They laughed and cried on penalties.
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) drew 1-1 with Toulouse in the second round of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1 at the Stade de Toulouse in Toulouse, France, at 4 a.m. ET on Tuesday. It was PSG’s second consecutive league match without a win.
PSG brought a 4-3-3 formation. Bittinho, Hamuth, Lee Kang-in, Lewis, Ugarte, Ziyir-Emericka, Lukaku, Shkrinyar, Marquinhos, and Hakimi started up front, with Donnarumma in goal. Toulouse countered with a 3-4-3 formation. Aboukral, Darlinga, Magri, Suazo, Caceres, Siero, Dessler, Diarra, Nicolaisen, and Costa filled out the starting lineup, with Leste in goal.
PSG set the tone, but their performance was stifling
PSG had the first chance of the game. In the first minute, they tried to attack with a quick move, and Hammus tried a low, quick cross from the right side of the box that was blocked by the defense. Toulouse also had a chance. In the fourth minute of the first half, they won a free kick from some distance and sent a cross towards the onrushing Nicolaisen, but it was a bit long and he couldn’t get a header on it.
Toulouse then took control of the game. In the eighth minute, a misplaced backpass by Shkriniar led to a corner kick, and from there, they won two more corners to test PSG’s goal. PSG struggled to get their offense going. They had no trouble getting the ball to the front of the second line, but their passes into the box weren’t very accurate.
There was also a pass to Lee Kang-in. In the 12th minute, Lee tried to break through on the left side of the half-space and Ugarte played him a pass, but it was a little too strong and didn’t quite connect. PSG started to find their groove as the minutes ticked by. In the 16th minute, a pass found Zayn-Emerick on the right side of the box and he immediately tried to cross but was blocked by the defense.
Lee Kang-in led the attack. In the 17th minute, Vitinha’s transition pass allowed Lee to send an early cross to Hammus, who was charging into the box, but it was cleared away by the defense. PSG had a shot on target. In the 19th minute, Vitinha’s penetrating pass found Hakimi on the right side of the box for a low, quick shot that the keeper saved with his legs.
As the half wore on, PSG regained control. They pushed up the line, gained possession, and looked for opportunities with short passes and active switching. PSG had the momentum. In the 22nd minute, they had a chance off a corner kick, and Lee Kang-In sent in a cross that Shkreliar won a contested header, but the ball deflected off a defender and sailed well over the bar. Once again, they attacked from a corner kick. This time, the kicker was Lee Kang-in, who delivered a quick and accurate cross, but it was cleared away by the defense.
Toulouse didn’t stop attacking either. In the 27th minute, they attacked on a quick counter-attack, and a low, quick cross was delivered to Aboukrall, who was breaking into the box, but his shot was blocked by the defense. PSG didn’t let up. In the 28th minute, Lukaku got on the end of a backpass from Lee Kang-In and tried an early cross that was blocked by a defender.
A shot on goal followed. In the 29th minute, Lukaku received the ball outside the box and wasted no time in unleashing a right-footed volley, but his impact was not quite right and the ball went wide of the right side of the goal. PSG continued to dominate possession, but were unable to find the finishing touch. In the 33rd minute, Ugarte picked up the ball on the left side of the half-space and saw a teammate breaking into the box and tried to cross, but his lack of precision didn’t translate into a chance.
Frustrated, PSG looked to change the mood with a shot on goal. In the 34th minute, Vitinha picked up the ball on the right side of the half-space and wasted no time in trying his luck from mid-range, but the ball sailed over the bar. PSG missed a crucial chance. In the 38th minute, after receiving a pass from Hakimi in the box, Hammous was free to take a direct right-footed shot unimpeded by the opposition defense, but the ball went wide left of the goal.
Toulouse had the decisive chance. In the 42nd minute, a quick counter-attack saw Dessler unleash an exquisite left-footed shot from the edge of the box, but the ball sailed just over the bar. Having survived the scare, PSG immediately capitalized on the opportunity. In the 43rd minute, a quick counter-attack threatened Toulouse and Lee Kang-In, who won the ball in the box, unleashed a powerful shot, but the ball was not on target.
PSG continued to press. In the 45th minute, Hammous burst into the box and got a foot on an early cross, but his shot was saved by the keeper, and the first half ended 0-0.
Mbappe ‘comes back’ to score a PK goal!!!→Hakimi dedicates PK
Toulouse almost had a chance from the start. In the first minute of the second half, Mbappe took advantage of a lapse in the opposition defense to get the ball into the box, but was denied by Marquinhos’ cover. The first shot also came from Toulouse’s toes. In the second minute of the second half, PSG misplaced a pass and Magri collected the ball, unleashing an audacious mid-range shot from outside the box that was blocked in the face by the defender in front of him.
PSG swallowed their disappointment. In the fourth minute of the second half, Zaire-Emery received a pass outside the box and rattled the net with an audacious mid-range shot, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside flag. PSG capitalized on the substitutions. Five minutes into the second half, they took off Lee and Lewis and brought on Mbappe and Dembele to bolster their attack.
Mbappe made an immediate impact when he came on. In the seventh minute of the second half, he dribbled his way to the front of the opposition box and set up Dembele with a threatening penetrating pass. PSG continued to press. In the 13th minute of the second half, Hakimi played a penetrating pass after beating an opponent, and Mbappe received the ball and tried to use body painting in the box to beat a defender, but was tripped. The referee ruled that there was no foul. However, the video assistant referee (VAR) reviewed the play and awarded a penalty kick. Mbappe stepped up to take the spot kick and calmly finished to give PSG the lead.
With the lead, PSG pushed for more. In the 21st minute of the second half, Mbappe saw an onrushing Hakimi in the box and slipped a pass to him, who wasted no time in connecting with a shot that was blocked by a defender. From the ensuing corner, Vitinha sent in a threatening cross that was contested but saved by the keeper. 안전놀이터
PSG pushed for a second goal. In the 28th minute of the second half, Mbappe received a pass from Dembele in front of the box and played the ball straight to Hammers, who cut back on the back foot. The attack was then set up with a 2-on-1 pass, and Mbappe cut back for Hammers, but he couldn’t get a shot off. PSG missed a great chance. In the 29th minute, Dembele received a pass on the right side of the half-space, broke into the box, and tried to shoot, but the ball hit his stepping foot and went wide.
PSG continued to attack. In the 31st minute, Dembele played a pass to a penetrating Vitinha, who saw the opposing keeper out and tried to shoot with a flick, but the ball went wide left of the goal. Toulouse also had their first chance in a long time. In the 33rd minute, they won the ball through forward pressure in their own half and Siero tried to shoot from inside the box, but the ball went wide left of the goal.
Toulouse had the decisive chance in the final minute of stoppage time. In the 39th minute, Hakimi stepped on Aboukrall’s foot in the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Aboukrall stepped up to take the spot kick and calmly finished to equalize. After the goal, PSG pushed forward. In second-half stoppage time, Hakimi crossed for Zaire-Emery in the box, but his shot was blocked by the opposition’s physical defense. No further goals were scored and the match ended 1-1.