Edinson Cavani

Match Recap: Paris Saint-Germain vs. Bordeaux

Edinson Cavani fires in a free kick for his second goal of the match. (Image: C.Gavelle/PSG)

A tired Paris Saint-Germain team suffered a disappointing 2-2 draw at home versus Girondins de Bordeaux in a match almost entirely decided by the goalkeepers.

The match started awkwardly, with Les Girondins eager to press a PSG side that had been ever-present during the international break. Marco Verratti played nearly two full matches with the Italian squad, Blaise Matuidi tired himself out by scoring a brace for France—including this screamer versus Serbia. The Brazilians also faired well during international play. Marquinhos saw some playing time and Lucas Moura chipped in with two assists on the night versus the United States. The marvelous David Luiz showed why he’s so valuable to club and country with this lovely pass. Even Ezequiel Lavezzi bagged two goals for Argentina, though Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore had been recalled.

The result was a midfield that wasn’t quite connected. Matuidi had to be withdrawn in the second half and Thiago Motta had a few more errant passes than the Parc has come to expect. Verratti was arguably the best player on the night, but even he wasn’t on the same wavelength as his usual partners. Nevertheless, Paris grabbed the first goal, with Bordeaux goalkeeper Cédric Carrasso fumbling a simple save from Verratti and Edinson Cavani picked up the scraps and volleyed the ball into a nearly empty net. The goal came from nearly nothing, with the Uruguayan in particular being anonymous before that wonder goal. Afterward, Kevin Trapp made a mistake of his own from a corner, failing to properly parry a header—that has officially gone down as a Trapp own goal.

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Cavani then doubled his wonder goal tally with an instant reply from a free kick. At that point though, Di Maria failed to capitalize on a one-on-one opportunity. PSG fans—myself included—couldn’t be blamed if they thought that it’d be a game to see through calmly and take home 3 points from. Bordeaux certainly didn’t look like threatening in the second half, especially with Henri Saivet sent off late on, and perhaps that’s why Trapp’s howler hurts so much to think about.

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It’s an almost inexplicable moment for the young German keeper, who had looked impressive in the previous fixtures to earn a four-game clean sheet run. It makes this draw sting almost as much as a loss would. Trapp has since apologized to his teammates and both manager Laurent Blanc and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaïfi seem to have reaffirmed their faith in the former Frankfurt man. But one must think that a familiar dour, bearded Italian waits in the wings for the next mistake to be made.

It’s a match I’d prefer not to dwell on, so I’ll instead end on a brighter note: Verratti, in an interview with the Repubblica, has stated his intention to sign a new contract. He cites his happiness with the project, his family’s happiness in the city, and most of all that he feels valued here. I’m sure it won’t be controversial to say that this is the best possible news.

PSG must now turn their attention to the Champions League with Malmö FF coming to town for the first match of the group stage. All eyes will be on Zlatan Ibrahimovic as he faces off against his boyhood club. We’ll be commentating the match, as always, so don’t forget to follow us on Twitter at @psgtalk.

Tags Angel Di Maria Blaise Matuidi Bordeaux David Luiz Edinson Cavani Javier Pastore Kevin Trapp Ligue 1 Lucas Moura Marco Verratti Marquinhos Zlatan Ibrahimovic
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