February 27, (THEWILL) – Once again, Paris Saint-Germain owed it to Kylian Mbappe as they came from behind to beat Saint-Etienne 3-1 in Ligue 1 and avoided the embarrassment of losing two games in a row after that Nantes loss last week.
Mbappe, who now shares second place on PSG’s all-time goalscorers list with Zlatan Ibrahimovic on 156 goals, scored twice for Mauricio Pochettino’s side at their Parc des Princes home grounds after Denis Bouanga had given Saint-Etienne a merited lead early on. The third came from Danilo Pereira.
Prior to going down, PSG had been forewarned but it was a sign that they failed to heed. Gianluigi Donnarumma was called upon to make a fantastic point-blank save after initially spilling the ball, followed by two crucial defender blocks.
When they conceded, the hosts brought the goal on themselves, with Danilo squandering the ball in a dangerous area and being promptly punished by Bouanga, who has been haunting Les Parisiens following a flurry of recent goals against them.
Despite the visitors’ early chances, PSG’s dominance became clear as the first half progressed, and they were able to entirely control the ball. A Lionel Messi free-kick posed a challenge to Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Paul Bernardoni, who proved up to the task.
Mbappe’s equaliser soon before halftime, on the other hand, appeared to pass right through Bernardoni. Soon after the restart, the Frenchman scored his second, a beautiful finish set up by Messi after the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner had previously laid on the first assist as well.
Danilo made amends for his earlier error with the third, as Mbappe took the initiative this time. That goal, coming so soon after PSG’s second, certainly took the wind out of Saint-Etienne’s sails.
In the remaining minutes, substitute Angel Di Maria forced two late saves from Bernardoni, as Neymar tried desperately but failed to get in on the act.
PSG will play Nice in Ligue 1 next Saturday, while Saint-Etienne will host Metz on Sunday.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
