The 86th edition of Le Classique saw Paris Saint-Germain run out 1-0 winners against eternal rivals and ten-man Olympique de Marseille at the Parc des Princes, as the French champions made it a 20th straight unbeaten Ligue 1 encounter – just one match away from matching their longest top-flight streak.
Boosted by the return of both Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi, PSG got off to an exhilarating start, coming agonizingly close to tasting at least two goals in the opening quarter-hour, only for the heroics of Pau López between the posts to keep the hosts at bay. The ex-Roma shot-stopper executed terrific back-to-back saves to keep the visitors on the lookout for yet another unbeaten match on the road this season.
Despite Marseille finding themselves gradually on the ascendancy – at least in terms of possession and chances – it was the Parisians who threatened more often, with López once again the star in the spotlight, making arguably the pick of his saves as he tipped away Mbappé’s dipping effort just over the bar towards the 30-minute mark. However, it was La Pulga who crashed the inside of the crossbar from a wonderful free-kick just after, coming closest to opening the deadlock before HT. Making up for his best mate’s miss earlier, Neymar was the one to draw first blood with the final significant kick before the break, latching onto Mbappé’s pass and finishing deftly into the bottom-right corner with a first-time effort past a helpless López.
Perhaps inspired by López’s heroics, Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a great save immediately after the restart, saving Amine Harit’s close-range shot to preserve PSG’s lead. Soon after, López was again called into action following clever play by the hosts, leaping to thwart Vitinha’s left-footed far-post effort. Marseille never really got going, losing a man as the final quarter-hour dawned when Samuel Gigot forced his way through Neymar, picking up a straight red even though the tackle warranted a second check with VAR.
The visitors lacked clarity going forward in the final minutes, as was the case throughout the match, succumbing to a first away defeat this season. Meanwhile, Christophe Galtier’s men grab a first win in four matches following a hat-trick of draws, remaining unbeaten against Marseille since September 2020.
