Paris Saint-Germain earned their first win of the Ligue 1 season as Julian Draxler headed home deep in stoppage time to give the depleted French champions a 1-0 home win over Metz on Wednesday.
PSG’s disciplinary problems continued, however, as they had another player sent off after three were dismissed in Sunday’s ill-tempered defeat by Olympique de Marseille, including world record signing Neymar.
France striker Kylian Mbappe was also out due to testing positive for Covid-19 and Thomas Tuchel’s side struggled to break down Metz, whose goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja made a series of saves with his feet to keep out the hosts.
PSG were further frustrated by the sending-off of defender Abdou Diallo in the 65th minute for a second yellow card, which was followed by an injury to full back Juan Bernat that left them with nine men as Tuchel had made three substitutions.
But PSG, beaten Champions League finalists last month, continued to search for a first goal of the season and finally got one thanks to the determination of Angel di Maria and the opportunism of Draxler.
Di Maria trapped a long ball down the left wing and cut inside, producing a stinging cross which keeper Oukidja spilled into the air.
German Draxler pounced to head into the unguarded net, providing much relief to the home fans who were scattered across the Parc des Princes due to social distancing measures.
“We missed so many great chances but the players showed a great mentality and they ran like crazy. We will savour this match for a long time,” Tuchel said.
Having lost their first two matches of the campaign to Lens and Marseille, PSG are 15th in the Ligue 1 standings on three points after three games.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Julian Draxler (right) fights for the ball with Metz’s Dylan Bronn during the Ligue 1 match at Parc des Princes in Paris, France, on Wednesday. (AFP)
