The flawless performance of the French champions continues on the European scene. With a fourth victory in four games, on the lawn of Real Madrid (2-0), Paris-Saint-Germain offered themselves, Thursday, November 18, a place in the quarter-finals of the Women’s Champions League. The Parisiennes, finalists of the competition in 2015 and 2017, post a perfect record two days from the end of the group stage: twelve points out of twelve, 13 goals scored, none conceded.
This victory, which ensures PSG first place in the group – synonymous with a draw a priori more favorable for the quarter-finals scheduled for March – comes to relieve a difficult context. Coach Didier Ollé-Nicolle had evacuated, Wednesday at a press conference, the idea of a team weighed down by the revelation of the Hamraoui affair eight days ago, but the players remained on a sinking in the league at the great Lyon rival Sunday (6-1).
Parisiennes were “Affected” by the aggression of their teammate and its media fallout, confided, Thursday morning, the coach of the France team Corinne Deacon, unveiling her list for the November rally.
Still without Hamraoui and Diallo
Still deprived of Kheira Hamraoui and Aminata Diallo, witness of the aggression, PSG timidly began their meeting in Madrid. Real, crushed 4-0 and who did not target a single shot in the previous match at Parc des Princes, showed other intentions at the Alfredo-Di Stefano stadium.
From the 5e minute, the Canadian goalkeeper of PSG Stephanie Labbé, tenured in place of Barbora Votikova, had to work on a 30-meter strike from Olga Carmona, two minutes after a first alert on a header from Esther Gonzalez.
But shortly after half an hour of play, the current top scorer in French D1 (8 goals) Marie-Antoinette Katoto was again formidable in efficiency for the opening of the scoring (1-0, 33e). The French international cut from the outside of the right foot a free kick from the Swiss Ramona Bachmann, established in place of Sandy Baltimore.
In the second period, the Olympic champion Stéphanie Labbé was still valuable on a strike from Esther Gonzalez (51). After stumbling over goalkeeper Misa Rodriguez in the 63rd minute, Sakina Karchaoui made the break for Paris (2-0) after a good number on her left wing. The powerful strike of the 24-year-old French international, touched by Rodriguez, ended up in the net and completed this success.
If the Parisiennes have already ensured their presence in the quarterfinals, the Lyonnaises, seven-time winners of the C1, will have to wait after their defeat Wednesday against Bayern in Munich (1-0).