Paris remains alive. Battered in the last half hour, the Parisians held onto their lead against AS Roma (2-1), on Thursday evening at the Parc des Princes, to achieve their first victory in this Champions League. This revival comes at a perfect time for PSG, defeated in the first two games and back in the race after this success. Marie-Antoinette Katoto won a penalty, converted by Grace Geyoro (45th minute), before scoring the second goal at the start of the second half (46th minute).
As per the pact between the two cities, only Paris is worthy of Rome, so it was necessary to wait for a visit to the Parc for the first time this season, combining the championship and the Champions League. This situates the performance accomplished by PSG even more, and the joy of Sakina Karchaoui’s teammates, exhausted at the final whistle, was enough to convince anyone. The Parisians suffered in a stressful end of the match, but they were able to hold onto their precious advantage.
Geyoro-Katoto, a winning duo
The advantage was gained just before the break, thanks to a penalty obtained by Marie-Antoinette Katoto, brought down after a touch in the area. Grace Geyoro converted it skillfully (45th minute, 1-0) and rewarded a consistent first act by PSG, during which Jocelyn Prêcheur’s players created the best situations. The Parisian coach had barely finished his halftime talk when the duo already involved in the first goal made their mark again. After a move, Geyoro delivered a gift to Katoto, alone at six meters and who only had to open his foot to score (46th minute, 2-0).
A goal before the break, another just after, and the deal seemed done. It was burying Roma a little too quickly, capable of a comeback from 0-2 to 2-2 against Bayern in this group. The Italians, disappointing until then, regained control of the game, following their striker Valentina Giacinta. Full of guile, she won a penalty for an unclear handball by Clare Hunt, but Katarzyna Kiedrzynek turned Manuela Gugliano’s shot away (55th minute). The Roma captain made up for it three minutes later, delivering a decisive pass to the lively Giacinta, whose first-time shot crossed the Polish goalkeeper (58th minute, 2-1).
Paris more than ever in the race
But after this strong period, Roma stumbled over a very united Parisian defense and was never able to equalize. This collective assistance allows PSG to maintain its hopes of qualifying for the quarterfinals, as in this highly competitive group, the four teams are within two points (5 for Bayern, 4 for Ajax and Roma, 3 for Paris) with three matches remaining. In terms of the standings, this success could also represent a turning point for Parisians who are otherwise struggling in the championship (3rd place, 11 points behind OL). This would come at a perfect time, before facing Paris FC on Sunday (just after their feat against Real Madrid) and again Roma the following Wednesday.
