Paris Saint-Germain Climbs to Ligue 1 Summit with Last-Minute Win Against Lyon

Paris Saint-Germain, despite a depleted squad, clinched a last-minute victory for the second consecutive weekend, reclaiming the top spot in the Ligue 1 standings.

Following a narrow win against Nice last Saturday, PSG triumphed again over Lyon, with João Neves securing the 3-2 victory five minutes into stoppage time.

Lyon managed to equalize twice after falling behind, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles delivering a stunning equalizer early in the second half, which seemed to set the stage for a draw until a dramatic conclusion ensued, further complicated by a red card issued to Lyon’s Nicolás Tagliafico.

A midweek Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich had already taken its toll on PSG, resulting in significant injuries to key players in Luis Enrique’s squad. Ousmane Dembélé, Achraf Hakimi, and Nuno Mendes were sidelined for this match, joining Désiré Doué on the injured list.

The visitors began the match positively and were rewarded in the 26th minute when Vitinha assisted Warren Zaïre-Emery, who fired a shot past Dominik Greif, putting PSG ahead.

This sparked an exhilarating phase of three goals in seven minutes, with Lyon equalizing shortly after. Afonso Moreira finished with precision after receiving the ball from Moussa Niakhaté, beating Lucas Chevalier.

However, PSG quickly regained the lead, with Vitinha again playing a pivotal role. He set up Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at the edge of the box, and the Georgian star delivered a confident strike into the bottom corner, despite Lyon’s appeals for a foul on Tanner Tessmann.

Lyon sought to respond before halftime, with Tagliafico striking the post, but they would soon find the equalizer just five minutes into the second half. Maitland-Niles, spotting Chevalier off his line, executed a volley from outside the box that beautifully looped over him.

As the match progressed, clear chances became scarce, and in added time, Lyon faced a setback when Tagliafico received a second yellow card for a foul on Vitinha, reducing his team to ten men.

In a thrilling conclusion, PSG found their winning moment from a corner taken by Lee Kang-in, which Neves headed home, igniting exuberant celebrations among the visiting players and fans.

This victory restored PSG’s two-point lead over Marseille, while Lyon now finds themselves seven points adrift in seventh place.