Substitute Ousmane Dembele’s second-half goal earned Paris St Germain a 1-1 draw at Reims on Saturday to maintain their Ligue 1 unbeaten run.
The home side took an early lead when Junya Ito’s clever cross into the box found his Japanese compatriot Keito Nakamura, who struck a superb finish after the ball bounced off PSG captain Marquinhos in the ninth minute.
Luis Enrique’s side were desperate to equalise and midfielder Lee Kang-in had the clearest chance after Randal Kolo Muani’s incisive cross, but he could not get his effort past goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf.
PSG were without striker Marco Asensio, who picked up an injury in Wednesday’s last-gasp Champions League win over Girona, and they struggled to find their pace but they were more aggressive after the break.
Reims defended well and thanks to Ito’s skilful assists even threatened more until Dembele came on for Desire Doue in the 65th and three minutes later latched on to Joao Neves’s fierce cross to slot home from a tight angle.
“It’s a difficult result and I don’t think we deserved a draw,” Neves said. “We tried to put things right in the second half. I’m not happy with the result but I’m happy with the way we played.
“I think you have to learn from every game. The next will be better and we’ll try to get as many points as possible,” he added.
Striker Muani described the match as complicated but said they fought with intensity.
“We were desperate to get back on the scoresheet and win the game… But you have to look on the bright side, we’re still unbeaten,” he said.
PSG top the table with 13 points from five games and host Stade Rennais next. Second place Olympique Marseille visit Olympique Lyonnais on Sunday.
