Stuck in a rut
Troubled PSG throw away lead again to lose at Montpellier
Paris St Germain’s end-of-season meltdown continued as the Ligue 1 champions twice threw away the lead in a 3-2 defeat at Montpellier, three days after dramatically losing the French Cup final.
Souleymane Camara netted Montpellier’s winner five minutes from time on Tuesday after Leandro Paredes was caught in possession on the edge of his own area.
Before that, Presnel Kimpembe’s own goal had cancelled out an Ambroise Oyongo own goal that had given PSG the lead. Angel Di Maria put the visitors back in front, but Andy Delort made it 2-2 before Camara sealed the points.
PSG wrapped up their sixth league title in seven seasons a week ago, but this result means they have won one and lost three of their last five league games.
“We made individual errors, too many of them, and big mistakes,” lamented coach Thomas Tuchel.
“In these conditions it is difficult to win a match at Montpellier, who are a very strong and aggressive team defensively.”
This latest defeat will increase the pressure on Tuchel, whose future has been called into question with his team’s domestic slump following their humiliating Champions League exit against Manchester United.
PSG threw away a two-goal lead in Saturday’s French Cup final before losing on penalties to Rennes. Kylian Mbappe was sent off in that game, while Neymar later apologised after hitting a fan who taunted the Brazilian as he went up to collect his runners-up medal.
Neymar started in Montpellier, but Mbappe was absent due to suspension, with several other players also absent.
“The situation is always the same. We only have 15 players because everyone is injured,” moaned Tuchel.
“This has been the situation since January, February, and it’s too long.”
When Cameroon defender Oyongo turned in Juan Bernat’s low cross early on, it looked like PSG might get back to winning ways.
However, Montpellier equalised midway through the first half as Damien Le Tallec’s header from a Florent Mollet free-kick was turned into his own net by Kimpembe, who had also scored an own goal in the Cup final.
The home side tested Gianluigi Buffon in the PSG goal on several other occasions but it was the visitors who scored again just after the hour mark.
A clearance by Montpellier’s 41-year-old captain Vitorino Hilton came back off Marquinhos and the ball fell to Di Maria, who cleverly dragged the ball away from the diving Benjamin Lecomte and finished into an empty net.
Nevertheless, Montpellier drew level again 10 minutes from the end as Mollet helped on a long throw-out by Lecomte, releasing Delort to run through and beat Buffon.
Worse was to come for PSG, though. Buffon rolled the ball out to Paredes on the edge of his own area, but the Argentine dithered and was robbed, allowing substitute Camara to gleefully fire into the net.
Despite this victory, Montpellier’s chances of qualifying for the Europa League remain slim as they sit five points adrift of fourth-placed St Etienne with four games left.