PSG Secures Tight Victory Against Toulouse, Upholding Their Impressive 10-Point Advantage in Ligue 1

Paris Saint-Germain has stretched their unbeaten streak on the road in Ligue 1 to 35 matches (W27, D8) following a tightly contested 1-0 victory over Toulouse, who sit in 10th place, in the south of France. This win helps PSG to re-establish their ten-point lead at the top of the table.

With PSG enjoying a comfortable position at the summit coming into this fixture, manager Luis Enrique opted to make six changes to the side that secured a 3-0 triumph against Brest midweek in the UEFA Champions League, notably leaving star player Ousmane Dembele on the bench.

This rotation perhaps contributed to the visitors struggling to create clear-cut chances despite dominating possession in the early exchanges. At the other end, Toulouse’s Charlie Cresswell squandered a good opportunity when he headed a corner from Aron Donnum straight at PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov after 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, Donnum not only proved useful in attack but also in defence, effectively neutralising threats from Bradley Barcola and Desire Doue. His quick-thinking free-kick release found Zakaria Aboukhlal midway through the first half, yet the Moroccan striker disappointingly fired over the bar while approaching goal.

PSG’s goalkeeper Safonov was relatively untroubled until the 29th minute when he finally had to spring into action to catch a harmless deflected shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

However, the 19-year-old keeper had to show his mettle shortly after, making a superb save to tip Lucas Beraldo’s 20-yard effort onto the left post, before racing out to thwart Barcola whose follow-up attempt flew high over the bar.

In a turn of events, Toulouse’s goalkeeper Restes had to be substituted due to a suspected leg injury just before the interval, paving the way for Kjetil Haug to take his place.

At half-time, Enrique must have been keen for a more aggressive approach from his team, and although Toulouse started the second half brightly, PSG secured the decisive goal on 52 minutes. Haug misjudged a swinging corner from Lee Kang-In that hit the bar, with Fabian Ruiz perfectly positioned to slot home the rebound.

Frustration loomed for Doue as he wasted a close-range chance soon after, and although Enrique brought Dembele into the fray as part of a triple substitution just after the hour mark, PSG were unable to break the deadlock wide open, ultimately grinding out a hard-won victory.

PSG’s next challenge comes in the form of their second leg against Brest on Wednesday, as they aim to reach the Champions League last 16, while Toulouse finds themselves without a win in six Ligue 1 fixtures and will hope to rectify that against relegation-threatened Le Havre next Sunday.