Paris Saint-Germain needed patience under the Parc des Princes lights before finding the decisive touch against Lyon, a Monday night match pushed back by protests in France and carrying the weight of the Ligue 1 summit.
Key takeaways
- PSG beat Olympique Lyonnais 2-0 to take first place in Ligue 1 with 17 points, one ahead of Rennes.
- The result was Paris’s fifth successive league victory.
- Senny Mayulu broke the deadlock in the 72nd minute, his first goal of the campaign.
- Godts added the second late on after a counter-attack as Lyon began to tire.
- PSG played without the injured Ousmane Dembélé, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Marquinhos and Nuno Mendes.
Goalkeepers keep the contest level
Luis Enrique named a strong starting side despite the four absences, and PSG controlled much of the early possession. Désiré Doué was particularly lively, repeatedly driving towards the Lyon penalty area, but Paulo Fonseca’s visitors remained compact and difficult to break down.
Lyon also showed enough threat on the break to make it an uncomfortable evening for the home side. Duranville forced Matvei Safonov into a major save after a rapid attack, while the PSG goalkeeper later reacted well again when Atekame struck from a corner situation.
At the other end, Ferran Torres was denied by Lukas Greif, who also produced an important stop shortly before half-time from Akliouche. The score remained goalless at the interval, with PSG in command but Lyon still very much in the contest.
Mayulu and Godts change the night
Paris returned with greater urgency after the break. João Neves came close with an overhead attempt that sailed narrowly over, before Ferran Torres saw a diagonal effort kept out by Greif. Doué then dragged another chance too wide after being picked out by Fabián Ruiz.
Lyon continued to offer reminders of their set-piece danger. Niakhaté met a corner with a header, only for Safonov to preserve the deadlock once more.
Luis Enrique had already brought Godts on for Neves, then made further changes by introducing Mayulu and Lucas in place of Ferran Torres and Warren Zaïre-Emery. The alterations proved decisive.
Mayulu finally opened the match in the 72nd minute, driving a precise shot from outside the box into the corner. It was the young midfielder’s first goal of the season and the breakthrough PSG had spent much of the evening chasing.
As Lyon’s energy faded, PSG made the result secure. Godts finished a late counter with a powerful strike to complete a 2-0 win, sending the champions above Rennes and alone at the top of the table.
