Paris Saint-Germain secured their first away win in Ligue 1 since late November as they defeated Stade Rennais 0-1 at Roazhon Park. Julian Draxler’s first-half blast was enough for Les Parisiens to secure the three points and move closer to league leaders OGC Nice in the table.
Draxler continues to impress since arriving from VfL Wolfsburg earlier this month and has to be one of the first names on Unai Emery’s team sheet moving forward. In the 39th minute, the German was on the receiving end of Marco Verratti’s pass at the top of the box and he neatly curled it past Benoit Costil with his first touch. The goal was much more difficult than Draxler made it appear.
While Draxler may steal all the headlines with his goal, it was Verratti who was the man of the match. WhoScored.com rated his performance an 8.8 with 84 percent passer rating and five tackles. The tenacious Italian was all over the pitch, even picking up his customary yellow in the 29th minute, and controlled the midfield both in attack and in defense.
Kevin Trapp recorded his third shutout of 2017 (including the 3-0 win over Club Africain), although it has to be said Rennes didn’t pose too much of a threat going forward. Regardless, the German’s confident performance means he will be first choice for league and UEFA Champions League matches.
Edinson Cavani continues to be a disappointment in the new year. He missed an easy chance to score in the first half and only recorded one shot before being subbed off for Hatem Ben Arfa in the 70th minute. The dry spell (and the overall lack of strikers within the squad) has sparked management to look elsewhere for a suitable backup.
Check out our favorite photos from PSG’s win over Rennes and be sure to check back for our coverage of this Saturday’s match against FC Nantes.
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