Paris Saint-Germain suffered a 1-0 defeat against AS Monaco on Saturday, marking their second loss of the season after just 14 matches, equaling their total defeats from the previous season as the reigning Ligue 1 champions.
Monaco’s Japan forward Takumi Minamino netted the game’s only goal in the second half, capitalizing on an unusually error-prone performance from PSG.
PSG coach Luis Enrique reflected, “It’s challenging to maintain consistency when individual mistakes occur. This was our poorest performance of the season. We certainly deserved to lose; it was a very disappointing night for us.”
Monaco effectively contained PSG’s Vitinha, who had a standout hat trick in the Champions League earlier in the week, leaving him ineffective throughout the match.
“It was tough tonight. When a game is riddled with inaccuracies and mistakes, winning becomes impossible. We must accept the level we demonstrated today,” added Luis Enrique.
PSG’s vulnerabilities to counterattacks were evident when Minamino scored in the 69th minute, expertly receiving a pass from Aleksandr Golovin and skillfully placing the ball past goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier.
An early incident saw Monaco’s Lamine Camara narrowly escape with just a yellow card for a reckless tackle on Chevalier, striking the goalkeeper’s right ankle.
In response to the controversial play, Luis Enrique commented, “Lucas Chevalier was incredibly fortunate today. I won’t elaborate further because it’s not my place, but it’s astonishing. He was very lucky.” Chevalier recovered well, making a notable one-handed save from Minamino’s volley later in the half.
Monaco’s Thilo Kehrer received a red card in the 80th minute after a video review concluded that he pushed a PSG player from behind. Former star midfielder Paul Pogba made a late appearance for Monaco.
Despite the defeat, PSG remained at the top of the table after Marseille failed to capitalize on the opportunity to take first place later on Saturday.
An injury-time equalizer from Santiago Hidalgo allowed Toulouse to secure a 2-2 draw at the Velodrome.
However, Lens has the chance to claim first place on Sunday if they defeat Angers.
This report includes information from The Associated Press.