Paris Saint-Germain salvaged a 2-2 draw against Lille in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, relying on a dramatic late surge to secure a point. Captain Marquinhos headed home the equalizer in the final act of the match, capping off a frantic stoppage-time effort from Luis Enrique’s side.
The reigning French and European champions appeared destined for defeat as the match entered the final minutes. Lille had established a 2-0 lead through a stunning first-half strike from Hakon Haraldsson and a curled effort by debutant Dilane Bakwa, who recently joined on loan from Nottingham Forest. Haraldsson’s goal, a powerful strike from the edge of the area, followed a precise reverse pass from Olivier Giroud.
Luis Enrique’s team finally found their rhythm in the first minute of added time when Vitinha scored to narrow the deficit. The Portuguese playmaker then provided the decisive cross for Marquinhos to head in the equalizer, denying Lille a victory in front of their home crowd at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The result leaves PSG without a win in the early stages of the Ligue 1 season, though this marks the second consecutive match in which they have recovered from a two-goal deficit. Last weekend, the team trailed 2-0 against Rennes before Ferran Torres, a recent signing from Barcelona, came off the bench to score twice and secure a draw.
The squad faced several notable absences during the clash. Ousmane Dembele was granted a week off by the manager, while Bradley Barcola remained sidelined amid reports of an imminent high-profile transfer to Liverpool. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia started on the bench, though he entered the game in the second half alongside new recruit Mika Godts.
For Lille, the result was a difficult outcome for new coach Davide Ancelotti. The match was observed from the stands by his father, Carlo Ancelotti, the current Brazil manager. Davide previously served on the staff during Carlo’s tenure at the Qatar-owned Parisian club between 2012 and 2013. Lille’s week had already been marked by the high-profile sale of teenage talent Ayyoub Bouaddi to Manchester City for an initial 100 million euros ($117m).
PSG will look to build on this comeback as they continue their defense of the Champions League title. The club, which recently defeated Aston Villa to claim the UEFA Super Cup, is set to face major European opponents including Barcelona and Manchester City in the upcoming league phase.
Elsewhere in the French top flight, the weekend schedule continues with last season’s runners-up Lens traveling to face Strasbourg on Saturday, while Monaco prepares to host Marseille on Sunday. The report also notes that it looked as though the reigning French and European champions were heading for defeat as goals by Hakon Haraldsson and Dilane Bakwa for Lille left PSG trailing 2-0 with the 90 minutes up. The report also notes that pSG remain without a victory at the start of this Ligue 1 season but this was the second successive game in which they had come from two behind late on to grab a share of the spoils. The report also notes that while another of France’s World Cup stars Bradley Barcola was also absent with a huge-money transfer to Liverpool understood to be imminent, he was therefore not involved here.
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