonçalo Ramos, his initial chances being denied by Diouf and Abdelhamid respectively. It wouldn’t take long for the Portuguese striker to put the hosts ahead, though. Having forced an Abdelhamid own goal from a corner, Ramos then took advantage of confusion in the Reims defence minutes later to dispatch a loose ball in the box.

The Champagne outfit would continue to threaten as the half progressed, though – a last-ditch Danilo Pereira sliding tackle on Diakité notably making up for his giveaway after a heavy touch. Will Still’s men eventually found their way through again, as Agabdou sliced open the PSG defence to play Diakité through on goal, and the Ivorian slotted past Navas and into the far corner.

Although dominant for most of the second half, the hosts’ opportunities to go back ahead were few and far between. Another block from Abdelhamid would parry Carlos Soler’s close-range effort on the hour mark, after Barcola saw a few chances of his own go wide. Luis Enrique would ring in the changes with 20 minutes to go, with Kylian Mbappé (the sun had just come out) and Dembélé both brought on.

Despite a couple of acrobatic efforts from the departing forward, there would be no way through for PSG. With any sense of urgency shrugged off by their unassailable lead at the top of the table, the hosts seemingly resigned themselves to conceding a third consecutive league draw. Reims did do well to keep the hosts at bay, though, with Abdelhamid in particular stepping up admirably after last week’s gaffe and his early own goal, alongside an imperious Agbadou. Still’s men remain in the race for Europe, moving level with Rennes and one point off Marseille. For PSG, it becomes increasingly evident that the focus is on their continental aspirations, with the league title all but wrapped up – although positives from this afternoon will include Ramos’ continued resurgence.

PSG player ratings

Keylor Navas, 4

Achraf Hakimi, 4

Danilo Pereira, 6

Lucas Beraldo, 6

Lucas Hernández, 6

Manuel Ugarte, 5

Warren Zaïre-Emery, 5

Carlos Soler, 5

Kang-in Lee, 4

Gonçalo Ramos, 6 – Turned the game around with two goals in a matter of minutes (although the first went down as an own goal) to continue his impressive form – 5 goals in his last 6 games. After struggling in his first half-season in France, the 22-year-old is increasingly looking like the prolific marksman he was brought in to be. Whether it’s enough to command a long-term starting spot, though, remains to be seen.

Bradley Barcola, 6

Reims player ratings

Yehvann Diouf, 5

Thomas Foket, 5

Emmanuel Agbadou, 6

Yunis Abdelhamid, 6

Thibault De Smet, 4

Marshall Munetsi, 6

Valentin Atangana, 4

Teddy Teuma, 6

Junya Ito, 4

Oumar Diakité, 7 – The Ivorian set the tone for an all-action first-half performance when he pressured Hakimi off the ball within minutes of kick-off, before setting up Munetsi for the opener. He continued to keep the (admittedly makeshift) PSG defence busy before finding the net himself on the cusp of half-time. An undestandably quieter second half, given Reims saw even less of the ball.

Mohamed Daramy, 6

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin