PSG 2-1 Lyon: Three Things We Learned

Paris Saint-Germain knew they were going to be in for a rough ride against Lyon, but few could’ve imagined the game would turn out to be quite so dramatic. They’ve started off the new campaign like a house on fire and while they did wind up securing another three points, they were forced to walk through fire in order to do it.

Lyon took the lead early on in the second half which forced the hand of the French giants but in the end, a late turnaround helped them on their way as they retained top spot in Ligue 1.

PSG get lucky

Between Lyon faltering down the stretch and Neymar earning one of the most controversial penalties you’re likely to see this season, this was a “wince and hope for the best” type of win for PSG. Sure, the dramatic nature in which they were able to score an injury time winner will definitely bode well for them this season, but they were in legitimate danger here. Their title hopes may not exactly be in jeopardy but it’s important to file a game like this under the category of “could’ve gone incredibly differently”.

Lyon show some fight

Lyon were expected to come in here and give PSG a bloody nose and that’s exactly what they did. They hounded PSG, forced them into corners and frustrated them with the kind of physicality that proves why these two always tend to have fun and intense matches. The loss ensures that Lyon are still on the outside looking in at the battle for Europe but with it being so early on in the campaign, we wouldn’t be too worried about where they’re at with just two defeats from their first six games in the league thus far.

Poch has work to do

The substitution that saw Lionel Messi come off has been generating the most attention but with PSG going on to win the game 2-1, through another substitute in Mauro Icardi, we’d say Mauricio Pochettino won the battle of wits here. Alas, this club finds itself in a strange position in the sense that most folks will be looking towards what they do in Europe as opposed to domestically. In that sense they’re coming off the back of a 1-1 draw against Club Brugge, knowing that they need to put in a real shift when they tackle Manchester City in their second group stage fixture next week.