Ligue 1, Round 34, 17/05/2026
Paris Saint-Germain rounded off their Ligue 1 campaign with a defeat at the home of neighbours Paris FC on Sunday evening. Bradley Barcola scored early in the second half, after Ousmane Dembélé was brought off midway through the first half out of precaution over his fitness. Alimami Gory came on in the second half to equalise for the hosts.
The match
There was little left to play for in the last of three Paris derbies this season, with Paris Saint-Germain having already wrapped up the title by beating Lens in midweek. As for their upstart neighbours, mid-table safety was already secured thanks to the mid-season arrival of PSG icon Antoine Kombouaré.
With the Champions League final just under two weeks away, the champions were nevertheless looking to avenge the Coupe de France defeat to their neighbours in their final outing of the league campaign. The visitors, so to speak, would be handed the Ligue 1 trophy in a stripped-down ceremony in front of the away end an hour out from kick-off.
The match started well for the hosts, with former PSG man Jonathan Ikoné making a couple of piercing runs from the right wing to set up his teammates. Safonov was equal to both efforts, notably doing well to react in time to smother a shot from Geubbels.
PSG struggled to get a foothold on the match, as both Kvaratskhelia and Barcola ran into dead ends on their respective wings and Kombouaré’s men prressed tightly in midfield.
The evening took a turn for the worse for Luis Enrique’s side when Ousmane Dembélé was substituted on the half-hour mark. The Spaniard, it seemed, took the Ballon d’Or winner off out of precaution, with the Frenchman not visibly injured. With Gonçalo Ramos coming on to replace him, the PSG attack looked no closer to finding their bearings.
Paris Saint-Germain eventually found a way through early in the second half. Arriving at the back post front of the away end, Bradley Barcola was on hand to convert a Fabián Ruiz cross which had flashed across goal, bringing an end to his two-month goalless streak in the league.
The winger’s goal ostensibly prompted Luis Enrique to make further changes, as all of Senny Mayulu, Kang-in Lee, and Ibrahim Mbaye were brought into the fray for the final half-hour. PSG continued to test their former goalkeeper Kevin Trapp, but the hosts held on.
It was a Paris FC substitute, Alimami Gory, who instead made an instant impact. Within minutes of coming on, the 29-year-old striker deflected a stray shot from Pierre Lees-Melou past Safonov to equalise with 15 minutes to go.
Despite PSG’s continued push forward, it was Paris FC who looked likeliest to score in the final stages. The hosts were rewarded for their efforts deep in stoppage time, as Gory finished off a counter-attack stemming from a corner for the league champions at the other end of the pitch. The forward was found by a fellow substitute in Luca Koleosho, and only needed to push the ball into an empty net.
For their first campaign competing against the European champions at close quarters, will have managed an honourable record against their neighbours: a victory in the Coupe de France and another win at home in the league. Admittedly, Paris Saint-Germain’s focus will have long been on their trip to Budapest by the time Sunday’s season closer kicked off.
Paris Saint-Germain player ratings
Matvey Safonov, 5
Warren Zaïre-Emery, 5
Marquinhos, 6
Ilya Zabarnyi, 5
Dimitri Lucea, 5 – The 19-year-old debutant was replaced by midfielder Dro Fernández at half-time, a change which saw Lucas Beraldo move to a more familiar left-back position.
Vitinha, 5
Lucas Beraldo, 5
Fabián Ruiz, 7
Bradley Barcola, 5 – As had often been the case in the last few months, the 23-year-old struggled to make any kind of incisive impact from the wing and lost one-on-one battles too easily in the first half. A well-timed run to the back post in the second half saw him open the scoring before coming off just before the hour mark.
Ousmane Dembélé, N/A – The Frenchman was brought off before the half-hour mark out of precaution, and replaced by Gonçalo Ramos (3).
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 4
Selected Paris FC player ratings
Rudy Matondo, 7 – Another impressive all-action display from the 18-year-old, who alongside Pierre Lees-Melou won the midfield battle and gave his team the solidity to spring forward in the second half.
Jonathan Ikoné, 6
Pierre Lees-Melou, 7
Willem Geubbels, 5
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from the Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris
