Le Havre 0-1 Paris Saint-Germain: Barcola´s header sends holders four-points clear


Bradley Barcola was the matchwinner for Paris Saint-Germain as they defeated Le Havre 1-0 to move four points clear at the Ligue 1 summit.

The 23-year-old’s first-half header was enough to separate the two sides at Stade Oceane, though Desire Doue missed a penalty late on for the visitors as they created some breathing room between themselves and Lens at the top of the table.

PSG were dominant from the very first whistle, with Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seeing an effort cleared off the line inside two minutes before Achraf Hakimi also struck the left post with an effort from range.

Lee Kang-in grew in influence for Luis Enrique’s side, forcing a save from Mory Diaw before picking out Barcola with a pinpoint cross in the 37th minute, and the latter managed to divert his header past the goalkeeper.

Lee then fired way wide of the post before Dro Fernandez saw a goal ruled out for offside against Hakimi shortly before the break, while Kvaratskhelia struck the base of the right post early in the second half after Le Havre squandered possession on the edge of their own box.

Doue then had the chance to put the match beyond doubt when he was fouled by Lucas Gourna-Douath in the box, but the PSG youngster saw his penalty saved by Diaw, with the goalkeeper making a strong save to his right.

Data Debrief: Diaw spares Le Havre’s blushes

1-0 was perhaps not a fair reflection of the performance of both sides, with PSG producing 3.88 expected goals (xG) from 22 shots to Le Havre’s 1.33 from nine attempts.

Diaw kept the scoreline respectable for the home side, making seven saves to keep Le Havre within a chance of snatching a late draw against the league leaders.

Nevertheless, PSG continued their strong record against Le Havre. The Parisians are the team Le Havre have hosted most often in the 21st century in all competitions while losing 100% of those matches (L5).




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