Paris Saint-Germain did not expect to come out empty-handed from the edge meeting against Lorraine, but the bottom team had other plans – and it provided one of the surprises of the season in world football. The French champion absorbed a dramatic 3: 2 from Lorraine (which even after the incredible victory is still ranked below the red line) and lost first place in the table.
But hours after the game, a Neymar television interview was released with a very reassuring message to the audience regarding negotiations to extend his contract. “A lot has changed here since I arrived. I’m happy in Paris and want to stay here. I hope Killian Ambape will continue to play with me. We want to continue to build a great team.”
Back to the loss to Lorraine. “Two Neymar penalties left Paris in the picture, but a defensive bankruptcy allowed Lorraine to win at the last minute,” the French capital media reported after the disappointing loss of Mauricio Pochettino’s side. This is the fifth time this season that the champion has gone out without points in 22 league games, the club’s worst balance sheet since the arrival of the current owners.
“We did not get into the pace we expected to get into, except for the time we were leading 1: 2,” Pochettino began at the end of the match, “Lorraine’s entire credit. I am sad and disappointed with the result.” Regarding the third goal scored by his team, he added that “this is a problem of defensive coordination, we wanted to win and snatched a goal in a burst.” The Argentine did not run away from his part in the result and said: “I am the first to be responsible for the loss.”
This is the first loss of the Parisians in the Pochettino era. Since the arrival of the Argentine coach, PSG have won four games in a row, with the exception of the man’s debut on the lines that ended in a points split. Also note the following: This is Lorraine’s first win over Paris in the last 14 meetings between the clubs. In fact, the team from the west of France has not beaten the champion for nearly 10 years, since August 2011.
This is also not the first disappointment of the season for the team from the capital against a team inferior to it. PSG lost in the opening round of the season to Lance, also a newcomer. The one who was less moved by the sensational loss is PSG right-back Alessandro Florenzi. “I do not think this loss will affect the continuation of the season, but it must not happen more,” said the Italian player of Paris.