Doue is back and he scores immediately in a PSG win

It wasn’t exactly that the ground was burning under the feet of PSG’s players and coaching staff, but things had started to steer. There was talk that Les Parisiens no longer possessed last season’s power and sharpness, especially after defeats to Marseille and Monaco. On top of that came an unconvincing goalless draw against Bilbao. Luis Enrique was fully aware that he was dealing with major squad issues. Lacking true attacking options, the charismatic Spaniard experimented, deploying false nines, and this evening he was at least briefly given something to smile about by Desire Doue. One of the world’s best young players returned to the team after a layoff and a hamstring injury — enough to seal a 3–2 victory over Metz.

It was known even before kick-off that a battered PSG side would not struggle against Metz. On this occasion, Luis Enrique opted to place Goncalo Ramos at the tip of the attack, and the Portuguese forward repaid him with another goal. Those were the moments when the Parisians were breaking their opponents. Yet only sporadically did they resemble the team that steamrolled everyone last year. A glimpse of PSG’s craftsmanship came in the 39th minute, when Mbaye brilliantly set up Ndjantou to make it 2–0. However, the key piece of news for PSG supporters arrived in the very first minute of the second half. After a month-long absence, Desire Doue was given his chance.

It took him just 17 minutes to punish Metz’s overly aggressive play. From a set piece, the hosts committed too many men into PSG’s penalty area and left no cover behind. Doue received the ball into space, went one-on-one with the Metz goalkeeper, and finished the job. The hosts managed to complicate matters in the 81st minute, but that was as far as they got.

LIGUE 1 - ROUND 16

Friday

Angers - Nantes 4-1 (1-0)

/Abdelli 17, Cherif 60, Harouna 85, Raolisoa 90+4 - Centonze 81/

Saturday

Rennes - Brest 3-1 (2-1)

/Lepaul 24, Tamari 25, Meite 87 - Balde 13/

Metz - PSG 2-3 (1-2)

/Deminguet 42, Tsitaishvili 81 - Ramos 31, Ndjantou 39, Doue 63/

23.05: (2.50) Paris (3.35) Toulouse (3.05)

Sunday

17.00: (1.60) Olympique Lyon (3.90) Le Havre (6.00)

19.15: (4.40) Auxerre (3.50) Lille (1.85)

19.15: (1.45) Lens (4.50) Nice (7.00)

19.15: (1.75) Strasbourg (3.60) Lorient (4.90)

22.45: (1.95) Olympique Marseille (3.70) Monaco (4.10)

*** odds are subject to change ***