Paris Saint-Germain defeated FC Girondins de Bordeaux 0-3 last Friday at Matmut Atlantique in what was their final tune-up before hosting Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
Heading into the match, Unai Emery had two objectives: Win to keep pace with Ligue 1 leaders AS Monaco and maintain momentum heading into the biggest game of the season. When the dust settled, it’s safe to say PSG accomplished both with flying colors.
Edinson Cavani was absolutely brilliant throughout the match—recording a brace in spectacular fashion to bring his total to 25 in Ligue 1. El Matador‘s first on the night was a volley just outside the box that even Lionel Messi would stand and applaud. The goal put the visitors in the lead after six minutes but more importantly, will do wonders for the Uruguayan’s confidence. Finally out of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s shadow, Cavani has silenced his critics—well, not all of them—and the PSG attack looks as lethal as ever.
In the 40th minute, Angel Di Maria—who has been reborn since the start of 2017—joined Cavani on the scoresheet following an exquisite through ball from Marco Verratti. The Argentine sprinted onto the perfectly weighted pass and calmly chipped Cedric Carrasso. It’s his first goal in Ligue 1 since mid-November but like Cavani, it’s all about confidence at this point.
After halftime, Emery’s squad would leave no doubt about who would be taking the three points as Cavani scored his second goal on the night—this one just as amazing as his first.
For me, this is the goal that has to strike fear in Luis Enrique’s men heading into Tuesday’s match. It was a counter led by Adrien Rabiot who dribbled through midfield and picked out Layvin Kurzawa on the left side of the pitch. The French defender calmly waited for Di Maria to find some space before playing the ball over to him. The Argentine sprinted down the flank and almost effortlessly, fired a curling cross over to a sprinting Cavani in the box. Cavani volleyed the pass and despite not catching it as cleanly as he would have liked, he did get enough on it to beat the keeper.
Like the game’s third goal, it was an overall stellar performance from Paris Saint-Germain on the night. WhoScored.com didn’t rate a single PSG below 7.2 and Jonathan Johnson over at ESPNFC gave every player a 6 or higher in his player ratings. After the match, Thomas Meunier had this to say about his team’s performance:
The best way to prepare for Barcelona? Yes, I think so. Against an in-form side, we were sharp up front and solid at the back, keeping a clean sheet. We mixed up short and long passing and we combined well. We saw a very good Paris Saint-Germain tonight.—Canal+
PSG’s season comes down to how they perform against Barcelona on Tuesday but for once, it’s refreshing to see the team not overlook their domestic competition and perform up to their ability—especially on the road. They’re embroiled in a title race and every point matters at this point in the season. No matter what happens from here, you have to say Emery has turned things around after an abysmal December and has the team performing at its best when they need to be.
Check out our favorite images from Paris Saint-Germain’s win over Bordeaux and be sure to check back for our coverage of next week’s Champions League match against Barcelona.
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